Rattle can restoration (1 Viewer)

[ElHefe]

Getting body panels or parts repainted can be expensive and time-consuming (mostly your vehicle sitting at a body shop in the queue). Some of our vehicles warrant only the best, but I got mine to have fun and paying someone else to paint the truck really didn’t make sense. I had some sun damage on my clear coat and, in some areas, base coat and decided that it was time to change things up.

I decided to tackle the front bumper first and then moved on to the hood. I’d recommend that strategy: start small and expendable.

In case it wasn’t clear from the title, this is all about painting with rattle cans. Total, I have about $140 into repainting my front bumper and hood (with enough materials to do my roof as well).

Here is the truck now:

 

[TheForger]

Looks great! What’d it look like before? I did a rattle can restoration as well from passenger quarter panel all the way to passenger front door

Repainting Damaged Quarter Panel; Input Needed!

 

[ElHefe]

Here is a shot of the “before” a year ago. Classic sun damage from living its whole life uncovered in Texas. A great rig; just needed a little TLC.

Start by removing the front grille to access the top bolts; then move on to the bottom bolts. Don’t forget the side skirt bolts! Then unplug the fog lights. Remove and place on a stable work table.

Then get ready to wash every surface and recess very thoroughly. Sand down the surface, noting places where you need to do minor plastic repairs. (I didn’t do any; just sanded down). Then clean again. Then sand again. Get it smooth but rough. If you are shooting a 2K primer or a fill primer, 240 grit is fine. If you’re shooting just new base coat, you’ll want a finer grit like 300-400.

 

[Ca lc]

Getting body panels or parts repainted can be expensive and time-consuming (mostly your vehicle sitting at a body shop in the queue). Some of our vehicles warrant only the best, but I got mine to have fun and paying someone else to paint the truck really didn’t make sense. I had some sun damage on my clear coat and, in some areas, base coat and decided that it was time to change things up.

I decided to tackle the front bumper first and then moved on to the hood. I’d recommend that strategy: start small and expendable.

Here is the truck now:

View attachment 2449311

That looks awesome! I need to do both of my bumpers.

What paints Did you use?

 

[ElHefe]

Once everything is clean and ready, mask off the insert grille. This does not pop out and is molded into the bumper cover. You will want to be very careful here if you’re want the job to look good.

Next up, wax and grease remover. Carefully go over the entire panel. Now is the time to move the bumper or be ready for paint on your work surface.

I used a color match paint from Colortone in San Antonio, Texas. You give them the code from your spec tag inside the truck; they load the hood stuff into a van premixed. Remember that the color will not match perfectly if you have sun damage and you may need to blend into other panels. This is true of every approach but manage your expectations.

I ordered three cans. The front bumper was a .5-.75 can job.

I followed this up with a 2K clear coat from Amazon. I used one can of the 2K. If you use less, doesn’t matter. The can is single use because the activator has been plunged.

Link: USC Spray Max 2k High Gloss Clearcoat Aerosol (4 PACK)

Amazon product ASIN B00W2D81ZO

 

[ElHefe]

I sprayed the base coat light, waiting 10-15 minutes between coats. I put on four total base coat passes. Take your time and try not to build up a wet spot. Light coats and movement control are key but not rocket science.

I put two light clear coat passes down plus one wet coat to end the job.

Here are the results a few hours after.

 

[ElHefe]

When you’re learning or refining a skill its all about scaffolding the difficulty; build up your confidence on parts you can easily replace or where your flaws will be hidden.

The next task was the hood. This was a lot more serious and I tried hard not to screw it up too badly. But I made mistakes and you can learn from them here.

Clean the hood and make sure you have ample access on all sides of the hood. If you’re short, I recommend setting up a structure around the front so you can walk while painting. I started by sanding down the really rough spots where the missing clear coat had formed what looked like very shallow dents. This is not uncommon and you might be doing this job for the exact same reason. I recommend starting with a serious grit for this work (I did not) and knock it down to the primer (I should have in more spots). You do not want to expose the raw metal unless you’ve specifically purchased the appropriate primer.

Keep going to finer grit paper and do visual and sensory inspections. You will feel bumps that are not perceptible to your eyes and your eyes can make you think bumps are present where they are not.

Then clean again; sand some more; and clean again. This was my first mistake: I did not sand enough and there are still some shallow indentations visible in my clear coat. These will likely come out with a wet sanding but you can avoid the headache and get the panel flat, even, and smooth (400 grit or so).

Next up: mask off; mask off; mask off. I used thin drop cloth plastic to cover the entire front of the truck.

Then shoot the paint and clear coat. This took 1.5 cans of base coat and 3 cans of clear. This was my second mistake: I accidentally put my hand on the top base coat. It looked fine but clearly caused some fine imperfections visible through the clear since this (1D2) is a metallic paint. Also, be very careful with managing your overlay to avoid tiger stripes. Even more important with metallic paint.

Once you’re done, don’t let the drop cloth fly up on to your clear coat. Mistake three. Keep it taped down and be patient. You worked hard to get to this point. It is worth waiting.

 

[ElHefe]

I am still waiting for the clear to fully cure before I wet sand. Then I’ll post up results.

Hope this helps if you’re thinking about taking this on.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

@knewstance what you waiting for?

 

[Beto Cruiser]

Wow that hood turned out great for just 1.5 cans! I resprayed my tailgate (paint damage under emblems) and hood. Took wayyy more cans of paint than you used. Similar amount of clear though. That 2K clear makes a huge difference. I used duplicolor clear first and it was... less than desirable.. so I tried 2K and love it.

 

[ElHefe]

Wow that hood turned out great for just 1.5 cans! I resprayed my tailgate (paint damage under emblems) and hood. Took wayyy more cans of paint than you used. Similar amount of clear though. That 2K clear makes a huge difference. I used duplicolor clear first and it was... less than desirable.. so I tried 2K and love it.

Thanks! Yes, the 2K is key. And only ~3x the cost regular clear coat.

 

[Bisho]

Nice job!

 

[knewstance]

Nice work! You've had a great outcome so far. I'm excited to see what it looks like when you finish the rest of the truck

@knewstance what you waiting for?

I'd end up doing the entire thing with my sunburn. I'd want to get the little door dings out and that means Bondo and primer before I even get to this process.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

I'd end up doing the entire thing with my sunburn. I'd want to get the little door dings out and that means Bondo and primer before I even get to this process.