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Back in March of 2018 I had a distracted driving incident where I wasn't paying attention and ended up veering off the road sideswiping a mile marker sign on the shoulder. I clipped the mirror which thankfully did not break off and instead folded in like it is designed to do; however, it did shatter the mirror glass and then continued to scrape down the side of the truck digging in the deepest when it reached the passenger quarter panel. I immediately replaced the mirror glass since that was a priority, but quickly realized that I had no interest or care to fix the ~6" long deep scratch on the quarter panel.
Fast forward to today and I am considering repairing it myself. I've already ordered the (1B1) Champagne Pearl paint from Automotive TouchUp, as well as a can of their High Gloss Clear Coat. I ordered both in their aerosol forms to make my life easier since I don't have a pneumatic paint gun or other fancy equipment.
Now I am looking for some tips, tricks, and opinions (especially from those who are familiar with this type of work on 2-stage paint) on my repair method that I briefly thought out. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated! I've outlined the steps that I thought made sense below:
Fast forward to today and I am considering repairing it myself. I've already ordered the (1B1) Champagne Pearl paint from Automotive TouchUp, as well as a can of their High Gloss Clear Coat. I ordered both in their aerosol forms to make my life easier since I don't have a pneumatic paint gun or other fancy equipment.
Now I am looking for some tips, tricks, and opinions (especially from those who are familiar with this type of work on 2-stage paint) on my repair method that I briefly thought out. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated! I've outlined the steps that I thought made sense below:
- Wash, dry, clay bar, & dry polish the entire quarter panel with a wool pad on a DA buffer to prep for sanding
- Since the scratch is so deep, I was thinking about starting out wet sanding with 200 grit in the area surrounding it to get rid of the lose chips and to feather the edges as much as I can. Then, progressively move up to finer grits (400, 600, 800, 1000, etc...) always wet sanding
- Thankfully there are no dents within the scratch so Bondo/glazing putty seems like it would be an unnecessary (correct me if I'm wrong)
- Use a green Scotch-Brite pad to wet-scuff the area outside of the region where I sanded near the scratch in steps 1 & 2
- After all the wet sanding & scuffing is complete, I will thoroughly clean the panel again using a microfiber rag soaked with acetone or 91% alcohol
- Back tape the area where I plan to repaint and clear coat. This is where I run into some uncertainty and have a few questions:
- Will I have to repaint and clear the entire quarter panel just to fix this one scratch?
- What if I just taped off and wet sanded/painted/cleared the area I outlined in blue? I specified that area because the tape lines would follow the faint body line that is just below the pinstripe (obviously the pinstripe and TRD sticker will be removed) and would span from hatch to rear door
- Tack cloth the area for final prep before paint
- Begin spraying the base coat over the prepped area. I am thinking two coats will be sufficient but I guess we'll see what happens when we get to that point. This brings up a couple more questions
- Should I wet sand between each base coat? If so what grit should I use? 1000? 2000??
- I've always warmed up aerosol paint cans beforehand by leaving them in a bucket of very warm water for about 15min before spraying. Would this be beneficial for me to do with the base coat?
- After allowing the base coats to cure for 24+hrs, begin spraying the clear coat. I'm thinking maybe 2 coats also, but once again we'll see what happens when we get there
- I've also warmed up clear coats the same way before spraying. Should I stick to my routine of leaving it in a bucket of warm water before using it?
- Should I wet sand between each coat? If so what grits should I use?
- Should I remove all masking tape shortly after spraying?
- After allowing the clear coat to cure for 72+hrs, begin with cutting compound
- What cutting compound do you recommend? I was thinking Meguiar's Mirror Glaze M105 to start, but I've also been looking at their Mirror Glaze Diamond Cut Compound 2.0 #85. Do I need a cutting compound so aggressive, or could I get by with their Medium-Cut Cleaner #1 and then move on to their Fine-Cut Cleaner #2?
- After finished with cutting I will begin polishing
- Currently looking at Meguiars Mirror Glaze Ultra Finishing Polish M205, would this be a good choice?
- Should I do a final polish with something like their Machine Glaze? Or just stop at the M205 and finish off with a wool buffing pad?