Repainting Damaged Quarter Panel; Input Needed!!

[TheForger]

Sorry I guess I could’ve done some research on that but I’m still on business so my time is limited. I should be getting back tomorrow but no guarantees....fingers crossed!

I just watched a YouTube video (linked below) where a guy uses that SprayMax 1K Spot Blender to blend the sealer on his project. My girlfriend told me the 2 cans I ordered have arrived but obviously I haven’t gotten to read the directions yet. Do you use it after each final coat of primer, sealer, base coat, then clear?

I know you’ve had a pretty rough past few days @suprarx7nut but got any tips since you’ve said you’ve used this stuff before? What about you @shadow247?? Anyone else have experience with this blender or any other brands?

 

[suprarx7nut]

Sorry I guess I could’ve done some research on that but I’m still on business so my time is limited. I should be getting back tomorrow but no guarantees....fingers crossed!

I just watched a YouTube video (linked below) where a guy uses that SprayMax 1K Spot Blender to blend the sealer on his project. My girlfriend told me the 2 cans I ordered have arrived but obviously I haven’t gotten to read the directions yet. Do you use it after each final coat of primer, sealer, base coat, then clear?

I know you’ve had a pretty rough past few days @suprarx7nut but got any tips since you’ve said you’ve used this stuff before? What about you @shadow247?? Anyone else have experience with this blender or any other brands?

That gets used on clear only for me. I've never heard of it being used on anything else.

The primer/sealer/base can all be feathered by themselves just fine. It's that last clear layer that you can't really hide without a blender.

 

[kevin2i]

Watching --
Curious how this goes - I noticed Automotive touchup does not list the 2 part clear coat on the website (but it is available, ask for it). This stuff is super hard, I still have a little orange peel on my hood (too large an area, and not great technique) but my repair come out well. I did this in 2013 - also repainted lower lift gate, and it looks like crap now because I used autozone clear. Re spraying rear and roof.

The 2013 repair job was very 'close' in matching but not perfect. They sent me a second mix (free). Did this via mail.
Recently I went down there (renovating a house in New Orleans, so local) and spent time trying to get it right. The two variations in the Toyota book were not matching my truck (door jambs, anywhere) and it took 3 attempts to get 'super-close'. I would not attempt blending mid-panel - check your paint is dead on. Toyota paint (1998) codes have variations for a given code, I wouldn't order more than one can to start. ( mine is Mica Green)

I might sand/respray clear on my hood. Curious if that spot-blender helps smooth out the clear coat (5 years old). Probably should invest in spray gun or try spraying hood vertical.

Good advice here! And yeah, you can't feather a scratch and repaint without fill unless you want a nice smooth divot effect . . .

 

[97 AZ LC]

That gets used on clear only for me. I've never heard of it being used on anything else.

Agree, I use it only on the final coat of clear, and only on the dry edge. I suppose you could use it on the entire final coat of clear but if your clear went on wet enough if should flow out just fine. Then a day later I wet sand with 1500 on a flexible block, then buff with a finishing polish.

 

[TheForger]

Appreciate the input on the blender guys I think I got my steps all lined out now! Everything is masked off so paint & clear will go on early tomorrow morning. All I got left to do is drape a drop cloth down the center of the truck and then wipe down with wax & grease remover and finally tack cloth before spraying.

 

[TheForger]

Let the fun begin

 

[97 AZ LC]

That looks nice. I think it's going to turn out well. And remember, if it ends up looking too good you can always paint the rest of the truck.

 

[TheForger]

So far so good. I’m really happy with how this is coming out. I’m 2 coats of clear in and I will put on a 3rd since I had a few small runs I want to compound and buff out at a later date. VERY happy this is going well! The areas above the door molding and below the rear vent that are darker are just reflections of my garage floor and ceiling, the clear was still very wet when I took this pic

 

[TheForger]

For an aerosol metallic paint it went down fantastically. I always heard about how much of a pain metallic paint can be since the flakes will sometimes not match, but man this is spot on! Also, I did end up using the SprayMax 2K Clear Coat instead of the regular “High Gloss Clear” from Automotive TouchUp, and holy cow this is THE BEST clear coat I’ve ever used! It goes down very thick and it gets very hard after letting it sit for even 30min. It’s smooth as glass too (besides the orange peel that is noticeable along the body line in the 3rd pic). For reference, I did not paint the front fender or A-pillar, and the freshly painted panels match it perfectly. Now I will just wait until tomorrow to reassemble everything, and then compound & polish next weekend after it’s had time to cure.

 

[MountaineerLC]

Really looks fantastic! Well done!

 

[SmoothLC]

Wow! Looks awesome @TheForger - nice job.

 

[TheForger]

Really looks fantastic! Well done!

Thank you!

Wow! Looks awesome @TheForger - nice job.

Thanks!!

I really appreciate everyone’s help with this. I’ve done small little half-dollar sizes repairs before but never multiple panels spanning the entire side of a vehicle. If it wasn’t for all of you and your advice/input I never would’ve been able to do this. I will definitely keep this thread updated and post some more pics when I get it all put back together and out in the sun, and also after I compound and polish everything.

 

[97 AZ LC]

It's hard to tell about color match until you get it all finished and out in the light and view from different angles. I don't know how many cans of SprayMax 2k you used but between thinner and propellant there's not a lot of actual clearcoat in those cans. It may feel like you put a lot on but it's probably not that thick, which points to light wet sanding before buffing. If you really try to get the clear perfectly flat with wet sanding you run a pretty good risk of going through the clear somewhere and disturbing metal flakes. This necessitates spotting in some more base and re-clearing which is a pain. It's still going to look pretty good even if your clear isn't perfectly flat.

 

[suprarx7nut]

That looks awesome! I'm excited to see pics once you have it all cleaned up and out in the sun!

I agree with @97 AZ LC that going real light on sanding is a good call. A little orange peel is way better than sanding through the clear. The spray jobs I've done recently I've just left as sprayed.

 

[gungriffin]

If you go through the clear, is it possible to just spray another coat of clear? You would know with wet sanding if you went into the paint as the water would start to turn tan, right?

 

[97 AZ LC]

If you go through the clear, is it possible to just spray another coat of clear? You would know with wet sanding if you went into the paint as the water would start to turn tan, right?

Yes, but by the time you've noticed the color change in the water it's probably too late. Base coat isn't very tough, it relies on the clear coat for protection. The metal flakes in the base coast sit very close to the surface. Even a small amount of abrasion on those metal flakes can change the way they reflect light thereby creating the appearance of a color mismatch.

 

[gungriffin]

Yes, but by the time you've noticed the color change in the water it's probably too late. Base coat isn't very tough, it relies on the clear coat for protection. The metal flakes in the base coast sit very close to the surface. Even a small amount of abrasion on those metal flakes can change the way they reflect light thereby creating the appearance of a color mismatch.

Good to know. Thank you for the explanation.

 

[TheForger]

It's hard to tell about color match until you get it all finished and out in the light and view from different angles. I don't know how many cans of SprayMax 2k you used but between thinner and propellant there's not a lot of actual clearcoat in those cans. It may feel like you put a lot on but it's probably not that thick, which points to light wet sanding before buffing. If you really try to get the clear perfectly flat with wet sanding you run a pretty good risk of going through the clear somewhere and disturbing metal flakes. This necessitates spotting in some more base and re-clearing which is a pain. It's still going to look pretty good even if your clear isn't perfectly flat.

That looks awesome! I'm excited to see pics once you have it all cleaned up and out in the sun!

I agree with @97 AZ LC that going real light on sanding is a good call. A little orange peel is way better than sanding through the clear. The spray jobs I've done recently I've just left as sprayed.

Thank you both very much! Knowing me I would’ve thought I’m all good and ended up sanding straight through the clear coat. I did use 2 cans; however, it came out to about 1 can per coat (I made the 2nd can last 2 coats so total there’s probably close to 3 coats of clear). You’re absolutely right @97 AZ LC it sure seemed like I put a lot down but now that you bring that up and I think about it, I’m sure there’s not that much clear to work with. Honestly I’m not looking for perfection because it’s just going to get scraped on the trails again. I just wanted to fix the terrible scratches that used to be there. Most likely I will skip wet sanding and just compound and polish it out, being verrrry gentle. That will probably happen in a few weeks as I need to focus on work for a while now that this project has come to an end.

To be completely honest with everyone who has followed along - as much fun as it was doing this project, I’m soooo ready to get back to normal things lol! I do have a day job with the Corps of Engineers so that keeps me on the road basically every week, and explains why all my progress is made on the weekends since that’s the only time I’m free. However, I greatly appreciate everyone’s input and advice on this. Like I said earlier I wouldn't have been able to do this if it wasn’t for all of y’all in this thread!

 

[TheForger]

Here are a few pics now that I have it out in the sun. Excuse the piece of molding on the front fender, I’m about to put some molding tape behind it in just a minute I wanted to get some pics first. The color match is still spot on!! I have yet to wash it to get all the dust from wet sanding off the rest of the side molding, but I plan on waiting until next weekend because I want the clear to fully cure before I touch it with anything. So don’t worry that’s just dust!

 

[Kabanstva]

Are you planning on buffing it? Looks like it was wetsanded but never buffed. Reflections look very dull.