DIY Clear-coat failure repair

[St.LightDetails]

So I've been living with this nasty clear-coat failure on the front bumper of my truck. Looks like it failed after the previous owner had fender bender and cracked the paint. It wasn't nearly as bad when I bought the truck but has been progressively spreading. So today I decided to tackle the issue. Granted this was outside not in a protected paint booth so keep this in mind if you have a garage that is climate controlled your results could be even better.

Also for some reason I cannot get the before pictures to load it says they are there but I can see them. I'll work on getting them up.

All you need to tackle something like this is some sand paper I used 180 for initial sanding of the paint and then 1000, 1500, 2500 for wet sanding. Then you're going to need some paint I went to AZ picked up the dupli-color that matched my truck and some of their clear-coat. Some masking tape and some old newspaper

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_03112.JPG

Sand down the clear coat that's failed making sure that you get all of the clear around the edges and any of the subsequent base coat that is bad as well. Make sure to "Feather out" your edges. This means making sure that when your sanding there won't be any uneven spots you will see in the paint.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_03071.JPG

When your sanding it should look something like this, you can also get a spray bottle of water and a old microfiber to wipe away the dust so you can really see how its going. As you can see in the above picture more sanding needs to be done to get all those cracks out.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/IMG_03103.JPG (http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/62548)

This is after sanding is complete and the truck has been taped off. In retrospect I should have given myself more room to blend the paint in and had to move my tap line over to about mid-way under the head lamp after looking at it. Took a little extra time but worth it. When you're painting make sure that you do not paint all the way to the tape. Start spraying before you get close the paint and lift up well before the tape line. This way the new paint will blend more evenly with the existing color on the car.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_03211.JPG
Hand polished after wet sanding. Again for some reason shots from further back not uploading. Says they are there but I cannot see them. Hope this helps!:xyxthumbs:

[hellfst]

check your tags [IMG] Ive know it does that sometimes. Make sure they are all closed

[St.LightDetails]

The photos aren't loading into my album correctly for some reason. I'll keep messing around with it.

[St.LightDetails]

Ok, so figured out the picture issue (thanks to Vegas Transplant), make sure your sizes are correct before you do what I did and spend an hour messing around with stuff that won't work.

Before shots, as you can see the damage was well beyond simply sanding and polishing.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/2005/IMG_0304_opt.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/62561)

I forgot to mention that I hand polished this after wet sanding with M105. I am going to let the paint sit at least overnight and possibly a day or do before going back with the DA and some M205.

After a little further back this time
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/2005/IMG_0324_opt.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/62562)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/2005/IMG_0328_opt.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/62563)

[Vegas Transplant]

:dblthumb2: StreetLight you got mad skills. The before/afters are dramatic. :dblthumb2:

Tuscarora Dave has a thread where he was able to get the color match from a paint supplier in a rattle can.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/49611-did-little-bumper-repair-my-new-shop.html

I'm sure that you'll be a big influence on these forums :props:
Keep up the good work :buffing:

[St.LightDetails]

Thanks Vegas, I hope to contribute whatever I can lord knows I've learned a lot from the members here already. The process I used was similar to TD's in the link you posted, but this was a quickie took me about 3 hours, and maybe another half or so tomorrow to finish with the polishing. Now I don't have to look at that ugly faded mess on my bumper, exciting!:dblthumb2:

Yes, and you can get a local paint supply shop to match colors in a rattle can for you. A big plus is that if you have the car available they can usually match the color directly to whats there already. That way if the O.E paint is faded they can match that and not just mix it up using the paint code. If you blend it correctly though its very hard to notice the subtle change in tint.

[Vegas Transplant]

We all come to the table with different abilities...but we come to learn.
This undertaking is awesome. No doubt that you will inspire others to attempt this on their own...and save $$$ in the process.

You motivated me to attempt the $50 Rustoleum results on a junker that a relative has just sitting in a field. Just curious...that's all.

[St.LightDetails]

Give it a shot! I've painted cars with Rustoleum in a gallon can before. I diluted it slightly with some mineral spirits and got some foam rollers and went to town. It was in my younger days of course but it came out pretty good. The finish wasn't nearly as glossy as automotive paint but it was smooth, and took rocks like a beast. I swear, rocks just bounced off the bumper and hood. The trick is to take your time in the prep. Get the surface as smooth as you can before painting, and keep it as clean as possible. IPA works great as a wipe down after sanding as it evaporates quickly and won't leave any residue. Follow that with a tack rag and you're good to go. I didn't have a tack rag today so you can still get good results without it.

[Crispy]

Nice job. I have painted my front bumper numerous times on my daily driver. Front gets a lot of chips over the course of 12 months so every year I end up having to paint. A few things I would add to your article. After sanding I apply a dark color filler primer to the damaged area only. This can be sanded after 30 minutes and does 2 things. It provides a good base for the paint to adhere to and after light sanding will give a good indication of how smooth the finish coat will look like. I keep applying primer and sanding until I'm happy the finish coat will lay down smoothly (front bumper has lots of chips and pot marks where the top coat is removed right down to the primer-I use black primer as it is less noticeable on my dark colour). Also I never tape off the section around the damage (of course I tape off any area that I don't want paint on). I wet sand with 1500 grit as large an area that I think paint might hit when I spray the damaged area. 1500 scratches provide adequate adhesion and also cover with clear coat. Other than that your results speak for themselves.