Scratches everywhere

[nj96z28]

Due to carelessness of people who use the garage my z28 lives in, my car has aquired a wealth of scratches on it ... i tried touch up paint but it looks like crap....anyone in north area got a body shop? or anyone in north know of a place that will fix me up for a decent price?

[NightRydaSS]

I'm in the same boat. It is my front end however that i can't stand. I have major road rash from the millions of little grains of dirt that have hit it on the highways over the yrs. I have tried every kind of wax, polish, ect. Touch up paint makes it look like a 12 yr old with pimples, and, you can't touch up a whole car.

My best bet is a new paint job.

[Icemansghost]

when getting it repainted...Use protectorfinish clear gloss over the base coat also called chromabase dupont!!!!!!!!!!!! I swear by this!!!!!!!! also they make a clear acrylic bra for the front.. They work really good after a new paint to help the front nose from chips! Put like 4-5 coats of clear toooo!

[nj96z28]

Originally Posted by Buoniconti81

when getting it repainted...Use protectorfinish clear gloss over the base coat also called chromabase dupont!!!!!!!!!!!! I swear by this!!!!!!!! also they make a clear acrylic bra for the front.. They work really good after a new paint to help the front nose from chips! Put like 4-5 coats of clear toooo!

repainted ? lol i was gonna have em buff the scratches out ... i cant afford a paintjob let alone getting my suspension stuff installed....

[nj96z28]

ok so i need a recomendation for compound/wax mix and methods so i can get theese surface scratches out of em paint then i can clay bar this ***** and get her looking pretty

[EchoMirage]

how deep are the scratches.....what color is it. are you talking just clearcoat, into the paint, or down to metal? you cant fix anything down to metal. if you do it correctly, then touch up paint will look factory. correctly meaning paint prep, wet sand the area, paint, wet sand again, clear coat, etc. im nowhere near an expert, but let me know what kind of paint/damage youre talking about, and we'll see which direction you can go.

[nj96z28]

most of em are surface scratches, some are fairly deep... im not really sure. dont know much about paint ....... Also i just pulled the side molding off, and i regret doing it there is a visible line where the molding was and on the drivers side quarter panel.. its almost like gm forgot to paint there!sigh, really looks ****** now. im pissed

[Tru2Chevy]

Originally Posted by nj96z28

Also i just pulled the side molding off, and i regret doing it there is a visible line where the molding was and on the drivers side quarter panel.. its almost like gm forgot to paint there!sigh, really looks ****** now. im pissed

Do you mean there is actually no paint under the molding?

Sounds like it was resprayed in the past with the molding on, after being prepped with the molding off.

- Justin

[nj96z28]

there is but its very faint almost like the 2nd or 3rd coat wasnt put on ... its just in that one spot. also no finish to it (i guess u could say). i dont know what im more annoyed about... that i took it off and it looks like **** or that i may have to get the car repainted because i couldnt leave the damn molding on.

[EchoMirage]

if most of your scratches are in the clearcoat/paint, then its fixable without painting. going to a guy/shop is easiest, but might be expensive. if you want to try it yourself, then youll need a good orbital polisher, like a porter-cable. personally, i always use meguiars products, so ill use them as an example. hit up either a website or a good parts store, and look for meg. professional line. theyre in the tan bottles, with numbers on them. not the everyday 'gold class' variety. if your finish is REALLY bad, then look for a heavy abbrasive, like a diamond cut. work it, according to the directions, with the porter cable. one or two applications may be needed. you might have to then step down to a less abbrasive polish....they come in different strengths, writen right on the bottle. you could finish off with the meg. swirl remover, its like a step 2 abbrasive. then id use the glaze by hand, finish off with pure carnuba wax #6, by hand. that should take care of most of your damage, and finish off with a brilliant shine and protective coat.

doing it yourself, especially with this much damage, is VERY labor intensive and time consuming. its a worthy investment/learning exp. if you want to keep it up yourself. if not, then look up a local detailer, and have him do all the work for you. he might be able to blend in the line from the moulding. itd be at least $100-150, im guessing.

[EchoMirage]

added note.......the line could be because your paint is so faded, whats under the moulding is fresh, new color paint. or, from being glued onto the car for the past 11yrs, the adhesive may have pulled a layer or two of paint off. and also, it could have been painted improperly sometime in the past.

[nj96z28]

as far as a repaint, i have the carfax report .. the only wreck the cars ever been in was a rear bumper tap... can see the spider web . I know the 2 previous owners personally and the car has never been repainted, etc... it was bone stock except for wheels and catback when i got it.

[DOSWS62002]

I work at a bodyshop in Belmar painting the cars there. I also have been doing a kind of detail side business kind of thing of my own on the weekends. I started that finally in the beginning of this summer, if you want I could fix it up for you.

[nj96z28]

Originally Posted by DOSWS62002

I work at a bodyshop in Belmar painting the cars there. I also have been doing a kind of detail side business kind of thing of my own on the weekends. I started that finally in the beginning of this summer, if you want I could fix it up for you.

send me a pm

[JohnG]

here is an excerpt from a product comparison test :

11 different brands of plastic scratch removers were tested, on various surfaces. Products were rated by speed, finish, ease of use, effectiveness in removing scratches, and overall value.

Surprisingly, though "Meguiar's Swirl Remover" product left a beautiful shine on the surface, it couldn't remove even the lightest scratch. "3M Finesse-It II Polish", however, required more elbow grease than most, but did an admirable job of removing even fairly heavy scratches. The price difference was only about $1, but how do you put a price on the pleasure of getting a scratch out of your vehicle's bodywork, or on the frustration of having to live with it.

[NightRydaSS]

Originally Posted by JohnG

here is an excerpt from a product comparison test :

11 different brands of plastic scratch removers were tested, on various surfaces. Products were rated by speed, finish, ease of use, effectiveness in removing scratches, and overall value.

Surprisingly, though "Meguiar's Swirl Remover" product left a beautiful shine on the surface, it couldn't remove even the lightest scratch. "3M Finesse-It II Polish", however, required more elbow grease than most, but did an admirable job of removing even fairly heavy scratches. The price difference was only about $1, but how do you put a price on the pleasure of getting a scratch out of your vehicle's bodywork, or on the frustration of having to live with it.

what about using a rubing compound (like one you would use to buff out 1500 grit sand paper after a wetsand)?

[EchoMirage]

can you post up where you found that article. when i used the swirl remover, it only took out the lightest of clearcoat scratches. it does make it shine brilliantly though. ive used their scratch-X to no avail also. id like to do something a little more aggressive, but nothing that can damage.

also, meg. makes many other compounds/polishes. maybe something more aggresive in their line would work better. diamond cut is the roughest they have, i think.

[Kat]

If they are straches then it will need to be buffed out with a wool pad and some 3m finess fine cut, then off to the swirl remover, some hand glaze to a nice shine to the paint and then wax/zaino.

I've done that to a QUITE a few cars over years and they always turned out excellent.

[97Formula]

Scratch-Out by Kit. Easy to use and very effective in removing scratches. Only a few bucks at Walmart. Give it a shot.

[EVIL90SS]

Originally Posted by Buoniconti81

when getting it repainted...Use protectorfinish clear gloss over the base coat also called chromabase dupont!!!!!!!!!!!! I swear by this!!!!!!!! also they make a clear acrylic bra for the front.. They work really good after a new paint to help the front nose from chips! Put like 4-5 coats of clear toooo!

chromabase dupont is just thier basecoat aint nothin special, and 4-5 coats of clear is no good the more material on the surface the more it will chip or peel.

[Icemansghost]

Originally Posted by EVIL90SS

chromabase dupont is just thier basecoat aint nothin special, and 4-5 coats of clear is no good the more material on the surface the more it will chip or peel.

I'm sorry ......Its called chromaclear....



get winter activator for the clear,and a reducer for the chromabase. it should run you 400-500 for paint/ clear and material to repaint the entire car. dont forget laquor thinner and a can of gun cleaner...and sand paper from 180 all the way to 2000 grit. and nice cutting wheel too when its all done,and the 3m cutting wheel glaze. oh and a long board, and a book on how to paint. try the fender with 50 percent overlap, and 8-12 inches from the surface. Not to mention a 6 inch fan spray comming out of the gun....

4-5 coats of clear is also good before you cut...You will cut down at least 2 coats