yellow9ll

My 86 na is black and the paint is pretty good although there are the normal chips in the front and some scratches. Anyone have any suggestions as to how to fill the chips and perhaps wet sand and buff out the scratches. Does wet sanding the entire car and buffing it make any sense or am I going to do more harm than good.

Jakerx

Don't wetsand it, especially without any experience.

www.paintscratch.com

testarossa_td

Search should help you here.

There have been a few who have "over" filled the scratches the leveled with a rag wrapped around a block of wood soaked in carb or brake cleaner or some solvent.

DO NOT DO THIS!...without searching first and getting all the info.

cobalt

You can try this product.


http://www.dri-wash.us/eti/chip-scratch-repair.htm
http://www.langka.com/chip-scratch-repair-c-21.html

This product is not too bad and works Ok. Although you can achieve the same results with a good polish, credit card and fine linen cloth.

I find that on non metallic paints small applications of the touch up paint carefully building up a little at a time works best. Some people use the end of a match to apply the paint which takes some practice but works well or a fine brush purchased from an art supply house works best. Never use the brushes supplied in touch up paint as it is very hard to control the amount of paint running down the brush and usually is what causes the big blobs.

If you do get a blob that is hard to remove. You can carefully and I do mean carefully wet sand the blob with a small piece of 500grit paper and a hard rubber block. Arch the block so to only touch the top of the blob until about 50% is gone. Then increase grit to 1000, 1500, 2000 until it is mostly gone. You can then use products like Mguires Scratch X or a polish too work out the rest along with the fine scratches created by sanding. This takes practice but after a while it becomes relatively easy to do.

Remember successful touch up is only achieved by painstaking and proper preparation of the area before applying paint.

Dilberto

As a youngster- my first job was in Auto Body/Glass/Paint. In fact I was taught by Jose Espinoza- known for his $10,000 paint jobs, custom painting everything from Low-Riders, to cars of the Rich and Famous. Although he exclusively uses Enamel-based, Spies-Hecker paint(from Germany)- he has taught me the finer points of touch-ups with store-bought, rattle-can spray paint:

Supplies Needed-
3M Wet-Dry Sandpapers:
-500grit(for deep pits only)
-800grit
-1000grit
-2000grit
3M Liquid Rubbing Compound
Spray Bottle w/ Clean Water
Clean rags
DupliColor Onyx Black
Duplicolor Clear Coat
Zymol Cream Wax
Orbital Buffer
Terry-cloth applicators(clean, old socks turned inside out works too!)
12-pack Beer

3-STAGE PAINT PROCEDURE:
Pour a bucket of water around the perimeter of the entire car, to catch any dust that kicks-up. Paint dust is the enemy of this job, and the moat of water will act like a magnet for dust particles.

Starting with 800-grit sandpaper- sand smooth the entire nose panel area, or portion you want to touch up. Sand until you can feel no pits at all. When smooth to the touch- wet sand it with 1000-grit, 3M Wet-Dry sandpaper(the best), and a bucket of clean water. Dry completely. Begin touch-up with DupliColor Onyx Black, after shaking it for 5-10mins. The first coat is called a fog-coat, make your coats overlap at least 1/2", while holding the can about 12" away. Constantly keep that nozzle CLEAN, wiping it often- and dont use short bursts of paint in your strokes.

Flash-dry the fog coat for at least 15min. Keep out of direct sunlight. The second color coat goes on heavier. Hold can 8" away, after shaking it very well. Always keep the spray can in motion, to avoid excessive drips. When you feel the can is almost out of paint- STOP. There is nothing more frustrating than having the last drops of paint pissing a stream of color, ruining your touch-up.

Again, flash-dry this second-stage coat for another 15min. Start shaking the crap out of that can of clear coat. Lightly wet-sand the second coat after it dries. Do not use a buffer- YET. Wipe dry the surface, and apply the clear coat, evenly, overlapping the spray can fan patterns by about 1". Again keep that can moving, always. Drips suck. Once the painted surface looks like it is evenly soaking wet- STOP. Flash-dry 15-20min. Have a beer. When dry to the touch, lightly smooth the surface of the layer off clear coat, with 1000-grit paper. Wipe-dry. Apply the final, sealer coat of clear coat, holding tha can 8-10" away, keeping the nozzle clean but always spraying and moving. This is the coat that most body shops fail to apply, resulting in seperation, and premature peeling. Its ugly, and totally avoidable. Allow clear to dry for at least one hour. Have another cold one.

Using the 2000-grit fine sandpapaper, wet-sand(always cold, clean water!) the clear coat surface until it is as smooth as a fresh wax job. Some elbow grease may be needed- but thats what the Carbs in Beer, is for. Wipe-dry, and using a terry-cloth with the rubbing compound, vigorously rub-in the liquid using back and forth strokes, spraying water, to lubricate the movement. Believe it or not- its actually the heat generated from your elbow grease's friction, is what will make your car finish appear like glass, when finished. Below is the result of my entire front end touch-up:
(See "Cheap 951" thread)


Zach

cobalt

Zach,

Only one problem the solid color paints are not clear coated from the factory (at least '90 back) and will not look right if you clear coat them. Would you recommend the same approach minus the clear for these?

Dilberto

Absolutely. If you use the factory paints- adding clear coat over it, will enhance the element of depth....especially in shades like black. The Porsche factory paint pack(color, reducer, hardener, etc.) does have not have clear "built-in". Unless you opt for lead-based enamel(AKZO-Nobel; Spies-Hecker; Sikkens/PPG-clearly the finest around), then adding clear coat is no longer necessary.

With enamel- its a real simple, fast, and quality process. Shoot the color coat at pressure, bake, and your'e ready for the next car in line. It was proven to me early on, that enamel-quality can be attained from a store-bought paint can. The key is all in the prep, and alot of elbow-grease.

I am picky about diffrent brands of clear coat, because through trial-and-error, I found out the longevity and durability of certain brands, is noticeable. DupliColor is a fairly good brand of clear coat, that will not turn yellow, or peel....if applied properly. What I mean by "properly," are the flash times involved. Basically, the quicker clear coat can dry- the better. I use wet-sanding because the water prevents paint dust from forming rolls of dust and dirt, that can embed itself in the paint job. Nothing is more time-wasting, than trying to safely remove a scab of concentrated paint remnants from your new paint job.

3M makes the finest commercial-grade auto paint products. Yes, its also expensive.....but if you plan on keeping the car- consider it the last itme your car will need re-painting, if executed properly.

Sorry for the truncated reply- but this is the last post, before I become a full-fledged Rennlist member. I think a thousand posts, is more than enough to try-out this valuable resource. Good luck!

Zach