[DeTomaso] Paint chipped

Sat Jul 21 20:50:37 EDT 2007

Jeff,
     Thanks for posting the touch up instructions!  Now if I can just find 
the info when I need it.  :-)

Art

----- Original Message ----- 
To: <dbakker at arrayasolutions.com>; <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2007 11:14 AM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Paint chipped

>
> In a message dated 7/21/2007 8:46:28 AM Central Daylight Time,
> dbakker at arrayasolutions.com writes:
>
>
> Red top middle of the passenger fender. It doesn’t look like its 
> delaminating
> but I almost feel I  can pick the paint right off of it.
>
> .
>
> David, I have a paintless dent repair shop here in Dallas so I'm pretty
> familiar with the different paint touch up techniques. Because of where 
> it's at,
> (on a top, highly visible surface) there are not any really good 
> solutions.
> Touch up is always a touch up and that means a careful eye will be able to 
> tell.
> So, short of a costly repaint of the entire fender and all the color match
> problems that go along with red, you want to pick the solution with the 
> least
> amount of negatives. In my experience, that usually means "less is more."
>
> Forgot to ask what kind of paint it is? Lacquer, basecoat/clearcoat?
>
> So, first of all, make sure it's not delaminating. If it looks like the 
> paint
> is coming off, it eventually will. Take a very sharp pointed pick (dentist
> pick or thin, sharp pointed knife) and very gently touch around the 
> outside to
> see if there are any weak/loose spots. If so, you might as well pick them 
> off
> now. Remember that less is more here too. The goal is to keep the chip as 
> small
> as possible. If it keeps delaminating, I've seen some luck with super glue
> but that is generally not a real good solution.
>
> For paint, you're better off going to a good paint dealer. Take your car 
> and
> ask them to match the color. Some places are better at this than others, 
> make
> sure you feel comfortable with the person doing the work. And ask them to 
> test
> it on the car. You'll probably have to buy a quart to get a good match.
>
> Lastly, make sure there is no rust in the chip.
>
> Touch up techniques:
>
> 1. Sand the area smooth and then spray on the touch up with an airbrush.
> Very difficult to do, leaves a low spot, color match issues, orange peel 
> matches,
> and there will always be a blend line in the red or clearcoat, even for
> professional touch up people or painters. Most wouldn't even try it 
> because of the
> color and where it is.
>
> 2. Because you have a solid color paint, you can take a fine tip 
> paintbrush
> and layer in the paint several times so that it builds up to the level of 
> the
> current paint. Do not let the paint get onto the existing paint. Once 
> you've
> layered it on enough to rise just above the surface of the old paint, take 
> some
> 2000 grit sandpaper and sand it level with the old paint, polish and your
> done. If you have a clearcoat paint on the car now, use the clear coat at 
> the end
> to go above the level of the old paint and then sand. The clearcoat will 
> help
> keep the red from fading as much. When sanding, wrap the paper around a 
> small
> flat block and be gentle. With this technique, the edge of the chip will 
> still
> be there as a fine line but you'll have to look hard to see it. Note, 
> there
> is a product called Langka that claims it will level the paint blob; it 
> doesn't
> work very well. Don't waste your money.
>
> With metallic paints, this is kind of a hit or miss proposition. If the
> metallic flakes are at a slightly different angle, the color won't look 
> exactly
> right. Use a very thin layer or airbrush it and try not to have it thicker 
> at the
> edges, you want it to be absolutely flat throughout the whole process. You
> can use a brush for the clear coat, and then sand smooth.
>
> 3. Some of the professional touch up people have a new process that uses a
> very thick paint/paste that is premixed with the color. They squeegee it 
> on and
> it fills the chip. Color matching may be an issue. Try this number to see 
> if
> there is one in your area, 866-358-0777 or google it. Make sure they 
> guarantee
> that it will meet your expectations.
>
> 4. Hire a professional touch up person. Hard to find really good ones. 
> They
> all say they are the greatest and reference all the dealers they do work 
> for.
> (Dealers, in general, only care about how cheap they can get the work done 
> for,
> not how good the quality is.) Risky and costly for good ones. They always
> seem to want to do too much. And blend lines and differences in the orange 
> peel
> are always visible.
>
> I'm sure there are others but these are the ones I know. Numbers 2 and 3
> would be my choice, in that order.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Jeff
> 6559
>
>
>
>
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