Paint - factory front bumper repair curb rash, scrape, and rock chips

[Shroomba]

I had a few questions I was hoping I could get some insight on from the OG painters.

Long story short, I hit a curb in a vertually brand new car and I have to fix it so it looks like nothing ever happened.

Damages: a deep curb scrape on the bumper, a few curb rashes on the lower end of the bumper, and over a thousand rock chips.

Solution: I carefully sanded 80-200 grit the scrape and Bondo'ed it up, sanded it with 220 grit to perfection. I also wet sanded the curb rash with 500 grit. I then used the dealership touch up paint to cover over a 1000 rock chips (extremely impractical), gave it a few days to cure and wet sanded the whole damn thing with 2000 grit (I might have went a little over board because it looked better without sanding but it didn't feel right). I didn't touch up the bottom of the bumper trim because there were to many chips but I wet sanded with 2000 grit when I got slightly carried away.

Next step, I used dupli-color sandable white primer and put 3 coats of primer 10 minutes apart from each other on the bondoed area, curb rashes, and on a small section of the bottom bumper trim. Besides the 2000 grit wet sanding I'm a poonani when it comes to sanding.

Tomorrow, I plan to sand the primer with 1200, I'm kind of scared to use the 500-800 but I might scrounge up enough courage to do so. Then, I will mix the dealership paint with 50% reducer and air brush all the primed areas and even some of the unprimed areas where the rock chips are. Followed, by a few sprays of spray-can clear coat...

Lastly, I'll wet sand it down with 2000 grit. If an area needs a little blending action I might have to lightly blend it with reducer, brake fluid, or paint leveler. Idk...finish it up with rubbing compound and polish.

Concern: The truth is I don't have a damn clue what the hell I'm actually doing and I'm extremely worried it's not going to look good and I feel like I already messed up (besides being reckless and having a tad bit too much fun).

Goal: I already came to the conclusion it's not going to look exactly like factory quality. It just need to look like nothing happened to the untrained eye. As well as, I need the paint to last.

**questions**: Can I air brush base coat over the factory clear coat after I wet sanded it with 2000 grit? Will it last, if not, how long?

Should I even bother using the spray-can clear coat? Mainly planed on using it on the bondoed area and the other places that got primed.

Did I do the right thing by wet sanding almost the whole thing with 2000 grit?

Do you think it will look close enough to factory settings?

What should I have done or do?

Based on my strategy, am I doing it right?

I appreciate any comments, concerns, or advice.

Please help,
Thank you so much for your time

[birdsandbees]

Maybe just tell your parents you f'd up their car instead of trying to fix it before they get home on Monday!  

Been there done that 38 years ago and we couldn't buff the blow in before my dad saw it!  

[Lennard]

Maybe just tell your parents you f'd up their car instead of trying to fix it before they get home on Monday!  

Been there done that 38 years ago and we couldn't buff the blow in before my dad saw it!  

[Shroomba]

lol I'll tell them eventually, just not in a position to do so at the moment....and the last thing I want is for them to find out whenever they go to a car wash and the paint just falls off. If I can repair it, I'll be fine for now and let them know when the time is right.

I hope to finish it on time...with the power of information and access to friends with tools, God has blessed this young man haha.

I gotta admit body work is a lot of work and hella stressfull, but I kind of like it. Definitely not as easy as it looks. I have mad respect for people in the industry.

I'm sorry you weren't able to meet your deadline, but I'd forever appreciate any advice or help about the project.

[JB400]

Hope you used flexible primer that is made for using on plastics.  If not, they may find out sooner than you'd prefer.

[Shroomba]

I used bondo 280 for bumper repairs -http://bondo.com/products/bondo-epoxy-bumper-repair-syringe-kit-280.html#4OqLrGkaazr2SYg1.97

I probably should have used #806 but AutoZone, Napa, nor o'riley carried it...

For the clear coat, I know it has to match the same type or it will crack as well. Most likely, I'd assume it's enamel based but I'll double check with the dealership. It's so lame that the dealership doesn't sell clear coat, but they have touch up paint...nor does the clear coat warranty people...after being redirected to every department, they gave me the name of the company who makes it, which they only have it in bulk. So I'm s.o.l and either have to settle with spray can clear coat or just air brush dupli-color clear, shirwin Williams, or another brand.

I've read that even bodyshops struggle with blending clear coat...

When priming, how much do I put over the bondo? Because I can still partially, lightly see it past the 3 layers.

[hemi-hampton]

Sorry I can't help you. it's all foreign lanquage to me as I just don't do any of it that way. Good luck. LEON.

[Shroomba]

Awwww man...Leon your the OG painter I was hoping to shed some light on the shituation.

My heart sank into my stomach reading your post. Damn ...way to crush my little to no confidence.

I would forever be in dept to you, if you could please explain how and what way you would do it?? As well as what I did wrong and why?

Trust me, i already know I messed up by crashing the car and I learned my lesson the hard way, with all the stress, anxiety, and adrenaline; this shituation has been a near death experience for me...ughhhhh I can't even explain how I'm feeling but I shouldn't be sweating this late at night.

C'mon bro, the least you can do is be like prime the areas that broke through the clear, blend the paint and clear coat the whole thing? If that's the way to do it.

If the spray can clear coat won't work, I can find away to get the oem clear. I'll call every effing body shop in a 30 mile radius if I have to.

just guide me in the right direction.

[garner7555]

I did body work for a living for years.  Ok, first you are using the wrong grit paper.  Primer, or paint/clear won't "grab" ahold of 2000 grit scratches well enough.  Secondly using a primer out of a rattle can is bad news because it doesn't have a hardener.  How long are you wanting this to last?  If you use spray bomb clear then it will last a few weeks, but it will be obvious that its not correct from day 1.

To do this semi correctly I would 80 grit the damage area then wipe it with filler.  Sand filler with 100-220 grit to make it straight.  Prime it with a 2 part primer (with hardener).  Finish the primer off with 600-800 grit then Lightly sand the entire bumper with 1000 grit.  Then scuff the entire bumper with a grey scotch brite.   Get paint and clear at an automotive paint supply store (don't use the touch up paint).  You can buy paint in very small amounts (pint or half pint) to save money.  The clear will probably run you about $250/Gal. or more depending on how good of quality you want.   Paint only a little past the damaged area, then clear the whole bumper.

Now, most importantly, my real advise.  Take the car to a body shop.  It won't be much more expensive than buying all the stuff you need and the car should get repaired to a better quality since this is all new to you.  You really need to practice some of this stuff under the direction of someone who knows what they are doing.   Plus if you do this with bad results then the bumper will have to be stripped of all paint to repair it.  This means the fenders and hood might need to be blended on for color match (depending on color) and this repair price could easily double or more just because you tried to do it yourself.

Take it to a body shop!!  Take it to a body shop!!  Take it to a body shop!!  Take it to a body shop!!   Take it to a body shop!!    Hahaha   

P.S. Did I mention Take it to a body shop!!

[440]

What car was damage in the first place? What color?

If it's metallic I'd be buying a plane ticket to another state 

[birdsandbees]

Man I called that right... 

It was either that or you took a dealer car home on Friday night, so I had a 50/50 chance of getting it right! 

[hemi-hampton]

He PM'ed me & I PMed him back a big long detailed instructions similar to what Garner above told him. except I would not sand a plastic bumper with 80 grit unless it has heavy duty damage, if minor try sanding with 150 grit or 180,220. I say this because if you ever sanded a plastic bumper with 80 grit right down into the plastic then you know how it gets that rough hairy fuzzy look which you will see with your first coat of primer & then your gotta bury that rough plastic with lots of heavy coats of primer to get rid of it. LEON.

[garner7555]

He PM'ed me & I PMed him back a big long detailed instructions similar to what Garner above told him. except I would not sand a plastic bumper with 80 grit unless it has heavy duty damage, if minor try sanding with 150 grit or 180,220. I say this because if you ever sanded a plastic bumper with 80 grit right down into the plastic then you know how it gets that rough hairy fuzzy look which you will see with your first coat of primer & then your gotta bury that rough plastic with lots of heavy coats of primer to get rid of it. LEON.

I agree.     I assumed the damage was fairly severe since he didn't try to just brush touch up paint on it and hope for the best.  hahaha   Your right, the plastic "fuzzies" are a headache, but can be addressed as long as the person is willing to prime and block twice.   

[Brock Lee]

Go to a dealership for the same brand car. Ask someone in the garage who they use to fix paint issues on the lot cars. Call that person and meet them somewhere. let them tackle the job.

Dealerships have problems with cars getting scratched and dinged. They tend to use the best talent in the area to touch these problems up. I know guys that pull trailers with all their paint gear in it and drive around doing lot repairs day in and day out within a region. The successful ones are so good, you can't spot their work easily. You may get a hint in the surface being smoother where they worked, but that is about it.

[Dino]

I was in auto body as well but the guys covered the how to's already so I'm not going there.

What I do want to add is that I find it far worse to hide your mistake and try to sneak your way out of it instead of owning up and taking the beating.

I've made the same mistake as a young man and I wish I could take it back.

Take the hit and offer to have a good body shop fix the damage on your dime, no matter how painful that will be.

If I had a kid who damaged my car, even when he wasn't supposed to even look at the car, I will be mad to be sure, but we'd get passed that. But it won't be anything compared to the disappointment (and my hellish fury) when I find out he tried to hide it and get away with it. Trust is very hard to rebuild.

I know this is though, like I said I've been there. But it's the right thing to do. Pain goes away, arguments get settled, distrust lingers forever. Suck it up and put your big boy pants on.   

[Shroomba]

Ya the touch up paint mixed with 50% reducer definitely wasn't enough lol. Sherwin Williams was closed to day, but ill get the paint and clear from them tomorrow morning or the clear from the OEM. Worst comes to worst ill have to use the spray paint clear for now.

It just has to last for 6 months and ill come clean about it and tell them ill repaint and clear the entire thing properly. Im owing up to my mistakes by going to vast lengths to fix the damages. I'd be a bastard, if I was one of those rebellious kids who were like "Ya, I crashed yo sh*t fix it yo damn self, im out chair" lol.

I got a quote from a few body shops and I can't afford it. I tried to negotiate but they weren't having it.

Does any one have an example of unmatching clear coat?

[Shroomba]

I went to Sherwin Williams to get the paint and was informed by the rep that there are over 100 alternates to my paint code and ill have to bring it there for him to match it with the deck of cards....delaying my paint another day....

He also told me that ill have to sand all the clear off and reprime for it to stick, which I initially thought was true but I don't want to shoot myself in the foot. I told him I lightly sanded the clear with 1000 grit and planned to paint and clear over it and he responded with it won't stick for more than a week?!?!?

Is that true?

Can I lightly wet sand the clear with 800-1000 grit and paint over it?

[Dino]

Yes you can paint and clear over sanded clear. You have to sand it in such a way that the clear is totally flat, no shine and no texture left. 600 to 800 wet depending on the brand and you can finish it off with 1000 wet before paint or a (wet) gray 3M scotchbrite. Shoot the color in dry even coats, like a mist. It'll lay the metallic nicely. You need to know what you're doing to lay down wet metallic coats so I wouldn't go there as you'll risk making the color look cloudy. Mist the color coats until everything looks uniform, then clear coat the entire bumper. You can remove something small like the fuel filler door and take it to the paint shop. They can then polish it and match the color.

[hemi-hampton]

Never heard of 100 alternatives on any color. Heard of 12 at the most. What kind of car is this & what's the paint code. I'll look it up myself. LEON.

[Lennard]

Never heard of 100 alternatives on any color. Heard of 12 at the most. What kind of car is this & what's the paint code. I'll look it up myself. LEON.

He's probably hella exaggerating.

[Shroomba]

Two cars were damaged... fresh out of school we were burning out, drifting, being stupid with a few friends and a couple chicks in the cars; both of us were going down a two lane road... I was behind him trying to keep up and we both turned on a gravel/shale road and slid into a fence and landed in a shale ditch. The damages probably should have been worse but drove it off with a bumper scrape, a bottom bumper curb rash, and a 1000+ rock chips in the bumper.

Im in charge of fixing the 2013 toyota corolla with the paint code 040.

[garner7555]

Never heard of 100 alternatives on any color. Heard of 12 at the most. What kind of car is this & what's the paint code. I'll look it up myself. LEON.

I think he got someone that normally deals in house paint.          That's crazy to tell him he has to sand down the whole bumper, that totally does away with the option to blend.   

[440]

Sounds like most of the damage is to the bumper, probably best to fix and repaint the whole thing. Rock chips are a lot worse than a scratch.

[Shroomba]

I got enough paint and clear to hit the entire bumper. The pictures are after the Bondo, primer, and touch up cut with reducer. It doesn't look that bad.

Correct me if I'm wrong, next step wet sand the entire thing with 1000 grit...cut a bit deeper on the rockchips into it not shiny and slightly dull. Then dust paint on those areas, wait 30 minutes and clear the entire thing. Right? I would go higher grit but I'm out of funds and I only have 80,180,220,500,1000,1200, and 2000

[Shroomba]

[Shroomba]

2 coats of clear on the painted areas and 1 coat on the entire thing?and should the first coat be mixed with 25% paint and clear?

With light presusure sanded with 1000 grit about 10 strokes in every area

[Dino]

I can't tell from the pictures but make sure any chips are sanded all the way out. Paint won't fill them. Although not the perfect way to do it, if you filled them with bondo followed with primer it should be smooth as well.

Sand the primer with 600 and 800 wet, followed by a quick once over with 1000. do not go beyond that or you'll start polishing the material and paint doesn't stick to that very well.

Light coats of color wherever needed to make the bumper look uniform. Ideally you color the hwole thing but you may end up with a color difference at the fenders so try to avoid that spot if you can. Don't clear until the bumper looks perfect minus the shine.

Then clear the whole thing. One thin coat followed by two wet coats. Depending on the clear you may get away with one wet coat, but you'll have to see what it looks like after the one.

Drying times: for base coat, once it looks like matte paint it's pretty much ready, give it a few more minutes to let if off gas. so maybe 20 minutes after your final coat of color. 10 minutes between coats of clear.

[Shroomba]

Damn that puppy looks flawless, I can't believe I actually did it.

I just hope it sticks and doesn't flake off.


Thanks guys, I really owe you one.

[hemi-hampton]

Which variation out of the hundred did you decide to use? Does it match? LEON.

[Shroomba]

I noticed on the back bumper there was a slight cut in it, so I took a razor blade to it and tried to even it out. While doing so I realized that the clear coat and/or the paint in the adjacent area is cracked...as well as, the surface is uneven. Somehow a portion of  the rear bumper on the right of the cut became raised like a small hill. I believe the material is pp + e but I'm not 100% sure I can double check tomorrow.

Hypothetical solution: take a heat gun to it and push the hill down and hopefully it goes back to its original shape. Then sand it down, 80-180, Bondo, 220, prime, 500, 1000,mask, spot paint and spot clear, wet sand 2000 on the edge of the clear, take a DA with rubbering compound and polish.

The other thing I noticed was a dent in the door...I don't know if it was from the whole delima because I didn't see it after words, but it looks like someone hit it with a shopping cart...or something

Solution: My brother and a few friends were telling me yo just bondo it lol. Seems to be the all in one solution to body work, but the dent is on a detail edge, which I don't think is a good idea. I saw a few videos where people would put a price of aluminum over a dent and heat it up with heat gun and cool it down with dry ice, but I truthfully don't think that will work for this dent.I feel like the best thing to do would be to take the door apart and try to push it out by hand or take mallet or hammer to it.

Don't know if that will work, any insight on the situation.

Again, I just wanted to thank everyone here for helping me out in a time of need.

It seems like I got a little bit of every type of problem lol. I've been contimplating getting a job at a body shop after all this.

[birdsandbees]

Just park it in the garage and take the beating later. Be better than what you're going to get for screwing up most of the car if you continue...  

Your brother knows... you're screwed anyhow!

[Shroomba]

Which variation out of the hundred did you decide to use? Does it match? LEON.

For the front, I ended up using parts of everyone's advice. Each post was extremely helpful and made me feel very comfortable, when I doubted myself. I wet sanded the entire thing with 1000 because the only alternative I had was 500 and I was worried I'd get to carried away with it, but I probably should have just used 1 stroke of 500 grit everywhere to be safe.

Prep:
I used the 1000  grit (wet) with about 6-10 strokes per sq area with light pressure all over the entire bumper till it was dull with a hint of shine. I was extremely cautious going over the edges/curves and reduced the amount of strokes on the areas I previously sanded with 2000 grit. When I rubbed my finger over it would make a squeak. I scuffed the bumper with a scotch bright sponge while cleaning with soap and water, hosed everything down. Then, degreesed and sanitized with alcohol.

Painting:
Dusted the entire bumper with about 4 coats of base (15-30 minutes apart) and tried my best to end on an even matte,
then mixed the clear + hardener + 10% paint remaining in the spray gun and dusted it on, (waited 10 minutes between clear coats except on the final coat) dusted another coat of clear + hard, and finished it off with a double shot of clear + hard sprayed back to back.

Reflecting:
My inner conscience is telling me that I should have done more sanding, but think and hope that it should be fine. I feel like a fool for not priming everything, but I don't know.

In my opinion, it looks factory quality but I haven't put it back on the car yet. The white color might be slightly too clean, but I'll find out in morning.

Edit: On the primed areas I sanded with 500 and went over once or twice with 1000 grit

[Shroomba]

Just park it in the garage and take the beating later. Be better than what you're going to get for screwing up most of the car if you continue...  

Your brother knows... you're screwed anyhow!

Don Don dahhh, a level 70 bad news bear has reappeared. Lol

What step did I mess up? Or why do you think I'm doing more harm than good fixing this bad larry?    

I can take an @ss whopping, no problem.   I wish that was the only consequence I was looking at.  

My brother is not to going snitch, he crashed the other car lol

[440]

My brother is not to going snitch, he crashed the other car lol

This goes from bad to worse 

[72Charger72]

 

[Shroomba]

The other just needed a new bumper, which got repainted from a clean slate. Looks brand new again. No worries.

I got stuck with the more difficult job and if I can't finish it I won't throw him under the bus. I'm not that type of person.

I noticed a very slight tangerine peel on the side of the bumper this morning. Should I just lightly wet sand with 2000 grit and buff it out?

Edit: didn't even need to wet sand, buffer with rubbing compound evened out the clear coat.

It looks flawless, better than before trufully. I gotta wax the whole car to match the shine lol. How long should I wait to wash and wax the bumper?

[JB400]

Would you mind telling us what happened that warranted this repair process?

[birdsandbees]

Alcohol... 

[Shroomba]

Any advice on the minor warp on the rear bumper by fixing with a heat gun?

[birdsandbees]

Wife turned her '08 tailblazer bumper inside out this winter. Heat gun and a baseball bat behind put it right back into place... where as a shop would have sold her a new bumper cover. If you're careful you may get it back, but you're gonna burn the paint doing it.

[hemi-hampton]

I looked up the paint code for you the other day. There is only 5 different variations. LEON.

[birdsandbees]

Toyota??? WTF... I figured it had to be a newer Charger..   

[hemi-hampton]

Toyota??? WTF... I figured it had to be a newer Charger..  

"Im in charge of fixing the 2013 toyota corolla with the paint code 040."


That's what he said

[Shroomba]

I guess the guy at Shirwin williams was exaggerating...Your right though, there are only 5 alternates to 040. Thank you for verifying and I'm glad to have learned it under your wing.

The other car was a 2015 dodge Charger...Birdsandbees...are you my next door neighbor or something??? You conspiracies on my shituation are scary accurate.


Should I post my secondary question about the paintless dent removal and warped rear bumper in a another thread to keep everything organized, or is it fine continuing in this post?

I've yet to attempt the rear bumper, I tried to remove the paintless dent today and failed miserably....I took the door panel off and gained access to the back of the dent and heated it up to the point, the opposite side was too hot to touch. First few attempts were complete utter failures. I tried to push it out with my hand,  tried using the back of a screw driver, tried an oversized mallet  which made it worse, because I missed and made a freaking bump.... I tried to knock a smaller dent out by tapping on the crease with the back of a screw bit. Lastly, I tried to pry it with a piece of metal by apply pressure around the edges of the dent and made minor progress.

I was afraid to hit it with a hammer, after the mallet failure.

Came to the conclusion that I need to get the right equipment. Took a trip to O'riley, they didnt have the pry bar tool I was looking for, but they did carry a hammer and dolly set, as well as one of those as-seen-on TV hot glue dent tools. The guy said It probably wouldnt work and that the hammer and dolly would work if I plan to repaint it. 

I gotta do more research before my next attempt.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you again for you time.

[hemi-hampton]

5 if using DBC Sol which is basecoat clear coat. 6 if using DBU which is a reactive reducer base coat clear coat. LEON.

[Shroomba]

Ahhh, seems like there are only a few options for PDR....temperature change, hot glue pulling, **compressed air suction cup slide hammer***, or angled PDR rods. All methods require a nylon/rubber tap down. I really want to try the rods, but they are hella expensive and for that price I can get one of these.

http://www.amazon.com/FIT-TOOLS-Suction-Puller-Remover/dp/B00YF7YA7S/ref=sr_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1460698988&sr=1-4&keywords=Air+Suction+Dent+Puller

Ill call a few dent companies and see if i can borrow some tools for a few hours lol.

I cant believe i thought i could just hammer that dent out from the other side. I still feel like i might be able to, but supposedly it can stretch the metal or something. I dont know.

I gotta get some shut eye, I really dont want to bondo and paint the door....

Body shop quoted the door dent for 1000$ even......Ted theses prices are outrageous

[hemi-hampton]

Drive it to my house & I'll do it for half that. LEON.

[Shroomba]

I really would if you weren't 16 hours away....I swear body work is like medical bills with out health insurance.

It seems like most shops just bondo dents these days. I guess it's easier for them or something.

I pulled the dent out using hot glue and a cheap Chinese puller. The good attachment broke in the first hour lol.

There is still a  small crease and a minor bump that's visible. The majority of the dent now looks like a valcano...

Tomorrow, I'm going to try to use a tap down to get it back into place.

I really hope the metal isn't stretched...if it is I might have to get a shrinking hammer or Bondo it... Or try to heat it up and cool it down with dry ice

Any thoughts?

[hemi-hampton]

Put a dolly behind the dent when you smack it with a hammer. LEON.

[Shroomba]

Man ...ima get a dolly and small rubber hammer tomorrow. I whacked on it for like 4 fckin hours with a nylon nail and it did hardly nothing because the metal would flex. I definitely need a dolly...

I tried to heat up from the back with a moist paper towel on the painted side until it started steaming and put dry ice on it....did absolutely nothing. It looked like it was trying to do something but zero success with that method.

Straight up the bumper is made out of more durable material than Toyota recycled metal.

After doing some ferensics, it looks like someone rammed a shopping cart into the door, then door bashed the hell out of me.

Besides the volcano looking dent, there's a small 2 inch extruded crease under it and a depressed crease on the upper door trim from someone bashing it.... Errrrrrr, so damn frustrated

Full day of work with absolutely zero success...

Ima get that dolly tomorrow and lift these dents, if it doesn't work, ima kick the door in and Bondo it.

[Shroomba]

Pdr is freaking stupid as hell...3+ days of whacking at it and using a tap down made hardly any difference. .im sanding the whole damn door

Edit: not literally, but I sanded the dent area and filled it with bondo glass... idk bondo help desk said to use glass or hair.... hope he's right

[Shroomba]

Ahhh, the bumper was so much easier....everything on the bumper was so thin...

My question is: do I bondo all the metal to get it leveled to a tad bit lower than the stock primer or prime the hell out of it and sand it down to feather both primers level?

[hemi-hampton]

What grit did you feather it with. What I would do now (& I know other opinions may vary) is spread a thin layer of Evercoat glazing putty over the whole damaged area, right to the feathered paint but not over shiny paint. Block it until it just starts to sand away to the feathered edge, you should see the scratches at the edge of your glazing putty at the feathered edge paint area. Check to feel if straight, if so prime with some Surface primer using primer gun preferably. Spray can primer use as last option. Spray can primer is usually way to thin. Let me know what happens. LEON.

[hemi-hampton]

It should look like this when your done with the glazing putty. LEON.

[garner7555]

What grit did you feather it with. What I would do now (& I know other opinions may vary) is spread a thin layer of Evercoat glazing putty over the whole damaged area, right to the feathered paint but not over shiny paint. Block it until it just starts to sand away to the feathered edge, you should see the scratches at the edge of your glazing putty at the feathered edge paint area. Check to feel if straight, if so prime with some Surface primer using primer gun preferably. Spray can primer use as last option. Spray can primer is usually way to thin. Let me know what happens. LEON.

I agree 100%

[Shroomba]

I used 80 grit on the fiberglass putty then went over it and feathered the edges with 150 grit.

I dont know if the stores around me have the evercoat brand, but im sure they have bondo in the tube.

Can I apply the bondo fiber glass like that? Or do I have the get the glazing putty. Most likely, im assuming the polyester glazing putty is the move because it adheres better to the feathered edges that are sanded with paint and primer on it

[Shroomba]

Ughhhhh, so I sanded a foot by foot area with 150-220 grit and applied the glazing putty over the fiberglass and adjacent area. Proceeded to cross sand the excess with  150 grit on a 12" block and and feathered it in with 220.

Everything felt smooth side to side but when I ran my hand up and down I could feel a slight raised area  (about 1-2 mm didn't measure it but it so slight) when it went over the metal...

I sprayed some cheap black paint for a guide coat...bad idea the paint didn't sand off right and ruined a few pieces of paper...hopefully won't be a problem later down the line.

I first thought a small area above the metal was high so I improperly sanded it at an angle and messed it up...

Idk,  I really don't... there might have been a slight dip above the raised area above the metal.

My gut was telling me to leave it alone and just prime it, but my ocd screwed me in the butt because I gotta throw more putty on top of it now.

Does the metal have to have putty on top of it or will primer be fine?? I cant have it rusting in the future.

[Shroomba]

I think I got it as sooth as its going to get...still not perfect but ima see how it looks after the prime.

So I took off all extremedies and masked up the whole car.

Questions:
Is it okay if some bare metal was showing?

Should I wet sand the whole door with 500 grit before priming just in case some over spray hits the shiny clear coat adjacent to my sand marks?

Should I prime the whole door or just the areas where I broke through the clear coat?

Should I paint the whole door staying away from the edges that are adjacent to other panels? Or just paint the damaged areas?


I know that I should do a final wet sand with 800-1000* of the whole door prior to painting and clear the entire thing

Any advice is greatly appreciated
Sorry i get anxious before painting. ..

[Shroomba]

Damn bro I messed up so bad...worst paint job I have ever seen...I put 4 coats over the bondoed area, dusted 2 light coats over the entire door  going light on the edges, 2 coats of clear over the entire door.

Ughhh, I tried my best spending a week on prepping....but forgot to clean the outer threads of the lid on paint gun as well as the mixing cup for the clear coat (it looked so clean and clear...) but on my first coat of clear the gun sprayed crusted fish eyes everywhere :. (...

I should have just stoped there, but I tryed to fix it with a toothpick and tweezers, which got some of them...and threw another clear coat on top...

After I finished, I could easily seen the spots I repaired as well..

Idk what do to? Should wet sand the hell out it with 2000 or something? Or do I have to start over and take 500 grit to it and redo the entire thing?

[Daytona R/T SE]

So...


How did this project turn out ?