Clear coat repair

supra90 said:
Thanks magnus. Headlight cover ain't coming off. The black plastic part comes off quite easily. But on you take that off, the cover has two screws on each side holding them in. Those are so tight no Philips head or anything is going to take them off. I tried some wd40. You need a socket wrench. I may go to my mechanic to have it removed.
As far as sanding with the 2000 I don't think that would be a good idea at this point. It's NOT going to improve the etching. All it will do is mar the clear coat. So I think it's a matter of degreasing, tack cloth and the right humidity. Practicing will help. I do need to get the feel of the whole thing.
Also I wanted to thank Don(Dadillac). I did order some Dupont 12.5 oz acrylic clear. It's about twice as expensive as the stuff you mentioned from microfinish. Actually I did order some touch up and clear touch up from then. It's from this site paintworld. I just wanted to ask Don whether it makes a difference. I have heard Dupont acrylic clear is pretty good. I didn't want to get the one with the 2k activator because that has a 24 hr pot life and I may want to use it in the future. I think would be fine for my needs. Just wondering if you have heard anything about this stuff or used it before. thanks again
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Well I'm not Don and he did give you great advise and I'm sure he will chime in. 2K clear is what you need. 1k is not as durable hence it's less expensive. 2k you also need or should wear a mask plus spray in a well ventilated area. I usuall set up a fan far away from my spray area but close enought to keep the air flow going away from me. Spray booths are great but not always affordable to rent. I've done a lot of painting motorcycles helmets etc. 2k is some nasty stuff.

Now everything has gone water based here in CA. I don't have much experience with it. More into detailing than painting thes days.

Sanding with 2000 is meant to flatten and give your clear something to bite into. Just avoid sanding into the color coat.
 
So how long would my 1k last if I don't keep the car in the sun too much, or put a headlight cover on it? Like you said the 2k you need the mask and good ventaliation. I don't have my car in the sun much, and do cover the headlight. How long do think it would take before peeling?
 
I suggest not sanding any further due to not knowing how much clear is still on there. If you burn through to the basecoat you will be doing a repaint. Best to just remove all wax and impurities and spray the clear. I will be 100% honest, I never sprayed 2k. Since I have never used it I cannot help with that. A good quality clear will be fine. It will be a bit softer than the pro clear but it will look fine. Give it a week before working the area and at least a month before waxing it and it should hold up fine.

Don
 
Dadillac said:
I will assume the whole headlight cover is smaller than 12" x 12". I would get a can of "real" clearcoat. Since this is a small area spray the entire piece. Buy it online from a place like Automotivetouchup.com Touch Up Paint, Aerosol Spray Paint and Touchup Paint Accessories | AutomotiveTouchup | 888-710-5192. The stuff in auto parts stores isn't bad but I feel it doesn't hold up well. Again if you wet the area and the defect disappears then clearcoat will give the same effect. Two light coats and a medium wet coat should do it. After it dries for a week or so you can wet sand (very lightly) to even out some of the orange peel. If you take your time and reference the surrounding panels you can get a fairly even amount of orange peel on the new clear as what is on the rest of the car.

Don
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Hi Don.....just wondering. Would it be better to go with the 2k or 1k? I know 2k has better durability, more protection against UV etc, but only has a shelf life of 24 hours. Also the isocyanates are harmful. 1k is less toxic and can be used again. Just wondering based upon the size of the damage, and the area which do you think is the best way to go? I don't leave the car out in the sun much, and do have a cover for the headlight. I did order some acrylic clear from paintworld. But I am thinking of getting the 2k the place you mentioned above. Which is the best for a novice to use?
 
As I said in my post above I have no working knowledge with 2k. So I will refrain from any input on the subject. But as a novice you should keep it simple. Use the 1k, use good technique, spray from about a distance of 8-12 inches, keep the spray moving, overlap your coats by 50%, do not start or stop a spray on the piece you are coating, and make sure the light cover is clean of all wax, grease, dirt, fingerprints, etc. You will be fine

Don
 
Thanks again don...as always on point.
 
Dadillac said:
As I said in my post above I have no working knowledge with 2k. So I will refrain from any input on the subject. But as a novice you should keep it simple. Use the 1k, use good technique, spray from about a distance of 8-12 inches, keep the spray moving, overlap your coats by 50%, do not start or stop a spray on the piece you are coating, and make sure the light cover is clean of all wax, grease, dirt, fingerprints, etc. You will be fine

Don
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Just needed to ask you one question. The 1k clear was from paintworld. It's an acrylic clear. Is that bad to mix acrylic clear with a most likely urethane. I am thinking of canceling my order. I am sure 1k is fine, but it was more expensive made by DuPont and thought it would be better. Should I cancel the order and pick up the 1k from Microfinish? They call it the "best clear coat you can get in a can" and it cost $15.95. I am just concerned about how it is going to go on a urethane clear. I think the 1k for $7.95 from Microfinish probably would be the better way to go.
 
I could be wrong but I think the term acrylic is widely used for all types of paints. As in acrylic enamel and acrylic urethane etc. But if you know for a fact that your clear that is on the car now is a urethane I would stick with that. You would have to ask someone who is way more knowledgeable than I on that subject. Most body shops would answer that for you.

Don
 
I think you are right. The company told me it is compatible. There is a company on ebay called racing raven. They sell all kinds of auto body kits etc. They even sell headlight covers for a 90 supra with intake scoops. I was thinking of ordering a new set of covers. If you give them the correct color code they will paint it for you. They cost $79.99 for a carbon fiber pair, and $179.99 to have them painted. They put on two or three coats of DuPont paint and then clear it. You give them the color code and the factory paints it. Installation is not bad. Just concerned might not be a perfect match. Curious of what you think of that idea. Actually just got my clear coat today. But I am scared to actually spray it on my car. Going to do some practicing first. p.s. So thats $50 each to paint each one. In my area it costs $100 to paint each one. And the body shop guy doesn't want to do it because he knows I am a stickler and it might not match. This guy is a bit of an axxxxx. He runs a towing service. When a car gets towed to his place after someone is arrested for a DWI, he takes out a good battery and puts in a crappy one. A lot of the body shop people in my area are sleazebags. That's why it would be nice if I could become a DIY.
 
Dadillac said:
I could be wrong but I think the term acrylic is widely used for all types of paints. As in acrylic enamel and acrylic urethane etc. But if you know for a fact that your clear that is on the car now is a urethane I would stick with that. You would have to ask someone who is way more knowledgeable than I on that subject. Most body shops would answer that for you.

Don
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Hi Don received the 1k along with blender. Going to have to start practicing. Just curious what you thought of ordering the headlight covers with intake scoops. They come prepainted. A pair costs $179.99. Then I have to find someone to take the old ones off which is not easy. The black plastic parts comes off easy enough, but the screws inside are very tight. Would probably have to go to my mechanic or body shop to do installation. Being a novice I think I will put the stuff on too thick or uneven. It doesn't look bad the way it is now, I am afraid I could make it worse. I usually do when I start playing with things.
 
supra90 said:
So how long would my 1k last if I don't keep the car in the sun too much, or put a headlight cover on it? Like you said the 2k you need the mask and good ventaliation. I don't have my car in the sun much, and do cover the headlight. How long do think it would take before peeling?
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I'm sure we could narrow down how long it would take before it peels if we all chime in and average the answers. Of course it would depend on how you prepped it. What type of prep are you considering? If done correctly there it shouldn't peel at all.
 
As far as prep I would wash with car wash, and then use a de greaser and alcohol. I know everyone says I should wetsand the whole thing to give the clear something to bit into. I know it's a matter of two light coats and then one thicker coat. I wish I could take the dam thing off. But you need a socket wrench. The black plastic comes off easily enough, but the cover itself is VERY tightly screwed on. It requires something more than a Phillips head.
So getting back to your question, I would pretty much take all the wax off with alcohol but probably not do any more wetsanding. Then ofcourse the technique you mentioned. But I would practice a lot before even touching my car. If I did it now, I would put it on took thick or uneven. And no sanding would fix that. I would just have a mess.....and another case of trying to make something better but making it worse.
 
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