Deep scratches in old, single stage paint

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sodly

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Hi. First time poster. I'm in the process of reviving the original single stage paint on my 1966 Chevy pickup. I've been following Mike's regimen using Meguairs #7 and the results have been good so far. I even was lucky enough to talk to Mike on the phone recently to get some tips on what to do.

The paint is coming back nicely. However, the truck has a lot of dings and scratches. Apparently, it lived a very rough life in a mall parking lot somewhere, which is a shame considering it only has 34k miles on the odometer.

Can these scratches and nicks be corrected (or even just made less noticable) while preserving the original paint? The rest of the paint is pretty good but this "rash" is really bad all up and down both sides at car door height.

Thanks,
Todd
 
Nice looking old truck you have there. I can't tell from your pics if it is just paint transfer or if it is scratched all the way through. If you can rub your fingers over it or gently take your fingernail over them and feel it catch, then it is deep and through the paint. If it does, then you won't really be able to lessen the the appearance of those scratches. If you don't feel it catch, then it is just paint transfer and you can take care of it either by machine or by hand. Here's a good article by Mike on how to do it by hand: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/28170-how-remove-paint-transfer.html.
 
They're definitely scratches. You can feel them, unfortunately.
 
Body shop time. Should not cost much to have those resprayed. Think how beautiful it will be !!!!
 
I'm committed to keeping the original paint on this truck... even if it means living with the scratches. There may not be a way to completely remove them but I'm trying to at least tone them down a bit. Perhaps with some kind of touch-up repair? I'm sure it would be painstaking work but maybe the only way to minimize the damage. Looking for advice.
 
Have a body shop mix up some single stage paint to match the area. You will then start the long process of filling in the voids. You can then level by sanding and buffing.

Recondition the paint with #7 first to see what you are working with. Polish to a nice shine then go get some paint for the scratches. It's not going to be perfect but much better and you will have saved the original paint.
 
Thanks, rmagnus. That's kind of the approach I was wondering about. Has anyone done this that can share their experience? Luckily I'm dealing with a non-metallic blue.
 
sodly said:
Thanks, rmagnus. That's kind of the approach I was wondering about. Has anyone done this that can share their experience? Luckily I'm dealing with a non-metallic blue.
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Your welcome. I'm with you no way would I respray those panels for those defects. Even w/o much expierence you can retouch those blemishes to a very good finish. You might want to stop by an automotive paint store and they can set you in the right direction. I have always found these guys very helpful.

Might be hard to find but a retouch professional can do the work for you. I still think you should detail the truck then tackle the scratches yourself.

beamerstrumpet said:
I just posted to a thread like this and showed this vid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIBHNMS2z2Q and this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB_v8nAXhlE

even though you have s/s paint, it would still be like this process in the steps. If its really deep feather, then fill with glazing compound, put on matching paint, then do a good wet sand and buff.
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I agree and do like Dupli Color paints. There process on You Tube is bogus however. If your scratch is to the metal or it's deep it may require primer and or a glazing compound. If so you will need to sand the primer before layering on the paint. Globing on the paint (like this video) is not the way to do it. 30 minutes with a glob will just dry the outside layer. Its a slow process because you need to layer the paint. Same holds true with the clear coat it will require sanding and buffing to blend. (I've even used an airbrush for the color and clear coats effectively but you don't need to go to this length.)

I do agree with the basic process here and the OP can use this as a guide. Plenty of good educationnal videos on You Tube. SS paint is easy to work with. Nice suggestion beamerstrumpet.
 
sodly said:
I'm committed to keeping the original paint on this truck... even if it means living with the scratches. There may not be a way to completely remove them but I'm trying to at least tone them down a bit. Perhaps with some kind of touch-up repair? I'm sure it would be painstaking work but maybe the only way to minimize the damage. Looking for advice.
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If you want to go this route listen to Magnus. But prepare yourself for an enormous amount of work to get even average results. Metalwork and paintwork are both an art form even if you know what you're doing. I am not trying to discourage you, I am just telling you like it is.
 
rmagnus said:
Have a body shop mix up some single stage paint to match the area. You will then start the long process of filling in the voids. You can then level by sanding and buffing.

Recondition the paint with #7 first to see what you are working with. Polish to a nice shine then go get some paint for the scratches. It's not going to be perfect but much better and you will have saved the original paint.
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I have reconditioned the paint with #7 (3 times!) and it's looking like new. I've removed all the trim so I can see there there has been a slight fading to the paint compared to where the trim used to be but not bad.

How would one go about cleaning out the scratches so the paint adheres? Can you just apply straight single stage paint to them (maybe a couple of times)?

Luckily these are all on vertical surfaces where, hopefully, the paint is at its thickest.
 
sodly said:
I have reconditioned the paint with #7 (3 times!) and it's looking like new. I've removed all the trim so I can see there there has been a slight fading to the paint compared to where the trim used to be but not bad.

How would one go about cleaning out the scratches so the paint adheres? Can you just apply straight single stage paint to them (maybe a couple of times)?

Luckily these are all on vertical surfaces where, hopefully, the paint is at its thickest.
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Yea sorry I opened your third picture too late the paint does look really good. Megs #7 is awesome for SS paint.

Clean out scratches with alcohol or paint prep cleaner and a rag or mf cloth. I like to feather the edges of the scratch with sand paper 2000-2500 grit works fine and allows for a mechanical bite for the touch up paint. For long scratches like a keying mark fold over the sand paper and try to drag it on edge through the scratch. This creates a v shape to the scratch and promotes better adhesion.

Some one suggested using a hole punch and 2000-3000 grit sandpapers then glue them to a new pencil eraser for a small touch up sanding devise. It's a good recommendation. Try to avoid sanding with just your fingers. You'll get much more even pressure from sanding blocks. A lot of materials can be used for sanding blocks, erasers, hard rubber, wood dowels, pvc etc you get the idea.

Verticle panels usually are thinner than horizontal panels. OTH horizontal panels take the brunt of the sun and dirt which wears out the paint. Kind of a toss up. Most automotive paint stores will have a paint guage and let you use it to take some measurements, especially if youre buying supplies from them. IMO you don't need to measure it. Just fill the scratches lightly sand them smooth polish it out and wax the car. I'd wait a week to wax the new paint just to give the sun a chance to really cure it.

Have fun doing it. It's going to look better than it does now way better. Your truck is awesome and super low mileage enjoy it.
 
Thanks, rmagnus. That's kinda what I needed to hear. Now I just have to get the nerve to try it. I've never done any kind of wet sanding so that's a whole new thing for me. I wonder if it will require sanding or if some polish/compound will work to level the touch ups. Hmmm.
 
sodly said:
Thanks, rmagnus. That's kinda what I needed to hear. Now I just have to get the nerve to try it. I've never done any kind of wet sanding so that's a whole new thing for me. I wonder if it will require sanding or if some polish/compound will work to level the touch ups. Hmmm.
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Once you fill in the scratches and let the paint cure yes you will need to level it with sandpaper. I usually start with 2000 then move to 3000. Use double stick tape and a holepunch for the paper on a pencil eraser. I usually set up 3-5 pencils in advance so I son't have to stop. No need to wet sand you can do it dry. I sometimes use a clear coat pen as the last coat, depends on the paint.

Follow with compounding and polish or just start with polish. M205 handles the 3000 grit marks with ease. Use a white polishing pad on a machine polisher. Last step will be wax.

Since all of this is new to you just pick one blemish in a lower area of a quarter panel etc to work on. It's less noticable. Run through your process and see how you like the results. No need to do the truck all at once.
 
Reviving an old thread here. I just wanted to thank rmagnus for all the tips, if he's still around.

Believe it or not, I am finally getting around to attempting to work on these scratches/dings after a year and a half of hemming an hawing over it. I have had a small amount of PPG acrylic lacquer paint matched to the gas cap.

I was wondering if Mike Phillips might be able to chime in here and give me a list of the materials I'll need to complete the touch ups. I understand it will take sandpaper (by the way, is sandpaper all the same... or do I need a special type of automotive sandpaper?). Can you buy a special fine-tip abrasive tool to remove rust from scratches, like key marks? Seems like sandpaper on a pencil eraser would be too large to get into the scratch. I'm also a little confused about polishing the sand marks out after the touch up. I have a porter cable DA. What kinds of pads and/or compound/polish will I need to get rid of the sanding marks? As I mentioned, I'm a complete novice when it comes to wet sanding and I don't know much about different pad types, either.

Luckily, most of the dings are in a concentrated area, in kind of a stripe down the side of each door. Hopefully the sanding/polishing can be in a fairly confined area. Thanks for your patience with a (slightly nervous) newbie, everyone!
 
It would be great if there was someone near me (Lincoln, NE) who has been through this before to get me started. I don't mind the tedious work but just lack the confidence to get started. Anyone with experience in my area?
 
I am not sure if you need or want more input on this but maybe one of the more seasoned professionals can speak to whether this youtube video from AMMONYC is relevant. I have NO experience doing or even trying this but this seemed like a well put together video on this type of repair. Good luck!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2aC_oseMe4
 
I have watched several of the AmmoNYC videos. I agree, they are well done, if not on the long side. Not sure about the bondo route, though. Seems like you would end up with very little actual paint to sand when it's all said and done.

Here's another concern of mine. On nearly 50 year old paint, will sanding bring out the true color of the old paint to an extent that it won't match the un-sanded areas? I could tell from when I removed the trim from the truck that there has been some slight fading in the color over the last 50 years. The Meguiar's #7 couldn't even correct that. Hmmm. More nerve-wracking thoughts.
 
Both very good questions. I am sorry I won't be any help on either one. I wish you luck though.

David
sodly said:
I have watched several of the AmmoNYC videos. I agree, they are well done, if not on the long side. Not sure about the bondo route, though. Seems like you would end up with very little actual paint to sand when it's all said and done.

Here's another concern of mine. On nearly 50 year old paint, will sanding bring out the true color of the old paint to an extent that it won't match the un-sanded areas? I could tell from when I removed the trim from the truck that there has been some slight fading in the color over the last 50 years. The Meguiar's #7 couldn't even correct that. Hmmm. More nerve-wracking thoughts.
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