Bfenty

I've decided that I'm going to try to fix the peeling clear coat on my 1985 vette myself. I'm going to be careful and go slowly and hopefully it will go ok. Every professional I've spoken to has said they will just repaint it-but that is expensive and the spots that are peeling are relatively small. I figure the worst that can happen is that I don't fix it and I still take it in for a repaint (which I probably will eventually, but paint is EXPENSIVE and for the relatively minor spots that need it I'd rather try to fix myself first).

Anyway, what I plan on doing is wet sanding with 1000 and then 2000 grit paper on the edges to blend them, spray my clear, wet sand, repeat for about 4 coats, then buff out with a cutting polish to get as smooth a coat as possible. I've got a decent amount of experience with buffing/polishing but I've never actually replaced clear coat before-anyone have any tips for me before I start?

don hall

May help (?) :

https://www.google.com/search?source...ILiM#kpvalbx=1

383vett

I'm not a painter, but I would think paint would need more grip than a 2000 sandpaper finish. Good luck. Let us know.

Bfenty

Yup I used google already lol. That's where I got my process from (specifically the wikihow links)

Cruisinfanatic

I would think if your idea worked, body shops would do it

Bfenty

Well, I'm thinking it probably A) isn't up to their standards B) they want to sell me on new paint and C) it's probably harder to get a good finish out of (ie all the polishing necessary).

I'm certain that it won't be 100% perfect, like new condition. However, I want to at least give it a shot and I don't see it looking much worse than it does now (famous last words?)

FAUEE

You're correct. They make more money on a repaint than on a patch job. And they don' have to deal with picky people saying it' not 100% perfect.

I did a few spots with some cheap.clear coat. It worked pretty good. Had I done a better job sanding it' have been even better, but I wanted to see how it'd work.

fake

Save your money it will peel off later! The original clear will not adapt to your methods. You could go to a few paint shops and ask what they think and ask how long they will warranty the work. Always ask the professionals!

Bfenty

Need A Vette

Most paints today are sold as a 'total system' and compatible, and not only have a mechanical bond (Sanding), but also have a chemical bond (cross-linked) to each other. I get what you're trying to do, and it can be done, but you need to ensure that what you're applying, in regards to the clear coat, is compatible with what is already on the car.

D.

VikingTrad3r

Bfenty

dmaxx3500

are you going to use a spray gun?
or use spray cans?

most times you try to fix peeling clear,the rest of the clear is crap and will lift as you spray new paint on it

if its just the hood,have a body shop sand all the paint off ,re-prime,paint,and clear

you will be miles ahead

Bfenty

No it's the B Pillar, Door, and Driver side mirror. small patches (quarter to half-dollar sized) mostly, the B pillar has peeled a little more than that. The rest of it is just fine, just needs some scratches buffed out. A repaint would be great but it's really not in the budget right now.

QCVette

I have thought of doing that spot repair on a few cars too. Not perfect, but better. I have painted about 8 or 10 cars, but did full repaints on them. So I am not sure if I could blend spot repairs very well into the surrounding paint.

One comment too. On base/clear paint the color coat is not intended for good wear or UV protection that is provided by the clear. What that means is when you are sanding be very careful to not get into the color too much. It will be easy to go too far with sanding.

Let us know what you try and how it comes out. Hopefully some before/after pictures.

I think a lot of us would like to see what can be done without costing an arm and a leg.

Good luck.

Komiller118

I just did a repair on the nose of my 96. I bought a cheap HVLP and mid grade clear coat from ebay...... Do not attempt to do this with a spray can........... I tried that first and the results were worse than the damage. If you do use spray cans, use the two can method to get the volume of clear laid down that you need........
light coats, light coats or your old paint may react........ ask me how I know.......
I haven't moved the pictures from my phone to computer yet or I would post them.........

ddahlgren

You might want to ask the guys in the paint section of this board. There are a lot of pros there.

Kevova

This is a question for DUB. When Base coat Clear coat came out the process was not perfected. The thought was fix it later vs not building anything. There was poor adhesion involving the primer involving some of 84-89 cars and trucks. If tape will pull the clear coat off the repair was to strip and repaint. Primarily the top surfaces were effected. In the Corvette from the bodyside molding up. Of it's you car, so you can try to reclear it and hope it lasts.

confab

If the car is a solid color... Maybe?

I know when you repair a panel and color match with basecoat, you end up clearing to the edges of the panel - areas with no paint on them. Essentially doing what you describe, above.

Sanding off the CC without breaking the paint layer would be a trick, though.

confab

PS: My car is about half painted now. It's half painted because I know me and I KNOW if I rip it all apart to do an overall, it'll never get put back together. I just have so much to do it'll morph into one of those forever projects that never gets done.

So, I picked a solid color and I'm painting it panel to panel. Been 20 years since I did any of this, but it looks pretty good and it breaks the job up into manageable pieces that can be done when time permits.

Example:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ay-quarter.jpg

Is that an option for you?

NOTE: This won't work with metallic colors. You'll just end up with a mess of panels that don't match one another. The flake won't match. It'll be a disaster.