My car is scheduled to go in the body shop this coming Monday. They are going to replace my right front fender that was cracked when my car slipped off the ramps in my driveway. The crack is down low where it really can't be seen. I'm really having second thoughts about having this repair done because my car has never had any paint work done. I'm wondering if the crack in my fender will get any larger in time if I were to just leave it. The repairs out of pocket are only $50.00 so money is not an issue, I just don't like anyone messing with my car. I told the body shop manager I didn't want my car sitting outside but he says it will be outside during the day while the paint on the fender is drying. Maybe I'm just being paranoid but I have babied this car for 18 years. In addition to replacing the fender they are replacing the spoiler on both sides, total cost just over $2,000.00.

 

Outside while the paint is drying? I am by no means an expert but the body shop I use has a heated updraft booth. How much experience does this shop have with Corvettes? I would talk with another body shop.

Even the paint shop I visited for my motorhome had a large booth for painting and baking the paint.

 

They made it sound like the fender would be inside drying while the car was sitting outside. I will question them before I leave it, this GM dealership has a pretty good reputation and has been around for many years.

 

How long is your crack? After buying my ’04 and doing a less stressful inspection of the car, I found there was a crack in the rear left wheel fender at the top lip. It is about an inch long. After a hour or so of yelling at myself for not finding this issue prior to buying the car, I determined the crack was not long enough to warrant a professional fix. I bought some J-B Weld Reinforcement Epoxy Putty and affixed to the underside of the fender where the crack was (sanded and cleaned the area first). Then over several days I filled in the crack with touch up paint. With some patience and lightly buffing the area after each application, the crack is not noticeable after 3 years since the fix was done.

NFL:

 

C908, how far down is "down low where it really can't be seen"? You make it sound like you're fixing it because you know it's there.

Without pictures, I'd skip it. At the least, if it's as minor as you say, I might consider Rrwirsi's methodology. The crack shouldn't 'walk' because of vibration. I'd suggest that you skip it and keep an eye on the crack if it does walk, you can then make the decision on repairing it.

Automotive paints don't "dry" anymore; that technology is outlawed. Shops are required to use some kind of catalyzed paint process; this changed in the mid-80's when lacquers were banned. Most paints are polyurethane-based now; they're "two-part" paints--essentially pigments in suspension to which a catalyst is added. They'll harden in a paint gun if you leave them long enough.

I'm in southern Mississippi; it's been barely mid-30* temps here for the last 2 weeks. Where you are it's gotta be at least that "bad" with possibilities of snow. I wouldn't let them leave the car outside only because I couldn't control how they'll clean the (hypothetical) snow off. An extremely minor consideration, only because I can't believe they'd move it outside "immediately"--it's so cold (less than 55* [approximate]) that the paint could blush outside. Blushing is the phenomenon where moisture is trapped in paint as it dries. It's not "wet"--imagine an undefrosted windshield in cold weather--that moisture layer sits on paint (just as it does on a windshield) and dries with that appearance and only a recoat can fix it.

As you say, the existing painted surface is OEM; and "down low where it really can't be seen"--without pictures, I'd prolly suggest that you leave it alone and just grit your teeth and bear it every time you wax the area. After a couple years, you'll just shrug it off.

 

A good shop should be able to match the paint. For $50 I would get the fender replaced. If you are supposed to go in this coming Monday they may already have the fender in stock. They won't appreciate being stuck with it if you back out. Despite being babied for all of those years the car is still as tough as it ever was and won't be hurt by sitting outside while the painted fender cures.

As far as the crack spreading that is hard to say. It depends on where it is and how much vibration/force is applied to the fender while the car is being driven.

From the way you are agonizing about this I would say you may feel a lot better if the repair is done correctly Vs doing nothing at all.

Bill

 

For the first time, I'm gonna have to disagree with you, Bill. No disrespect meant.

I only ever painted for two shops, one was the largest tri-county Chevy/Honda dealership and the other was a much smaller insurance shop. Neither one ever ordered parts ahead of the car's delivery without a deposit first.

I think the key word in your entire post was "good" in the first sentence. A perfect butt match is beyond most journeymen especially between two panels.

 

The dealership confirmed they have the new fender along with the body side molding and spoiler. I'm going to take another look under my car Monday morning. Other than the crack I mentioned there is a corner tab that buts up against the door. This tab is what fastens the fender down and holds it in place. The tab was broken and caused my fender to move outward just slightly. I was able to back the screw out and push the fender in slightly and then tighten the screw and washer back down. I'm going to get a slightly larger washer and see if I can push the fender back in it's correct position and then re tighten the screw and larger washer. My other thought was to possibly drill a small hole from underneath the fender and use that as my new mounting point. If I could get my fender back in place I could probably live with the crack because it is not visible. I will admit I'm just afraid to let anyone do paint work on my Vette if I can avoid it.
Bill[/QUOTE]

 

Really? so the heating process that was done after my hood was painted was a figment of my imagination? I need a drink...thanks




Heated paint booth



Heated paint booth

 

...I would leave it...

 

Not to worry. Your ignorance is pretty common. "Heated" only means to keep the ambient temperature above (generally) 60-something degrees. Catalysts don't require heat; to allow an environment where the paint will flow better requires a temperature suited for the specific resins/"solvents" being applied. It's not to force-dry the coating, it's to keep "room temps" at 'room temp'.

Ifn someone wants to "FORCE" dry the coating by raising the temp as your picture shows, that's their choice. But there's no need for it at all to be above comfortable temperatures. The catalyst will work anyway. Pot life for catalyzed paints hovers around 4hr. That is, most catalyzed coatings would be ready for handling overnight.

No journeyman painter would let a bodyman install a painted panel the same day; there's just no sense in it. Sure, some hacker might do it "under the gun" but as a common industrial practice, no. So 'forcing' the paint wouldn't gain anything whatsoever if the panel is to be installed the next morning anyway.

Someone who's raising the temperature of a booth after applying catalyzed paint is applied in the presence of an onlooker is just performing their best dog and pony show.

 

Just another opinion...Why risk showing paintwork if the crack doesn't show? On an older fiberglass panel you could v it out and glop in some resin and fuse the crack together as fiberglass re-fuses to itself. These fenders are plastic, and they make a product that works similarly. I have some, you could get it at any auto refinishing store. You could try that for minimal money, and leave it showing underneath. Or, instruct a shop to do it. That's what any buyer would prefer to see down the road.

 

I have decided to go a different direction and I've changed shops. The plan now is to repair the crack, by doing this paint work will be minimal. Fender will be removed and only the lower part of the fender will need to be painted, then the complete fender will be cleared then reinstalled. After giving this a lot of thought I think this is the better fix. I'm scheduled for March 5th and it should take a week.

 

Just make sure the shop guarantees the clear won't change the tint of the original paint. When my wife scraped the garage with her car, I painted the front fender and the paint tech at the store advised to just clear the adjacent door, which I did. That door was a slightly different color than the door next to it. Wondering why the shop can't just clear the repaired spot that doesn't show. It might not be perfect underneath, but the rest of the fender would be. Again, just an opinion.