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I messed up touching up front splitter...

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Old 11-20-2018, 04:25 PM
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Ggpz06
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Default I messed up touching up front splitter...

Never fails, the times I do take the Z out I end up hitting an unavoidable road debris. I tried to touch up and now I made it terrible. Please help.

I hit the few spots then used a clear coat. When I backed it out the garage it looks like **** in the light. I messed up bad.
Old 11-20-2018, 04:32 PM
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fleming23
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Front splitter is not too terrible to replace. Handful of bolts and some rivets to drill out.

Just order a replacement, there are some less expensive options on the market. ACS makes a pretty decent piece that looks OEM.

I suppose alternatively you could pull it off, take it to a body shop, and have them sand and repaint it, although I'm not sure it would be much less expensive.

Last edited by fleming23; 11-20-2018 at 04:33 PM.
Old 11-20-2018, 04:37 PM
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Ggpz06
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Can I just tape off and use 150 grit sandpaper to sand of the touch up paint and then go over with 600 grit to smooth out?
Old 11-20-2018, 04:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Ggpz06
Can I just tape off and use 150 grit sandpaper to sand of the touch up paint and then go over with 600 grit to smooth out?
That depends on your own skill level... Are you then going to mask it and spray it in Carbon Flash? You can get paint to match, but I'm not sure you'll get a 100% match by the method you suggested.

Is the paint gouged or just scratched? I assumed it had a pretty big gash in it if you were using touch up paint. Maybe you should hit it with an orbital polisher first and see what you can polish out and then go from there. Not sure I would use 150 grit on it unless you plan to repaint, that is pretty aggressive.

Last edited by fleming23; 11-20-2018 at 04:41 PM.
Old 11-20-2018, 04:55 PM
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Ggpz06
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I have OCD.. it was a small circle chip and few specs but I got carried away when applying the clear so it showed streaks in the sunlight. I just went out and took the side of a toothpick and rubbed it all off! Lol I’m gonna leave it alone now haha. Thanks for ur suggestions
Old 11-21-2018, 01:35 AM
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Bill Dearborn
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I don't think you want to use 150 at first. To make it look good you are going to have to use 1500 or 2000 grit paper to get out the scratches and it would take a lot of sanding if you started with 150.

Bill
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Old 11-21-2018, 07:02 AM
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RoxyCarter
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Just drive it and have fun. By the time you fix, you'll end up hitting something else.

the car is your slave, not the other way around.

Dealerships have bumper magic paint crews that come around once per week usually. They paint whole noses of cars for 300 bucks.

if you can find their schedule, I'm sure for 200 or less, they would paint that piece for you.

have fun and don't stress. Your time is worth more than 200 and they will do a better job. Take your time and find someone who can do it well, and in the meantime, have fun
Old 11-21-2018, 07:34 AM
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Ggpz06
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Originally Posted by RoxyCarter
Just drive it and have fun. By the time you fix, you'll end up hitting something else.

the car is your slave, not the other way around.

Dealerships have bumper magic paint crews that come around once per week usually. They paint whole noses of cars for 300 bucks.

if you can find their schedule, I'm sure for 200 or less, they would paint that piece for you.

have fun and don't stress. Your time is worth more than 200 and they will do a better job. Take your time and find someone who can do it well, and in the meantime, have fun
well said... when ur right, ur right!
Old 11-21-2018, 08:12 AM
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For future reference, 150 grit paper is way too abrasive. I would start with 400 or higher and then gradually move up to 1500 or 2000 grit. The sanding marks from 150 will be close to impossible to remove without good risk of going through the clear coat if it has not penetrated it already in the initial sanding with 150 grit. Always use the least abrasive paper you can.
Old 11-21-2018, 08:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Ggpz06
Can I just tape off and use 150 grit sandpaper to sand of the touch up paint and then go over with 600 grit to smooth out?
What you can do (and should do to make the problem a non-problem) is take it to a local body shop, show them what you have, and tell them to call you when they have work relating to surface finish restoration complete.

Simple problem, simple fix , minimum heartache.

Last edited by Range_Rat; 11-21-2018 at 08:54 AM.
Old 11-21-2018, 11:29 AM
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Thank you yes no reason to stress it’s only a car right?
Old 11-21-2018, 11:55 AM
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Hit it with 600 and try to level out the high spots while going light on the other areas that have no issue. No sense creating further damage to be repaired. From there you can work your way up to 1000, 1500 and 2000. Then use a good polisher to bring back the luster with some compound. A finishing polish will be the last step.Tape off the areas around where you'll be working to avoid further issues.
Old 11-21-2018, 01:24 PM
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23/C8Z
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Buy a new one. Have it covered in xpel or similar product and enjoy the car.


or park it on blocks and shrink wrap it....

OCD is nothing. You can snap it easily (especially if you focus on some other project). Leave it alone every day and over time you learn to live with these small imperfections.
Old 11-21-2018, 01:52 PM
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Originally Posted by 16/C7Z
Buy a new one. Have it covered in xpel or similar product and enjoy the car.


or park it on blocks and shrink wrap it....

OCD is nothing. You can snap it easily (especially if you focus on some other project). Leave it alone every day and over time you learn to live with these small imperfections.
thanks happy thanksgiving everyone
Old 11-23-2018, 05:45 PM
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azcanuk
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Originally Posted by Ggpz06
it’s only a car right?
IT'S ONLY A CAR!!!!

MAN, GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF, IT'S NOT ONLY A CAR.. IT'S A CORVETTE! A Z06 CORVETTE!
Old 11-23-2018, 07:41 PM
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Greg00Coupe
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I have a great and reasonable body shop. They work on lot of wrecks and enjoy a small project like this. Probably a couple $100. You need to find someone like that. Cures ocd
Old 11-24-2018, 12:39 PM
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rikhek
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FWIW, it's a consumable component for anybody who drives the car with any sort of speed/aggression.

I buy them from ACS in primer and paint with a $5 rattle can in satin. Looks great and costs basically nothing to paint or repaint/touch-up.

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Old 11-25-2018, 10:35 AM
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Redc8z06
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Have you spoken to your insurance company? Since you hit something on the road it might cover at least some of the cost. I hit a curb with mine and crack it and they covered almost 100% of the cost.
Old 11-26-2018, 02:47 PM
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ExtremeOnlineStore
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Originally Posted by Ggpz06
Never fails, the times I do take the Z out I end up hitting an unavoidable road debris. I tried to touch up and now I made it terrible. Please help.

I hit the few spots then used a clear coat. When I backed it out the garage it looks like **** in the light. I messed up bad.
it will look much better if you polish the front splitter.
Old 11-26-2018, 05:02 PM
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BOBSZ857
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I would try to wet sand it with a super fine emery paper. Maybe like a 600 grit or higher. you may have to do it multiple times but should get some good results.


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