SON OF A ....!! (paint question)

[Cooter_76]

A few weeks ago I was working on the Bronco in the garage. The front end was on jack stands and the hood was open when I decided to call it a night. As I went in the house I hit the button on the garage door opener and didn't look back. The next morning I realized that the garage door had scraped a nice little gouge out of the paint on the hood. :-[

My Bronco is by no means show-quality, and has it's share of little chips & scratches, but this one really chaps my hide. I'm interested in fixing it myself, but I have NO experience in paint/body work. So I have some questions for you paint Gurus out there:

How do I go about matching the color? It was repainted by the previous owner.
What's the RIGHT way to fix it?
What's an OK way to fix it?
What's the WRONG way to fix it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[SeaBiscuit68]

I can help you with the match part. Find an automotive paint dealer near you that has a person inhouse who does eye matches. Most will. Eye matching is far more accurate than computer matching. He'll want a piece of the truck to work with. It'll get little dabs of paint on it so try to talk him into using the hood or you'll be painting two things. They prefer smaller pieces though so be warned.

 

[Steve]

Ouch! :'( The only real right way to fix it is to sand it out and feather the edges and then repaint the entire hood. Probably not what you wanted to hear. OK way to fix it? Get some matching paint (see below) and just fill in the scratch. You'll still see it but it won't rust.

Now for paint matching. That doesn't look like a stock color to me, and it appears to be basecoat/clearcoat, but I'm not positive on that from the pic. Unless you can get the paint code from the previous owner, you really need to take it to a body shop or good auto paint supply store and talk to them about matching it.

Small scratches like this that go all the way through the paint layers aren't easy to fix, but it can be done. You should go to a few body shops and get estimates and see if one will cut you a bit of a break to fix it; you may get lucky.

 

[broncow72]

Here ya go.
http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/gs27.htm?gid=AUDIO_VIDEO

;D

 

[Steve]

Here ya go.
http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/gs27.htm?gid=AUDIO_VIDEO

;D

That answers the question about the WRONG way to fix it.

 

[allenfahey]

At least the sctarch is in the middle of the hood. Just as someone mentioned take it by the auto body supply store but have them use the color eye. It will get you a blendable match. Since it's near the middle of the hood it's easy to stay away from the fenders. Get a pint of paint ready to spray base coat. While there get some primer, hardner, reducer, and clear. Also get the sand paper and a tack rag. Don't forget a couple empty containers for mixing in ( they should have the mix ratios on the side), strainers, l and wood stir sticks.

To fix it feather it out with 180 or 220 and 400 the edges around it along with a red scuff pad. Put 3 coats of primer on. Dark grey primer will help with the coverage when it's time to paint. Block it out with 320 then go back over it with 500. For the rest of the hood sand with 800 and then use a grey scuff pad. After it's taped up and the rest of it is covered with plastic wipe it down with prep solvent/degreaser. You can save a little by using 50% reducer and 50% water as a degreaser. Blow it off and tack it off with a tack rag. Start spraying the color just on the primer to get coverage. DON"T hammer on the paint, it might take 3-6 coats since it's red. Each time you put a coat on take the color out just a little. When you have full coverage blend it out. It's hard for me to explain but would be easier to show you. After the paint flashes off you tack it again, mainly where the over spray got on the rest of the hood. Now it's time to clear it. Put on a medium coat then after it flashes off a while put hammer on another coat. If you feel comfortable put the first coat on very wet and then a medium coat imediatley afterward with no flash ( I get alot less orange peel that way) When clearing a hood start at one of the fenders and spraytowards the middle and then switch sides and continue to the other fender. If you start in the middle you might get a dry edge.

 

[Solar Aviator]

Evil Garage Doors

This won't help your problem a bit but... I spent a whole weekend installing a premo 6' 6" garage door with a low overhead kit and a worm drive opener between the joistes. Came out realy nice and I was proud as hell. Next day I was in a hurry and left the tail gate up. Shot out of the garage, Tailgate handle caught the bottom stiffner on the door and pulled the whole works into the middle of the driveway.

 

[rob wilson]

In the this won't help department, I've got one to add. My father-in-law has lifts in his garage to double the capacity. He accidently raised one too high and the garage door arm put a gouge down the last 1/2 of the roof of his show room clean totaly stock and origianl 68 Yenko Camaro. Wasn't the happiest day of his life!!!

 

[Cooter_76]

Alright, so we've covered:

The RIGHT way to do it (Thanks allenfahey)
The WRONG way to do it (Thanks Broncow72)

What about an OK way to do it? (I'm thinking the right way may take me a decade or so of practice. )

I may be cutting my front fenders sometime this year, so maybe I'll wait till then and use the fender scraps for color matching.

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[Pa PITT]

paint

well I'd say most all the advise has been very good ...I sold dupont paint for 30 year ....In my opnion pant never matches it just get OK to live with ..I used to hate to see cars I'd mixed paint for, driving around town that had not been finished completely, That looks like clear coat to me ...makes it harder ...i used to do the eye matching I say I'D sure hate to see this one come in my door ....We said that after we got it as close as we could the PAINTER could get 30 different colors with air pressure and spray paterns ..
SO have you given any thoughts to the other options ....other colors ...
strips ....or putting bed liner on it ....flat black hood.....
OUR EB's give so many options .....i'd hate to spend what it'll cost to paint and have the paint still not match that, that hood and color will be tough...
And hoods you have to look out over everday...
Pa Pitt

 

[1977]

Here ya go.
http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/gs27.htm?gid=AUDIO_VIDEO

;D

Ha-Ha-Ha...now that's a good one!!!!! ;D

 

[Cooter_76]

SO have you given any thoughts to the other options ....other colors ...
strips ....or putting bed liner on it ....flat black hood.....
OUR EB's give so many options .....i'd hate to spend what it'll cost to paint and have the paint still not match that, that hood and color will be tough...
And hoods you have to look out over everday...
Pa Pitt

Well, I'm not crazy about the current color, but a new paint job is not in the ever-shrinking budget.
I don't care for the bedliner exterior look (though I love my Rhino-lined interior)
The flat black hood idea actually made me stop & think.

Good ideas! Keep 'em coming!

 

[Skiddy]

OK I will add to the this won't help department. Will be this be in the oops section of the bronco driver or FSJ mag :-X ;D

 

[Cooter_76]

OK I will add to the this won't help department. Will be this be in the oops section of the bronco driver or FSJ mag :-X ;D

Both!

 

[BG's 68 Bronco]

I didn't read all of the posts, so this may have been said already, but what about talking to someone who does air brush painting??? Maybe they could cover it up nicely??

 

[RangerRob]

Why don't you drive out to Wayne Epps Body and Paint on 71 by Hamilton Pool Road and see if they can match it and give you some paint? They matched Jeff's metallic paint really well for his flares.

Their number is 263-3221. You can always ask how much they would charge to fix it.

Good Luck!!!

 

[Willie]

I told him to go by Wayne's, when we got together for beer last friday Ummm, maybe thats why he forgot I mentioned it.......

 

[Cooter_76]

I told him to go by Wayne's, when we got together for beer last friday Ummm, maybe thats why he forgot I mentioned it.......

Oh, so THAT's where I was Friday night...been trying to remember for a week now.

I'll give Wayne a call. Hopefully he's open on weekends as that's the only time I'll be able to get out to Hamilton Pool rd.

Thanks!