Scuffs/Gouges/Scratches

[mike2005]

Well I misjudged my cars turning radius by a few centimeters and brushed against a concrete curb at the gas station. I figured rather than replacing the bumper, I'd give fixing it a shot just in case I can save myself some money. Here are some pictures of it, the first two are post wetsanding, and the last two are post rubbing compound.

I haven't put any polish on it, but the surface scratches seem to have been removed. The major scrape on the bottom I sanded smooth with some 400 grit sandpaper, the gouges with 800 grit, and everything else with 2000 grit. The plan as it stands right now is to remove all the paint from this section, apply plastic filler to fill the gouges/smooth the scrapes and repaint. Now I've never taken on any bodywork or painting before, but figured this is the perfect opportunity to start. I have a general list of what I intend to do, and if you could correct me or add to it I would appreciate it a lot.



1. Sand all the paint away (What grit of paper, wet or dry?)

2. Clean the area

3. Apply filler

4. Sand smooth (Wet sand, 800 grit ok?)

5. Clean the area

6. Primer

7. Sand primer (Wet sand, 1000 grit ok?)

8. Clean

9. Basecoat(s)

10. Should I sand this, or just let it dry? If I sand, what grit?

11. Clean

12. Clear coat(s)

13. Wetsand 2000 grit

14. Clean/Rubbing Compound

15. Clean/Polish

16. Clean/Wax



I did a brief search, but only came up with estimates of repair, and scratches, not actually repainting the area. Thanks for any advice you can provide!

 

[imported_steveo3002]

okay heres how i would handle it



scuff the area that needs filling with 180



fill the gouges with a suitable plastic filler...and sand down with 180, then 240...you can go finer if you like



plastic prime the area...use alot of thin coats to build of a good layer, at this point it would be good to let the car stand in the sun for a good few days to let it set up



now dust a mist coat of contrasting color of the primer..this acts as a guide coat to show when its all been sanded, it will remain in any scratches until theyre smooth..id suggest 800 then 1000 for sanding primer



now scuff the paint where you will painting with 1500 or a grey scotch pad...the area where you intend to fade into the original paint should be polish with some cutting compund



base coat needs to be sprayed over your repair area in light even coats, no need to try for high build , its only to color the area...DO NOT sand base coat, let it dry for 15mins and if theres any dusty overspray remove it with a tack cloth(paint stores sell em) now start to build up the clear coat...firstly just over your base coat area, then next coat move slightly further out and so on (btw no need to clean or wait any longer than 15-20mins , just straight on with the clear coat



once the clear coat has stood a week ...you can decide to use 2000 wet sanding and re clear it for a better thickness, or just 2000 off the orange peel and dirt nibs and polish it

 

[mike2005]

Thanks for clearing up my questions about it. Like I said, its a no loss deal as I was going to replace it because of the damage, so its good practice I suppose. I'll be sure to post up results if it goes well, if not...I'll take some pictures of my new bumper and claim the work as mine. :chuckle: