Fixing Paint Chips and Scratches

Adapted from a post to VetteNet by Doug Johnson, and to the Grand Prix mailing list by Paul Berndt, who owned an SHO prior to his unfortunate lapse of automotive judgment.

Materials

Small bottle of the proper Ford touch up paint and Ford clear coat, if needed (most SHO finishes are clearcoat; a few early colors were not).

DuPont PrepSol (available from autobody supply).

Disposable touch-up microbrushes made by ProTouch (from an autobody supply).

3M Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound, Fine Cut (from an autobody supply).

Lacquer thinner to keep brush clean.

Wet-dry sandpaper: 1000 grit, 1500 grit, and 2000 grit (there is a new product out that is an alternative to wet sanding for use in auto touch ups - check it out at http://www.langka.com).

Procedure- Scratches

Use this procedure for long scratches and for large chips.

1. Use 1000 grit paper and wet-sand the scratch and the area around it. Make sure to use lots of water when sanding. This keeps scratching to a minimum.

2. Use DuPont Prepsol to clean wax off before touch-up.

3. Using microbrush and liberal amounts of paint, touch up the full-length of the scratch. As soon as the paint drys (10 minutes) do another coat. Repeat until you have done sufficient coats to have built a small mound of paint over the length of the scratch.

4. Let dry for 24 hours.

5. Now wet-sand the touched up surface with 1500 grit wet sandpaper. Sand in a front to rear motion since that's the direction the car is painted with, hence: you're going with the grain of the paint. Sand until you have eliminated the mound and any touchup paint outside of the scratch.

6. Clean area thoroughly and let dry.

7. Take a clean microbrush and begin to apply the clearcoat to the area. Don't be afraid to be liberal with it and don't try and keep the clearcoat within the scratch area. Apply approximately 3-4 coats, again until there is a small mound. Let it set and completely dry for 4-5 days.

8. Now, wet sand with 2000 grit wet sand paper. You will begin to see the clearcoated scratch blend into the rest of the paint - thus disappearing. (It produces a very gratifying feeling!)

Procedure - Chips

You can use this abbreviated procedure to fix the many small chips on the hood and front fascia.

1. Use 1000 grit paper and wet-sand the scratch and the area around it. Make sure to use lots of water when sanding. This keeps scratching to a minimum.

2. Use DuPont Prepsol to clean wax off before touch-up.

3. Using microbrush and liberal amounts of paint, touch up the chip. As soon as the paint drys (10 minutes) do another coat. Repeat until you have done sufficient coats to have built a small mound of paint over the expanse of the chip.

4. Let dry for 24 hours.

5. Wet sand with 2000 grit wet sand paper. You will begin to see the touch-up paint blend into the rest of the paint - nearly disappearing. The repairs are not noticable to passersby, and look much better than the chips did.

Note

The clear coat on the flexible plastic parts doesn't rub back as well as the rest of the paint, probably due to the flex agents in the paint..