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A little tuck
here, a little pull there and that new young look has returned. Just like a doctor, a good body and paint
professional can return your Corvette's body and paint to a like-new condition
without a major paint job. It is a type
of cosmetic surgery. If your Corvette's
paint is in good condition but has some small nicks or scratches, a cosmetic
touch-up is the way to go. The trick is
to find a competent refinisher and someone who is capable of matching existing
paint. Matching paint is an art. The person doing the paint mixing has to have
a good eye for color and be able to adjust a paint formula to achieve a perfect
match. The refinisher has to be able to apply
the paint without any blend lines. Not
every painter can do this. So when you
find someone who can, you should stick with him. Also keep in mind, a cosmetic touch-up can
only be done if the existing finish on the Corvette is still quite good. If the paint is faded, cracking, hazy or
dull, a complete paint job is in order.
Our Sweepstakes 78 had a very good
base coat, clear coat paint job but it had gotten a few nicks and scratches
since it had been done. We decided to do a cosmetic touch-up. We contacted John Duryea of J's Auto Repair
in Brooksville, Florida and he was able to perform the
touch-up our Corvette needed. Zip Products, Inc.,
8067 Fast Lane, Mechanicsville, VA 23111, (800) 962-9632 provided some other items. Follow
along as we do a little cosmetic surgery to our Sweepstakes 78 Corvette.
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01: We wanted to get a perfect match for the Light Silver so
we removed the gas door and took it to our local paint supplier. He was able to match the silver formula to
the gas door perfectly. This step is
half the battle in getting a perfect match when touching up any painted
surface. Almost anyone can mix a given
paint formula, but the art is being able to adjust that formula to match the
present finish. Sunlight, air quality,
washings, and use will all affect a Corvette's finish. Colors will change so that person mixing the
paint formula must be able to adjust it to match the paint's present
condition. The better the match, the
less likely you will be able to see the touch-up. Start the touch-up by thoroughly washing the exterior. This will let you find any areas that need
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02: When
our Sweepstakes 78 Corvette had
been painted before, someone installed the outside mirror on too soon and the
finish wrinkled around the mirror bases.
The mirrors had to be removed to correct this problem. We started by removing the door glass. Then we removed both mirrors.
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03: Use a sanding block with 320 grit
paper to start the sanding process on each knick or scratch. Notice that we placed masking tape on the
painted break line. We did not need to touch-up
this area so we did not want to sand it.
The masking tape protected this area.
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04: After the areas are sanded, use filler to fill the low
areas. When filler is thoroughly dry,
start the sanding process. You should
initially start with 220 grit paper.
Then proceed to 320, 400 and 600.
After you are finished sanding, the repaired area should be smooth and
level. No high spots, low spots or
outline.
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05: After all the sanding is done, mask
off the areas that are to be primed.
Cover anything that you do not want overspray on. Spending a little more time covering the car
now will pay off later.
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06: Use Pre-Kleeno then a tack rag to
wipe down the repaired area. Spray an
epoxy primer over the repaired surface.
Usually 4 or 5 coats will be sufficient.
Make sure that each coat is sprayed beyond the repair. This will help when it comes to blending the
color coat. Let the primer dry
thoroughly.
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07: After the primer is dry, get out
the sanding block and sandpaper again.
Use wet or dry paper and start with 320.
Then proceed to 400 and then 600 sandpaper and water. Sand the repaired area with the sandpaper and
water until the surface is perfectly smooth.
Here you can see how we are sanding the mirror area on the door.
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08: After all the areas have been
sanded smooth, wipe them down with Pre-Kleeno.
Now use a new tack rag to collect any dust particles. Make sure all the masking tape and paper is
still in place.
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09: You should now be ready for the
color coat. Mix the paint as recommended
and spray with the required air pressure.
As we did with the primer coat, spray the color coat beyond the
repair. As you spray beyond the main
repair, start to slowly release the spray gun trigger. This will slow the amount of paint released
and help to make it blend into the surrounding area. After you are done spraying, let the paint
thoroughly dry. If you did everything
right and the paint formula was correct, the color should match. If not, have the formula adjusted and spray a
color coat again.
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10: Since this was a base coat, clear
coat finish, we now had to apply the clear coat. Although a clear coat can be blended, it is
easier to re-spray an entire panel. Make
sure you have the car completely covered.
(Clear Coat overspray goes everywhere and is very hard to remove.) Mix the clear coat as required and spray the
repaired areas with 3 or 4 coats. Note: We did not clear coat the entire front
fender. We did blend the clear coat on
the top of the left front fender.
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11: After the clear coat has dried,
remove the masking tape and paper.
Always pull the masking tape slowly back over itself. Never at an angle or straight up.
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12: The outer door seals (window
wipers) needed to be replaced on the Sweepstake 78. Zip Corvette was able to send us an
exact replacement. Removal is very easy. Unscrew and remove the retaining screws at
each end of the seal. Then carefully
pry the clips out of each retaining slot and remove the seal from the door.
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13. To re-install the seal, place the
seal along the window opening and align each clip with each slot. Snap the clip securely into the slot. Then re-install the retaining screws at each
end.
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14: The driver's door hinge spring was broken so it also
needed to be replaced. Zip Corvette sent us
a new hinge spring and installation tool |
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15: With the new hinge spring aligned,
use the tool to snap the hinge spring into place. Note:
Do not try to install a new hinge spring without this tool. Can you say smashed fingers and damaged door?
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16: After the clear coat is thoroughly
dry, use 1200 grit (Microfine) wet or dry sandpaper and water to smooth the
clear coat surface. Follow this with
1500 grit sandpaper and water. This
should make the surface extremely smooth.
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17: You will next have to buff the
clear coat with a medium coarse cutting compound. This compound will start to give a shine to
the finish. After the compound, buff the
surface with a mild cleaner followed by a clear coat polish. Remember that the polish will give the
shine. I recommend polishing the surface
by hand 2 or 3 times.
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18: Finish the surface by using a
quality wax. For clear coat finishes I
recommend The Wax Shop's Clear Coat Liquid Wax.
This wax is specially formulated for clear coat finishes. For any other finish, use The Wax Shop's
Super Glaze.
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19: When all of the polishing and
waxing was completed, we re-installed the outside mirrors and the door
glass. Our cosmetic surgery was complete
and the Sweepstakes 78 had a beautiful face to go along with all of the other
improvements that we have done to her so far.
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CORVETTE PAINT TOUCH-UP:
REPAIRING SMALL NICKS AND SCRATHES IN YOUR CORVETTE'S PAINT
SOURCE:
Zip Products, Inc.
8067 Fast Lane
Mechanicsville, VA 23111
(800) 962-9632
PARTS LIST:
The Author would like to thank John Duryea of J's Auto Repair for his
assistance with this article.
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