Clear coat

[Bulldog]

Hey guys Bulldog here it has been a while sense. My last post I have a few light scratches in my clear coat , how is the best way to get them out am not. A body guy. Should I let a pro do it ? Thanks.

[rbgray1]

Bulldog,
I've been in the Automotive Coatings business and previously a body man and painter for over 35 years.

How severe are the scratches?

Keep in mind, most Aftermarket Clearcoats are applied around 2.5 Mils to 3.5 mils depending on how many coats the painter applied when the car was originally painted. (a Mil is about the thickness of the celophane from a pack of cigarettes, so imagine only 2.5 or 3.5 of them stacked together, pretty thin) Also, when the car was originally painted, the car was probably "cut and buffed" by using very fine sandpaper, 1500 grit to 3000 grit then compounded and polished, this removes surface defects from the painting process (dirt nibs, minor imperfections, etc) This process also removes about .3 to .5 of a mil making the clearcoat even thinner than when originally applied.

If the scratches are minimal, they can be either polished out or lightly sanded and buffed/polished with a good quality compound and polish and 2000 to 3000 grit sandpaper.

If you haven't done this before, I'd recommend taking the car to a GOOD body shop and have them do it. If this is not done correctly, you or the detailer can "burn" through the clearcoat and expose the basecoat (color) forcing you to repaint that portion of the car. Based on how Cobra bodies are with no natural break points or body lines to paint single panels, you would need to paint the entire body again unless the damaged areas are on the doors, hood or decklid. The clearcoat on the Body could be "blended" by tapering the clearcoat in an inconspicuous area and then polishing the clearcoat "blend" area to blend the repair in. This is not an optimal solution as these "blend" areas typically get more noticeable over time due to exposure to the sun, and degradation of the very thin clearcoat at the blend area, but it is done on some late model vehicle collision repairs. Most good body shops will always clearcoat an entire panel to a body break line or panel end point and stay away from clearcoat blending if at all possible.

Take it to a GOOD, reputable Body Shop that you see working on late model cars and is busy. If the shop isn't busy, they probably aren't that good.

If you want to try to tackle yourself, send me a picture or two and I can walk you through the process. You will also need to buy or borrow a good professional style rotary (not orbital)variable speed buffing machine and high quality compound, polish, pads and 2000 to 3000 grit sandpaper.

[Bulldog]

Thanks rbgray1 you answers my question perfectly. Am not going to try it myself i have a good body man up the road that does custom work and is always busy . thanks for the answer . Bulldog