facia repainting update

[kkoncelik@xxxx]

I had a lot of people request the pictures so I will be placing them into the 
vault as soon as I can.

Just as a note I have placed in both concourses I have entered and I painted 
the facias on that car. So those of you who know my car know the kind of 
results that I expect. The facias were also spot touched up for the St Louis 
show due to my sons running into my car with their bikes (KIDS)

As a follow up I have some bad news. I aparently had some bad paint since 
the paint never totally cured and remained slightly tacky. Rather that 
settle for a questionable paint and risk pealing or something else I 
restripped the facias again today. Since the paint was fresh and not totally 
cured it came off of all 4 facias in about two hours. I used laquer thinner 
that did not touch the original finish but if you go down to the grey primer 
it will remove it. You can also use bumper stripper from SEM part number 
39913. It will remove finishes other than factory so if you have a repainted 
bumper this stuff works but be prepared to do some extensive masking. Do Not 
Let It Touch the Black, it will dull it forever. Again this is best left to 
a professional. 

I will reshoot them with the base coat clear coat system so I will be able to 
do a comparison. The finish and color of the DAU matched the original 
perfectly including the gloss level so now I will compare the new paint. I 
have done my Mustang and Ford Truck with this paint and it has turned out to 
be a perfect factory match, very glossy as you all know.

I will not be taking any more pictures since you will not be able see 
anything different than what was there in the first set. 

I will use a gloss reducer to cut the gloss on one car and try a 1,000 grit 
wet sand and buff on the other car to dull the finish to match the factory 
finish. The gloss level reads about an 65 on our system at work, My Truck 
reads 89.

Remember practice makes perfect. 
I have painted over 300 cars and this is the first time I have experienced 
this problem. the paint store confirmed the defect in the paint today. 

One note I used a flexible primer that claimed it did not need to be thinned. 
With a HVLP gun you do need to thin it. If not you will have to wet sand 
with 400 grit to remove the orange peel that HVLP is noted for . I did not 
have problems with high pressure systems before when I used this primer. It 
took less than a pint per car with HVLP vs slightly less than a pint per 
facia with high pressure. (4 light coats)

If you have any doubts about doing these facias then send it to one of the 
shops. The prices I have seen posted on this list are reasonable considering 
the time and effort that is put into the job. It is not for beginners because 
the silver is a difficult color to shoot since it settles quickly. I charge 
about $200 per facia when I do it, paint included, but don't ask LOL I'm busy 
with a Car Show at this time.

Next report base coat clear coat system

Ken