Clear Coat Repair
 

Ok everybody. My truck has a salvage title, it was rolled and repaired back in 99. I picked this truck up late last year, and when I got it only a small patch of the clear coat was peeling off. I thought "Hey, it's s SMALL spot..no big deal".

Fast forward a few months, the clear coat seems to be peeling worse day by day. Behind the clear is a *really* dull coat of what seems to be my paint, but darker. When I get it wet, it looks decent.

What should I do about this? Is there a way I can DIY it on the cheap? Take a look..

http://homepage.mac.com/cali4rnr/paint/1.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/cali4rnr/paint/2.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/cali4rnr/paint/3.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/cali4rnr/paint/4.jpg

The only way to really fix it is to strip the panel of the old clear and have it re-sprayed.

On the cheap- You can try wet sanding it until the clear doesnt flake anymore (feather-edge it) and buffing. That will be a temporary fix.

what's wrong??? they let the "base coat" (the color, and it's supposed to be dull) dry more than 30 minutes before spraying the first coat of clear. the clear then didn't bond chemically to the base coat, and when they don't, they peel.

the fix? sand off ALL the clear - ALL OF IT where ever it was repainted, then spray with a new thin coat of base, then follow that with a coat of clear while the base is still damp/tacky. then follow that with two more decent coats of clear.

that's the only REAL way to fix it.

I feel your pain. My hood looks like that now, like it has cancer. The clear coat peels off in big chunks, kind of reminds me of the after effects of sunburn on your skin. The rest of the truck is perfect. I suspect the hood was replaced before I bought it (no stickers/insulation) on it. I am just keeping an eye out for a dark blue truck/runner around the same year being parted out or in a junkyard that I can get the hood off of that will fit.

Good luck getting yours fixed.