dull clear coat solutions anyone have any info?

[92LongBed]

hi i’m preparing to overhaul my paint job with the works for a potential paint correction/auto detailing extravaganza. i’ve been doing research to find out what style of paint my 1992 f350 has and i’ve found the paint code (M6598A smoke metallic). There’s no code on the inner door panel that state Base Coat // Clear Coat and i’ve done the paint rub test for single stage paint with a damp rag and i’ve gotten paint 3/3 times on my rag even after washing the location.


Upon doing more research on the paint code itself a lot of the touch up websites are offering the paint with a clear coat bottle included. The 1992 year has me to believe its BC CC as well!


The owner stated before i bought the truck that the overall paint job was botched without applying a final coat of clear coat but i was clueless to what that meant at the time. is it possible to receive paint markings through a half assed clear coat application?


I’m thinking i’ll need to wet sand to get this paint to shine but i’m honestly so lost and i’ve been on this sub nearly nonstop for 3 days trying to find answers. Anything helps at this point! i just need help identifying the clear coat or lack thereof on my truck

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[IDIBRONCO]

If there wasn't any clear coat on it, and it's supposed to be a base/clear paint, your truck wouldn't have any shine to it. One coat of clear will be as shiny as three, it just won't last as long. If it's a single stage paint, then you can clear over it , but it isn't required. The single stage paint will still shine without a clear coat. Since there is some shine to your truck in spots, and you can rub paint onto a rag, I'm guessing that it was last painted with a single stage paint (yes I'm guessing that in 1992, it should have had a base/c;ear paint from the factory). The biggest issue that I know of with a single stage metallic is that the paint fades/oxidizes relatively quickly compared to a base/clear in exactly the same color. The reason is that there is less pigment in the paint since the metallic flakes take up a lot of the room the the pigment would use if the paint had no metallic in it. Silver is the worst at this, and, to me, you paint isn't that far off from silver. The solution for making a single stage metallic paint last is to clear over the paint. This is called a color coat/clear coat. After the paint is cured, you can then keep a good coat of non abrasive wax or a clear coat polish on it to farther protect your paint from the sun. If your paint was put on thick enough, and enough is left on your truck, then you should be able to get away with wet sanding and polishing your paint. Since it's oxidized enough to be dull and you can rub paint off onto a rag, I'm going to guess that there's not enough paint left for this to work and you'll end up sanding through the paint. Of course that means a repaint. I could be wrong since my training in auto body ended in 1991 and I haven't ever done it for a living. The wet sand/polish is sure worth a try.

 

[papadiesel]

you are right on idi

 

[Hobbywelder]

IDI is right.

the best thing you can do aside from stripping and repainting is take
-3000 grit wet/dry sandpaper
Sand lightly with glass cleaner or water, until it seems (when dry) like its hazy
- compound, careful not to burn the paint. Ensure all the scratches are gone.
- polish, again careful not to burn it. Let it in the sun and watch for dieback (dyback?). Swirls and a alight color change indicate not enough polish.
- ultrafine polish if it looks good. Of its gonna be shiny it will by this point.

couple of footnotes; make sure to clean in between each step. Fresh rag and glass cleaner.
Letting it sit in the sun will show any flaws or issues you have after polishing it. Give it a day or so fyi.

Should it not be shiny, well thats a single stage paint OR no clear was added/done improperly.


Eventually, ill be doing a thread on repainting and what works and looks OK. Granted itll be my subaru because if I screw up or I don’t like the paint I don’t want to be redoing the truck with that product.


If you need further painting help, let me know and if I can’t answer it, either of the painters at work should be able to. I am a body tech so painting more of a hobby than anything.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

you are right on idi

Thanks.

 

[92LongBed]

If there wasn't any clear coat on it, and it's supposed to be a base/clear paint, your truck wouldn't have any shine to it. One coat of clear will be as shiny as three, it just won't last as long. If it's a single stage paint, then you can clear over it , but it isn't required. The single stage paint will still shine without a clear coat. Since there is some shine to your truck in spots, and you can rub paint onto a rag, I'm guessing that it was last painted with a single stage paint (yes I'm guessing that in 1992, it should have had a base/c;ear paint from the factory). The biggest issue that I know of with a single stage metallic is that the paint fades/oxidizes relatively quickly compared to a base/clear in exactly the same color. The reason is that there is less pigment in the paint since the metallic flakes take up a lot of the room the the pigment would use if the paint had no metallic in it. Silver is the worst at this, and, to me, you paint isn't that far off from silver. The solution for making a single stage metallic paint last is to clear over the paint. This is called a color coat/clear coat. After the paint is cured, you can then keep a good coat of non abrasive wax or a clear coat polish on it to farther protect your paint from the sun. If your paint was put on thick enough, and enough is left on your truck, then you should be able to get away with wet sanding and polishing your paint. Since it's oxidized enough to be dull and you can rub paint off onto a rag, I'm going to guess that there's not enough paint left for this to work and you'll end up sanding through the paint. Of course that means a repaint. I could be wrong since my training in auto body ended in 1991 and I haven't ever done it for a living. The wet sand/polish is sure worth a try.

thanks so much for this! after talking to some auto detail experts i'm going to begin with a compound and polish with a DA polisher and a few other sealent products that generate a glossier look as to protect the paint. I'll see how much shine that results in and if its lackluster i'll consider wet sanding. but yeah i am a little skeered of sanding through to the metal. well see tho

 

[92LongBed]

IDI is right.

the best thing you can do aside from stripping and repainting is take
-3000 grit wet/dry sandpaper
Sand lightly with glass cleaner or water, until it seems (when dry) like its hazy
- compound, careful not to burn the paint. Ensure all the scratches are gone.
- polish, again careful not to burn it. Let it in the sun and watch for dieback (dyback?). Swirls and a alight color change indicate not enough polish.
- ultrafine polish if it looks good. Of its gonna be shiny it will by this point.

couple of footnotes; make sure to clean in between each step. Fresh rag and glass cleaner.
Letting it sit in the sun will show any flaws or issues you have after polishing it. Give it a day or so fyi.

Should it not be shiny, well thats a single stage paint OR no clear was added/done improperly.


Eventually, ill be doing a thread on repainting and what works and looks OK. Granted itll be my subaru because if I screw up or I don’t like the paint I don’t want to be redoing the truck with that product.


If you need further painting help, let me know and if I can’t answer it, either of the painters at work should be able to. I am a body tech so painting more of a hobby than anything.

sweeeet. Yeah i'm gearing up for the polishing process with a compound and polish/sealant. I just picked up a DA Polisher and have watched about a thousand hours of auto detailing videos so we'll see how it turns out. If i have anymore questions i'll reach out. I appreciate your help

 

[IDIBRONCO]

thanks so much for this! after talking to some auto detail experts i'm going to begin with a compound and polish with a DA polisher and a few other sealent products that generate a glossier look as to protect the paint. I'll see how much shine that results in and if its lackluster i'll consider wet sanding. but yeah i am a little skeered of sanding through to the metal. well see tho

You're welcome. Since nobody told me that I was wrong, I guess that I haven't forgotten everything that I learned when I went to school for Auto Body 29+ years ago. It took quite a bit of digging to pull all of this up from where it was buried.

 

[Hobbywelder]

thanks so much for this! after talking to some auto detail experts i'm going to begin with a compound and polish with a DA polisher and a few other sealent products that generate a glossier look as to protect the paint. I'll see how much shine that results in and if its lackluster i'll consider wet sanding. but yeah i am a little skeered of sanding through to the metal. well see tho

Its better to be a little timid than gung ho for polish work. Spray wax does help with the shine without question.

3000 will take a bit of effort to even burn through clear (unless its modern standards for corporate....).

If after buffing it isn’t shiny, you have 3 options.
1: leave it alone
2: try to clear it and hope the base coat was applied right
3: strip and redo from ground zero.

 

[Hobbywelder]

You're welcome. Since nobody told me that I was wrong, I guess that I haven't forgotten everything that I learned when I went to school for Auto Body 29+ years ago. It took quite a bit of digging to pull all of this up from where it was buried.

Nothing much has really changed. The basic process is the same.

tools, techniques, procedures have all been advanced. Standards have tightened.

pay hasn’t changed really. Hours are harder to come by because insurance has found way to cut us at the knees.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Well I also happen to have three friends in the auto body business. One has owned his own shop for over five years. I actually went to tech school with two of them. I've seen first hand how those two do work. The third, I've seen pictures and he does every bit as good as the other two. Extracurricular activities aside.

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