overspray on my truck

[BlaineM]

There is whitish overspray on the exterior of the bed of my truck. There is also what appears to be the remains of a puddle of the same color paint on the bed liner near the tailgate. My guess is that the PO had a rattle can accident. I don't know what kind of paint it is, so I don't know what solvent would remove it without destroying my paint job. The overspray will scrape off with my thumbnail. ......... But there is so much of it. Any suggestions for a safe and efficient removal?

 

[krugford]

If it's spray paint, regular laquer thinner will take it off along with any wax that was there too... If it's light overspray, a clay bar will take it off with no problem. Then just buff it and wax it and you're good as new.

 

[projectnitemare]

If it scratches off with your finger nail then it will be easy to get off. Look in a Jegs catalog or online for plastic razor blades. They fit in any flat blade holder. As for the bedliner, a splash of thinner will do the trick.

Matt

 

[rickcdewitt]

use tar remover and then a light polish to restore the shine.i don't recommend thinner on the paint.

 

[schroader]

use tar remover and then a light polish to restore the shine.i don't recommend thinner on the paint.

Im with you, thinner takes off clear coat to.

 

[ZMan]

Im with you, thinner takes off clear coat to.

no it doesn't

Just use lacquer thinner on it you'll be perfectly fine. The only reason to be scared of lacquer thinner is if you have a lacquer or enamel paintjob..any Ford newer than the mid 80s is gonna be safe.

 

[Black'03LevelII]

with ZMan on that one, the newer trucks for the most part use a powder coat that is baked on. I just took the sticky crap (from dealer stickers) off with the same stuff (out of lighter fluid right now) washed it off and washed the rest of the truck while I was at it, never know I used the thinner, waxed her up and man did she shine!!

 

[rickcdewitt]

any Ford newer than the mid 80s is gonna be safe.

i woulden't assume that its all original paint and even if it is urethane i woulden't want to rub laquer thinner on a blend.you should go to a paint supply store or even napa and buy something mild from them.theres no way to know how stable that paint is beforehand,and you don't want to find out!at the bodyshop i work at we almost NEVER use laquer thinner on paint unless it doesn't matter if it wrinkles up or peels(like a resto thats getting totally stripped and i want to get old undercoat and tar off it before sanding).

 

[ZMan]

i woulden't assume that its all original paint and even if it is urethane i woulden't want to rub laquer thinner on a blend.you should go to a paint supply store or even napa and buy something mild from them.theres no way to know how stable that paint is beforehand,and you don't want to find out!at the bodyshop i work at we almost NEVER use laquer thinner on paint unless it doesn't matter if it wrinkles up or peels(like a resto thats getting totally stripped and i want to get old undercoat and tar off it before sanding).

How many times do you come across cars that have a hack blend on them? I find it very unlikely that the OP is gonna have one on his bedside. Insurance companies pay for full clear on cars now-a-days, and body shops like to keep fawkups to a minimum. And if it isn't original paint, why kind of hack bodyshop WOULDN'T use urethane??

Lets do a little experiment.
got a little bit of lacquer thinner..

put a bit on a rag..

ahh, my old bed, complete with 4 month old baked on rattlecan overspray.

gotta let it sit on there...this overspray is a little excessive.

took a little elbow grease, but for the most part it was taking it off without damaging the paint underneath...and this is even cheap Omni paint, but still urethane.

 

[rickcdewitt]

since you don't seem to understand i'll put it like this.why not use the weakest solvent on the exterior paint that works? especially if you don't know its history and want it around for the long run? paint goes away fast enough without dumping shit like gas or laquer thinner on it.between the sun and stuff like solvents its enough to make the difference after a few years.end of story

 

[ZMan]

since you don't seem to understand i'll put it like this.why not use the weakest solvent on the exterior paint that works? especially if you don't know its history and want it around for the long run? paint goes away fast enough without dumping shit like gas or laquer thinner on it.between the sun and stuff like solvents its enough to make the difference after a few years.end of story

Ok, so what solvent would you suggest? Can't say I know of anything "weaker" that isn't designed for an entirely different purpose (wax and grease remover, adhesive remover). I worked for a paint supplier for a while, and now I AM a painter and I honestly can't say I know of anything. If the OP is really paranoid about it, just get a claybar.

 

[BlaineM]

Thanks for all the suggestions on this topic. The truck is a 97 and I'm pretty sure the paint on the bed is factory (I'm the second owner). The overspray is not a continuous layer. It is a series of pin head size specks. On closer examination, the overspray involves most of one side of the truck (including side windows) and most of the roof. I am not convinced it is rattle can paint. It comes off with my thumbnail so it may even be house paint. I will probably try a light rubbing with laquer thinner (on the glass first). What is a claybar?

 

[Black'03LevelII]

a claybar is used to removed stubburn stupid stuff (e.g. paint speckles, tree sap, tar.) and can be found just about anywhere that sells car shampoos and wax. such as wally world and auto parts stores.

 

[BlaineM]

I just did a trial wipe with laquer thinner. The overspray is coming off with little effort and not effecting the paint underneath. Success!