bit of bodywork.

[gwaii]

i have a couple of small body jobs to take care of,figured i would document them to show what's involved.this one is a jeep liberty for a rental agency here.it has some issues with the finish on the bumper/grille,and a dented door/front fender on the passenger side from the door being forced open too far.

the bumper looks just dirty in this pic,but it has deep pits in the clearcoat.i think i can get away with just re-clearing it,but i won't know for sure until i prep it.

 

[gwaii]

some of the door damage.most didn't show too well in the pic,but it goes to near the bottom on the door and fender.

 

[gwaii]

damaged area after hammering out the dents,and stripping/prepping the surface.

 

[gribly]

You do a little bit of everything...

 

[gwaii]

here,you have to.there's not enough of any one trade to keep a guy busy.

my first application of filler.remember,filler is not a replacement for workmanship.you need to get the metal as close to it's original position as possible.filler should not be more than 1/8" thick,it's just there to take up minor imperfections.

 

[gwaii]

bumper and grille removed for prep.

 

[gwaii]

two applications of filler(sanding between)did the trick.i sand with 80 grit at this point,then use 220 to blend the repair area further into the good paint.then i mask for primer.

 

[gwaii]

always use quality materials-it makes a difference.the filler i use is 3m gold,primers and paints dupont or ppg.

 

[gwaii]

spraying the primer.the gun i use is an ancient(7years old)devilbiss finishline that really needs to be replaced-mostly because i can't get parts for it anymore.still works good,though.now,while the primer is drying,i have to run out to fix one of my regular boat customer's f350 super duty....seems they put it into low range,and the shift motor quit-now they can't get back into high range.

 

[gwaii]

well,the shift motor problem was an easy fix....he didn't know he needed to be in neutral for it to shift from low to high.back to the job at hand.

after sanding out the bumper with 400 i could see that i would need to redo the basecoat as well as the clear.still waiting a bit longer for the primer to set on the other part.

 

[gwaii]

the primer sanded,and ready to mask for basecoat.at this point,sanding should always be done with a block.this is the stage that will determine what the finish looks like.block out the primer with 220 until it's flat and the contours look good.careful not to sand the corners off.once you are happy with it,palm sand with 400 to get the scratches out.220 scratches will show through.then,determine where the blend line on the clear will be and sand well past that with 1500.you will see why later.

 

[gwaii]

masked,sanded,ready for paint.

 

[gwaii]

basecoat.....mix 1:1 with basemaker reducer.not a big fan of chrysler,but they have some nice colors.too many blues,though.i have about a dosen chrysler blues in stock,but every new job needs a different one.

 

[gwaii]

basecoat sprayed.might put one more coat on before clear,as this paint is very transparent and i don't want the primer to show through.

 

[mentalbreakdown00]

That's the most professional looking tire covering I may have ever seen. Looks like one of mine. I do not know how you do body work, I never got the catch of it, can do anything mechanical or electrical, but body.... nope.