Possible to get a CLEARCOAT ONLY paintjob?

[fixizin]

I was thinkin' (Danger Will Robinson, DANGER!), why wait for your paint to get to the usual nasty stage before getting a re-paint?

Why not get a pre-emptive CLEARCOAT ONLY job, at year 5 or 6 (depending on conditions, covered parking, etc.)?

It would take a lot less prep/sanding... heck, wouldn't even have to be that thorough/accurate with the masking, eh? So what if a little clear gets on the tail light lens, right?

That's my proposal, now shoot me down... lol.

 

[Black'03LevelII]

it can be done yes, however when I had a previous cars door panel touched up they"oversprayed" some clear on my mirror and it was noticeable. not sure about a tail light lense though.

 

[Loanranger]

The problem with that is all the imperfections you are going to be trapping under the clear. Rock chips, deep scratches, even road tar stains..

 

[ejholmgren]

it's a ranger ... not a Ferrari

 

[fixizin]

The problem with that is all the imperfections you are going to be trapping under the clear. Rock chips, deep scratches, even road tar stains..

Excellent point. Makes me wanna go one step cheaper, and just re-clear the upward facing surfaces that get sun-damaged.

 

[krugford]

What kind of paint is on there now? I've never had a problem with noticeable paint fade on a clear coated vehicle. Are you talking about the paint getting dull? A good buff job/claybar will work wonders once a year or so.

 

[ZMan]

Cars these days don't typically have a problem with peeling clear because the technology is way better now than it was 20 years ago when they started switching to urethanes.

And yes a little overspray is going to be noticable, plus anywhere that isn't scuffed properly will peel eventually.

If you really want to prevent your paint from peeling, take proper care of it, wash it regulary, wax it, etc. Or go the extra step and have it completely stripped and repainted every 5 years, heh.

 

[4x4junkie]

The sun plays hell with it no matter what you do (at least here in the dry southwest).

I took meticulous care of mine waxing and what not (never garaged though) and it lasted 8 years before the factory paint started flaking on the hood (you can just start to see the whitish area beginning to show in this pic

That pic was from about 5 years ago, the whole hood pretty much looks like crap now, and the roof has started to go on it as well (at this point I've kinda just let it go). As far as I know, Ford didn't use a clearcoat on 1994 "Raven Black" trucks.

I would guess this is beyond where a clearcoat job could restore it, no?

 

[fixizin]

it's a ranger ... not a Ferrari

True, but for zee eyes of zee wymins, it's better to have a Ferrari paint job than spray can camo... lol... though not NEARLY as good as having a FERRARI w/ a Ferrari paint job!

 

[fixizin]

What kind of paint is on there now? I've never had a problem with noticeable paint fade on a clear coated vehicle. Are you talking about the paint getting dull? A good buff job/claybar will work wonders once a year or so.

Well there's Iowa sun and then there's So-Fla, a stone's throw from the Tropic of Cancer... like right now is the summer solstice, and at solar noon there's NO shadows--that big ray gun is straight overhead! Hide the white people, LOL!

But as for waxing, yeah, kinda let it go after a) the matching black plastic grille started flaking; b) got a bit sand-blasted on one end in Hurricane Wilma.

Actually, the factory paint may come back with the right clay bar/buffing/compounding/whatever combo, but the Gemtop decklid is looking MUCH worse... very disappointing... it was a perfect match for many years, but now it's definitely aging faster than the rest of the truck. But if I got just the lid painted...? What are the odds it would look TOO good?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

As far as I know, Ford didn't use a clearcoat on 1994 "Raven Black" trucks.

my '93 is definitely clear coat....its black, dunno if its "raven black"

i have to keep a healthy layer of wax on it to keep it from turning gray. the truck spent the first 10 years or so of its life in texas.

 

[ZMan]

The sun plays hell with it no matter what you do (at least here in the dry southwest).

I took meticulous care of mine waxing and what not (never garaged though) and it lasted 8 years before the factory paint started flaking on the hood (you can just start to see the whitish area beginning to show in this pic

That pic was from about 5 years ago, the whole hood pretty much looks like crap now, and the roof has started to go on it as well (at this point I've kinda just let it go). As far as I know, Ford didn't use a clearcoat on 1994 "Raven Black" trucks.

I would guess this is beyond where a clearcoat job could restore it, no?

if you have clearcoat peeling on your hood...then your paintjob is definately a base/clear job..

 

[4x4junkie]

Hmmm... I guess it could be clear... it seems to be more like a flaky powder than the peeling clear like on my BII though. Strange that Ford didn't identify it as a "clearcoat" in the brochures
(only the metallics were marked as clearcoated (things like "Dark Green Metallic Clearcoat", etc.)

 

[koda6966]

Jeez, when I first opened this I thought you were talking about clear coating bare sheet metal. Now THAT would be nice.

 

[krugford]

I vote for clear coated prepreg carbon fiber...mmmmm carbon.