The Junkman Battles Another Keyed Paint Job

Junkman2008 · 11-13-2010, 02:47 PM

Hey boys and girls, I had the opportunity to go at another keyed paint job this week. As a lot of you already know, fixing paint is a passion for me and not something I do for money. So when the owner asked me what I wanted in return, I told him nothing but some pictures and food. He decided that was not good enough and bought me this setup:

It's the Samsung HT-BD1250 Blu-ray DVD player and 5.1 HD audio with wireless speaker setup. I have to say that this beats Outback Steakhouse since I didn't have anything to go with my new 46" LED wide screen I just bought. I also needed a Blu-ray player as I hadn't bought one yet!

On to the repair. This scratch was too deep in places to totally remove but in situations like this, you try and make the damage as least noticeable as possible. At first glance, you would not be able to see the fixed product. That's what you want to achieve with damage like this. Here's the damage and it was not pretty. The scratch went from the front fender to almost the rear quarter.

As you can see, this puppy was deep. I was going to have to start with 2000 grit paper for this scratch. This posed two problems. One, I cannot use the PC-7424XP to repair 2000 grit wet sanding damage (it is not powerful enough and would take forever). I would need to use my Flex 3401VRG polisher in this case. Two, this is a new Toyota, which is notorious for having some of the thinnest clear coat on the planet (the same with Nissan's). In a situation like this, you have got to use a paint thickness gauge that measures both base coat AND clear coat. I didn't have one handy and was going to opt out of trying to fix this but the owner insisted that I go at it, even after I warned him of the danger. That scratch was bothering him so bad that anything would be better in his mind. So, at it I went.

I started by claying the entire area as claying is the foundation of my shine. Another reason that I clayed the area is because the owner had used some Meguiar's ScratchX on the scratch in an attempt to repair the damage himself and I didn't want anything in that scratch that would affect my repair attempt. The only thing he managed to do was make the paint dull around the scratch. Once the area was clayed, I started with 2000 grit paper. When doing a repair like this where you are NOT going to be painting the car, you have got to know when to stop sanding. You do not necessarily totally remove the scratch. In most cases you won't, especially on clear coat that is as thin as it is on these cars.

After the 2000 grit, I followed it with the 2500 and then 3000 grit papers. Again, you have got to take into consideration that these papers are also going to remove clear coat so if you remove too much with the 2000 grit paper, you've screwed the pooch. That's why a paint thickness gauge is so important. At a body shop where they are going to paint the car anyway, a paint thickness gauge is a waste of time and not necessary. Here's some shots of the sanding process.

Once I completed wet sanding the damage, I broke out my Flex polisher, some Swirl and Haze Remover and a orange pad. After buffing all the damage away with that combination, I followed it with some Fine Machine Polish and a white pad. After that combination, these were the results that I was able to achieve.

So as you can see, I earned my keep and this is probably why the owner was so happy. Now I need to go setup my new gear and hear what it sounds like!

The Junkman

Kirkster · 11-13-2010, 03:18 PM

Nice Repair.... Almost can't see it at all...

CBRich · 11-13-2010, 03:18 PM

Very impressive.

Carbon_z · 11-14-2010, 08:43 PM

nice job. Excellent job considering repainting was avoided. I only see deep scratches below the door handle but figured they were deep enough where they couldnt be removed. Overall EXCELLENT JOB

Xan · 11-14-2010, 09:14 PM

Great work! Daring approach as well...

Have fun with the new toy, well deserved

Junkman2008 · 11-14-2010, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billet370

nice job. Excellent job considering repainting was avoided. I only see deep scratches below the door handle but figured they were deep enough where they couldnt be removed. Overall EXCELLENT JOB

You are exactly correct sir! Under the door was wicked deep. That is not coming out without painting but it is a lot less noticeable now.

atx370z · 11-14-2010, 09:43 PM

very nice... talk about confidence in your abilities to have the guts to bust out the sandpaper like that. Good job!

Carbon_z · 11-14-2010, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Junkman2008

You are exactly correct sir! Under the door was wicked deep. That is not coming out without painting but it is a lot less noticeable now.

On a side note--Saw one of your videos using the PC polisher, s&h removal, fine polish and wax...along with clay-bar, well funny story....my girlfriend found the video still up on my laptop and she doesn't know that I KNOW shes getting me the set for Christmas BWAHAHAH so im just waiting until the unwrapping occurs.

Junkman2008 · 11-14-2010, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billet370

On a side note--Saw one of your videos using the PC polisher, s&h removal, fine polish and wax...along with clay-bar, well funny story....my girlfriend found the video still up on my laptop and she doesn't know that I KNOW shes getting me the set for Christmas BWAHAHAH so im just waiting until the unwrapping occurs.

YOU DOG!

kenchan · 11-15-2010, 11:14 AM

good job!

most people wont even notice it.

Jeffblue · 11-15-2010, 11:36 AM

amazing work junkman

Junkman2008 · 11-15-2010, 12:25 PM

Thanks guys!

WShade · 11-15-2010, 01:50 PM

All I can say is wow! Impressive as usual.

ThoriumHotdog · 11-15-2010, 02:13 PM

I honestly wasn't expecting it to come out that nice. Fantastic work.

Seriously, people who key cars like that need to have their hand(s) chopped off.

Junkman2008 · 11-15-2010, 02:39 PM

I have got to agree with you.

11-13-2010, 02:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
Junkman2008 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 1,048 Drives: 2001 Corvette Coupe Rep Power: 10259	The Junkman Battles Another Keyed Paint Job Hey boys and girls, I had the opportunity to go at another keyed paint job this week. As a lot of you already know, fixing paint is a passion for me and not something I do for money. So when the owner asked me what I wanted in return, I told him nothing but some pictures and food. He decided that was not good enough and bought me this setup: It's the Samsung HT-BD1250 Blu-ray DVD player and 5.1 HD audio with wireless speaker setup. I have to say that this beats Outback Steakhouse since I didn't have anything to go with my new 46" LED wide screen I just bought. I also needed a Blu-ray player as I hadn't bought one yet! On to the repair. This scratch was too deep in places to totally remove but in situations like this, you try and make the damage as least noticeable as possible. At first glance, you would not be able to see the fixed product. That's what you want to achieve with damage like this. Here's the damage and it was not pretty. The scratch went from the front fender to almost the rear quarter. As you can see, this puppy was deep. I was going to have to start with 2000 grit paper for this scratch. This posed two problems. One, I cannot use the PC-7424XP to repair 2000 grit wet sanding damage (it is not powerful enough and would take forever). I would need to use my Flex 3401VRG polisher in this case. Two, this is a new Toyota, which is notorious for having some of the thinnest clear coat on the planet (the same with Nissan's). In a situation like this, you have got to use a paint thickness gauge that measures both base coat AND clear coat. I didn't have one handy and was going to opt out of trying to fix this but the owner insisted that I go at it, even after I warned him of the danger. That scratch was bothering him so bad that anything would be better in his mind. So, at it I went. I started by claying the entire area as claying is the foundation of my shine. Another reason that I clayed the area is because the owner had used some Meguiar's ScratchX on the scratch in an attempt to repair the damage himself and I didn't want anything in that scratch that would affect my repair attempt. The only thing he managed to do was make the paint dull around the scratch. Once the area was clayed, I started with 2000 grit paper. When doing a repair like this where you are NOT going to be painting the car, you have got to know when to stop sanding. You do not necessarily totally remove the scratch. In most cases you won't, especially on clear coat that is as thin as it is on these cars. After the 2000 grit, I followed it with the 2500 and then 3000 grit papers. Again, you have got to take into consideration that these papers are also going to remove clear coat so if you remove too much with the 2000 grit paper, you've screwed the pooch. That's why a paint thickness gauge is so important. At a body shop where they are going to paint the car anyway, a paint thickness gauge is a waste of time and not necessary. Here's some shots of the sanding process. Once I completed wet sanding the damage, I broke out my Flex polisher, some Swirl and Haze Remover and a orange pad. After buffing all the damage away with that combination, I followed it with some Fine Machine Polish and a white pad. After that combination, these were the results that I was able to achieve. So as you can see, I earned my keep and this is probably why the owner was so happy. Now I need to go setup my new gear and hear what it sounds like! The Junkman __________________ "Marines - Making the other guy die for his country for over 200 years." Last edited by Junkman2008; 11-13-2010 at 03:05 PM.

11-13-2010, 03:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
Kirkster A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Peoples Republic of MD Posts: 1,792 Drives: Roadster of DOOM Rep Power: 20	Nice Repair.... Almost can't see it at all... __________________ Powertrain Warranty voided on 5/14/2011 Mod List:GTM Supercharger,SmartTop module, Oil Cooler, GT-R Start button, Nismo Exhaust, BC Racing ER Coilovers, Backup Camara For eastwest:

11-14-2010, 08:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
Carbon_z A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 1,694 Drives: Carbon Fiber 370z Rep Power: 19	nice job. Excellent job considering repainting was avoided. I only see deep scratches below the door handle but figured they were deep enough where they couldnt be removed. Overall EXCELLENT JOB __________________ Full Carbon Fiber Nissan 370z "400zTT" Fully Built 4.0L Twin Turbo 1300hp, 1100whp. Follow me on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/carbonz.

11-14-2010, 09:14 PM	#5 (permalink)
Xan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: MA Posts:99999999999999 Posts: 3,301 Drives: 370Z 40th Aniversary Rep Power: 25	Great work! Daring approach as well... Have fun with the new toy, well deserved __________________

11-14-2010, 09:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
atx370z Track Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 637 Drives: 10 370Z T/S M6 Rep Power: 16	very nice... talk about confidence in your abilities to have the guts to bust out the sandpaper like that. Good job! __________________ Berk HFC & CBE, Stillen G3's, AMS Crank Pulley, JWT Flywheel, 4.08 Gears, UpRev, H&R Springs and 20mm Spacers, JDM Rear Fog, EVO-R Front Lip and CF Upper Cover, 305's

11-13-2010, 03:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
CBRich A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: SC Posts: 2,464 Drives: 370Z Rep Power: 544	Very impressive.

11-15-2010, 11:14 AM	#10 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	good job! most people wont even notice it.

11-15-2010, 11:36 AM	#11 (permalink)
Jeffblue A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: NY Age: 36 Posts: 9,192 Drives: Z32TT & 335xi Coupe Rep Power: 38	amazing work junkman

11-15-2010, 12:25 PM	#12 (permalink)
Junkman2008 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 1,048 Drives: 2001 Corvette Coupe Rep Power: 10259	Thanks guys! __________________ "Marines - Making the other guy die for his country for over 200 years."

11-15-2010, 01:50 PM	#13 (permalink)
WShade Track Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 765 Drives: 09 370Z T/S/N Rep Power: 188	All I can say is wow! Impressive as usual. __________________ Q50S Q60 RS400

11-15-2010, 02:13 PM	#14 (permalink)
ThoriumHotdog A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: TX Posts: 1,104 Drives: Turbo CRX si Rep Power: 17	I honestly wasn't expecting it to come out that nice. Fantastic work. Seriously, people who key cars like that need to have their hand(s) chopped off.

11-15-2010, 02:39 PM	#15 (permalink)
Junkman2008 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 1,048 Drives: 2001 Corvette Coupe Rep Power: 10259	I have got to agree with you. __________________ "Marines - Making the other guy die for his country for over 200 years."

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