Paint Issue

[ttora4runner]

How would you go about fixing this so it doesn't progress any further and rust. I don't have the $$ to have a body shop fix it and I'm looking to fix so it won't rust.

I guess a better question would be how would I fix this with limited funds? Sand and primer? If so how and what type of primer and sand paper? Would primer surfice to keep it from rusting and progressing?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v681/tbox/IMG_0251.jpg

[CJM]

Sand it down, primer and paint it the closest color you can get. If you look on google you can find this site which sells spraycans of our paint for a decent price. I dont recall the name but was gonna use the paint awhile ago myself.

[Bob98SR5]

ttora,

the good thing is that its at the top. also, since the hatch's top ends curve downwards, it will be easier to blend/feather the paint up top.

i bought oem matched spray paint from paintscratch.com. i highly recommend them. unfortunately for me, the previous owner of my benz did not see fit to use the oem color, so my spray painted panels do NOT match his non-oem paint >:| !!!

until andy (bamachem) chimes in with his more professional answer, here's what i would do:

1) dry sand down with 300 grit, and then wet sand with 600 grit. clean off with soap and water.

2) mask your entire truck with plastic tarp.

3) use a good grease/wax remover to get the area really clean. use a tack cloth to get off any bits of dust

4) use a good high build primer. I like SEM. follow the can's directions for time between coats. and always use light coats.

5) wet sand with a 1000 or 1200 grit

6) dry and clean up with a tack cloth

7) spray with your color matched paint. i highly recommend you practice a few times on the wall or something to get the feel

8) after it has dried overnight in your garage or other relatively dust free area, clear coat it. don't wax over clear coat. allow it to dry/cure

I'm sure andy will chime in, but this is the way i learned how to do it following paintscratch.com's instructions

[Bob98SR5]

oh, use painter's blue tape or orange to mask off the 3rd brake light. it migt be worth your while to remove the wind deflector and mask off the mounts too. while youre at it, you should just redo the wind deflector too as i see that its flaking at the top. semi-gloss black paint will do as that is the ideal color.

[ttora4runner]

Thanks, Bob.

I wish I was/had a dust free environment but I live in an apartment complex so the dust free thing isn't really possible. I'd be doing this in the early morning though.

[Bob98SR5]

best thing then is to hose off the area around your vehicle and outwards to keep the dust down to a minimum. if you see big dust bunnies on the paint, wet sand them with, say, 2000 grit. then repaint. but do NOT repaint your last coat of paint ever

[bamachem]

great advice so far - except that my opinion isn't "professional"... i have painted quite a few cars/trucks/panels, etc, but always my personal stuff or a friends, and usually just because i can do it myself and save a buck or three.

for that small of an area and outside, i'd only mask/cover anything within 5-10 feet or so at most. no need to cover any more than that. make sure to park it next to someone you don't like, since overspray can get on stuff around you depending on wind... :D

if you spray it early to mid-morning with little wind, then you should be fine. they paint should set up to a nice tack in 30-min or so. you can use a hair dryer to speed that up considerably if you can run a cord out to your truck. after it's dry for at least a few hours in the sun (UV cure), then you can spray the clear over the top and use the dryer to speed up the tack. make sure to let it dry overnight before trying any buffing or wet-sanding (with 1500 or 2000 grit).

make sure to order the color-match stuff in a can. dupli-color has worked well for me on other projects when only a small area is to be refinished.

best of luck! make sure to post your results.

[ttora4runner]

you could leave it for a few years without rusting. it is galvanized so it will take time or something scratching through it. personally, if i didnt have the funds to do a proper fix i would just leave it till i could afford it. besides any half assed "fix" will just make it harder to fix later. and sanding will expose or scratch through the zinc. then when it rusts you pay a ton for a new lift gate skin.

just my:2cents:


What do you guys think of this comment made on another forum?

[MTL_4runner]

you could leave it for a few years without rusting. it is galvanized so it will take time or something scratching through it. personally, if i didnt have the funds to do a proper fix i would just leave it till i could afford it. besides any half assed "fix" will just make it harder to fix later. and sanding will expose or scratch through the zinc. then when it rusts you pay a ton for a new lift gate skin.

just my:2cents:


What do you guys think of this comment made on another forum?




If the elements have eaten into the protection that far, it won't be much time before you'll begin eating past any galvanzed or zinc layers covering the sheetmetal. I'd just sand it to accept etching primer and at least shoot the area with a base coat and clearcoat to protect it until it could be done entirely to satisfaction. Many paint places will even mix a true 2 part auto paint into a spray can for you so it is possible to get decent results in a parking lot too.

[bamachem]

galvanized? zinc plated? first time i've ever heard that. looks to be mild steel, probably etched with an acid, then shot with primer for bare metal, then color and clear.

BTW: I can't tell what color that is in the pics, but for Toyota, Some Reds, Black and White DO NOT have clear coats. ONLY the metallic colors have clear coats.

[ttora4runner]

Went to a local auto paint shop today to pickup some self etching primer for some other repair work and they quote me $25 for a pint of paint then $7 or so dollars for the spray cans/bottles.

Does that sound about right for the price?

One pint makes about 3 cans.

[CJM]

Yea, it aint cheap at all tbh. Well worth it using it if its going the truck. Cheap paints ok for things like bumpers and sliders, but you want good paint on the truck.