Ok I started grinding and now help

gdizzle said
Update: I spent some more time today going after it. So I am finding that I can sand through top grey paint, into the Red paint which is a cool wornout look. However in some sections there was some previous damage. so what am I looking at here?
My main question, can I clear coat directly over metal? directly over old bondo? directly over new bondo? Directly over treated rust?
This is a dent on the roof, near the drip edge. Looks like metal, brown, green, black, pink bondo, dark brown,yellow, green, red, grey.
Funny cause the color code on this car is supposed to be metallic silver which I cant find anywhere.View attachment 1715184182

No, you can’t clear coat over bare metal. Not if you want it to last very long at any rate. Same for bondo, same for treated rust, etc. Clear coat is made to adhere to paint, paint is made to adhere to primer. Sure, you can clear over that stuff if you want, but it won’t stick very well. That will cause imperfections in the clear, and a short lifespan because of poor adhesion.

In addition, clear coat is not a sealer. Sealer primers help protect the metal and keep rust out. Clear won’t do that as well. So, not only will the clear coat fail, it won’t protect the metal as well.