Guys/Gals: I need your paint restoration advice!

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cruiser

cruiser

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Hello all. I'm thinking of restoring the original engine compartment paint in my 1974 Duster. My car was repainted in its original color (JY9 Tahitian Gold Metallic) in 1988. The repaint still looks very good, but when they sprayed the car, a lot of paint overspray misted into the engine compartment. So the inner fenders are now covered in a dull looking coat of misted overspray that conceals the virgin original factory paint underneath. I've been told that by carefully hand sanding this stuff away with very fine sandpaper, that you could get rid of the overspray and reveal/restore the original factory engine compartment paint. Is this true? have you ever done this? What kind of sandpaper did you use? How did you polish up the original paint once it was revealed? Any and all ideas are welcome. Thanks!
 
Try a claybar detail bar, it will remove some overspray to reveal the original paint, I'd be tempted to try painter hand cleaner also. The hand cleaner has a mild solvent in it and might aid in polishing off the overspray. But I think your going to need a little paint to blend the heavy overspray.
 
Heck, I've wiped overspray off with a rag soaked with gas. If it's more than that will remove, it's really more than overspray. Of course if you do that, you need a bucket of Dawn and water close by to wipe the gas off the freshly exposed paint. I've told people about that trick before and they look at me like I'm crazy. But I can tell you from experience, more body shops use that trick than you know.

Now, it will remove everything if the overspray isn't real bad.....including any wax coating that may have been on the original paint.....I doubt seriously though there was wax on the paint in the engine compartment.

What I would do if test it on an inconspicuous spot that has some heavy overspray on it and see what kind of results you get. If the gas won't wipe it off, the sandpaper might be your next option.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Heck, I've wiped overspray off with a rag soaked with gas. If it's more than that will remove, it's really more than overspray. Of course if you do that, you need a bucket of Dawn and water close by to wipe the gas off the freshly exposed paint. I've told people about that trick before and they look at me like I'm crazy. But I can tell you from experience, more body shops use that trick than you know.

Now, it will remove everything if the overspray isn't real bad.....including any wax coating that may have been on the original paint.....I doubt seriously though there was wax on the paint in the engine compartment.

What I would do if test it on an inconspicuous spot that has some heavy overspray on it and see what kind of results you get. If the gas won't wipe it off, the sandpaper might be your next option.
Click to expand...
What grit sandpaper would you use? I'm assuming wet sanding.
 
cruiser said:
What grit sandpaper would you use? I'm assuming wet sanding.
Click to expand...

Without actually looking at it in person, that's a tough call. You might try the clay bar. I like the gas idea simply because it's way less aggressive, especially if you're prepared with the soap ant water and just do a small section at a time. If you're just dying to get the sandpaper out, I would start with something really fine, like perhaps 1500.
 
I don't think you want to sand single stage metallic paint.
 
I'd use an ultra fine scotch bright pad with reducer.
 
better yet the finest steel wool available
 
Carb cleaner, denatured alcohol, green scotch brite pad, oven cleaner then remove within few minutes maybe 10..spot test these all work well
 
Get you a mini buffer, like a 3”. You can get them pretty cheap at harbor freight and some medium cut compound. Not only will it cut the over spray but it will also shine up your engine compartment. Just make sure you mask off your engine because it will sling compound all over the place.
 
I've used lacquer thinner. Wet cloth in one hand give it a quick rub to remove overspray and quickly wipe dry. Should cut through it before hurting the original paint. I've removed spray bomb paint on a side of a car (vandalizism) by doing this without having to paint .I did buff polish and wax after . Test a small spot 1st and stay away from your good paint. Not for the faint of heart.
 
Many thanks to all who responded. Those are all great ideas. I'll get to work and let you know how it turns out!
 
I bought a black car that had a coat of over spray over the entire thing. I didn't even notice it until I did some heavy polishing. I eventually cut the over spray with a fine polishing compound. It took me some time but it looked fantastic once completed.
 
PS: Check out my updated post regarding a successful process that I just used to do the job. It's entitled "Success! Here's what worked for my engine compartment paint restoration".
 
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