What to do with crappy paint job

[stomper]

So I got this little truck. First time I purchased a vehicle without seeing it in person. It looked great in the photos but the repaint had terrible prep work. Honestly it looks like it was sanded with a single rock. The body has ZERO rust and it's just got a few dings in it. I really wish they had left it in the original cali desert sunbaked patina. Wondering what I can do do make it 'better' without spending much money.

Is it possible to remove the repaint chemically down to the original paint? I'm contemplating just sanding it to give it a patina look and leaving it like that.

[Matt Man]

Is it painted with single stage? It looks like you can possibly wet sand and polish it and it will look better.

[Loco83]

Originally Posted by matt man

is it painted with single stage? It looks like you can possibly wet sand and polish it and it will look better.

x2

[stomper]

Here's kind of a typical spot

[OARNGESI]

Fake patina never looks right take it to a professional detailer you can maybe wet sand and buff after that you’ll need a new paint job to fix bad prep work also remember bad paint jobs often hide a lot of problems

[mongocanfly]

Unless that paint is very thick it's unlikely you could ever sand it out...

[lownuff]

Just keep sanding it till the paint underneath comes through, will give you that patina look. I've done the fake patina to a couple cars.

[stomper]

Originally Posted by lownuff

Just keep sanding it till the paint underneath comes through, will give you that patina look. I've done the fake patina to a couple cars.

What would be your recommended technique? I'm guessing a long board and what grit?

[rideair]

Looks like the prep work stopped at 60-grit.

First go to your local "MAACO" and see of they will spray the truck for you if you do all the prep work, but let them know you plan to wet sand/buff when they are finished. Then, I'd sand the truck myself down to at least 400 grit, maybe more 600-800 (do a really good job). Do a good job of masking tape off the truck (pull the bumpers, grill, side markers, etc...) and get the MAACO single stage paint job for a couple hundred bucks. When you get the truck back, wet sand/buff the truck and you will be happy for less than $500.00 and a couple days work.

What many folks don't know, MAACO often will have the best paint booth in town and a guy that's good laying down the paint, leaving little to no dirt and runs in the paint. I know a guy that's been doing the above for years, and you would think it's a $5,000 paint job or more most of the time when the vehicles are done.

I did the above, even supplied the paint (wanted PPG) and my 86 Crewcab turned out great.

Just a thought,

[stomper]

Originally Posted by rideair

Looks like the prep work stopped at 60-grit.

First go to your local "MAACO" and see of they will spray the truck for you if you do all the prep work, but let them know you plan to wet sand/buff when they are finished. Then, I'd sand the truck myself down to at least 400 grit, maybe more 600-800 (do a really good job). Do a good job of masking tape off the truck (pull the bumpers, grill, side markers, etc...) and get the MAACO single stage paint job for a couple hundred bucks. When you get the truck back, wet sand/buff the truck and you will be happy for less than $500.00 and a couple days work.

What many folks don't know, MAACO often will have the best paint booth in town and a guy that's good laying down the paint, leaving little to no dirt and runs in the paint. I know a guy that's been doing the above for years, and you would think it's a $5,000 paint job or more most of the time when the vehicles are done.

I did the above, even supplied the paint (wanted PPG) and my 86 Crewcab turned out great.

Just a thought,

That's a solid idea! The sheetmetal is nice on this one. It deserves more care on the prep than it got. I guess I could do the 4/6/800 grit and see what it looks like. If I don't like it, go ahead and take it to Maaco.

[rideair]

Yep, they have two "cheap" levels. What you might find is, you can get Preferred Service at the Basic level since you are doing all the prep work!!

"Basic Paint Service" We apply a single-stage enamel paint to refresh your vehicle's appearance. Our Basic Service offers a one-year warranty, and gives your car an attractive gloss and accurate color match.

And the:

Preferred Paint Service Looking for greater durability, but need to stay at an affordable price? Our Preferred Service is your best bet and comes with a three-year warranty. This single-stage application uses urethane, which resists chipping and is much more resilient than enamel finishes

[lownuff]

Originally Posted by stomper

What would be your recommended technique? I'm guessing a long board and what grit?

I actually just wetsanded with like 320. It's not fast but lets you control where and how much "patina" you want.

[OARNGESI]

There is also a paint section on this sight you should post there

[DieselSJ]

Have it wrapped.

[Dead Parrot]

If you can, find out from the PO what kind of paint was used. Might get lucky and there is a solvent that will strip the new paint without also removing the old.

Treat this as a poorly done primer coat and proceed to apply your final coat after a better prep job.

Can always try to acquire a taste for textured reddish brown.

Still looks like a nice truck, even with the sub-optimal paint job.

[stomper]

Yea the pix really fooled me. It's got the NP440 trans and it rides and runs really nice so I still like it.

[stomper]

Thanks for all your replies!

Admin please move to the 'Paint and Body' forum?

[Wikid61]

An experienced man could knock down that stuff w/a DA-400 Grit to start, then 600# & 1000# where its flatter. LOTS of water. This finish will be a neat beater at best. A cheap redo by those express shops will result in a step up from the 1st option. You could save up and shop for a really good shop for later, and salvage this current paint.

[Wikid61]

https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/c...808063120.html

[stomper]

Originally Posted by Wikid61

https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/c...808063120.html

Yea if it doesn't sell I'm going to have to do some sanding.