Paint touch up

Driftwood · 09-16-03, 04:11 PM

My Monza Red 69 has a few chips in the paint that show the white underneath, which stands out like a sore thumb. Is there some kind of red paint touch up that I can do without making it look worse?

Thanks for any info,
Andy

Driftwood · 09-16-03, 04:24 PM

My car is no show car-- I guess I'll try the touchup paint you mentioned at the auto parts store and see how it looks. Anything to darken the white spot would be an improvement.

Thanks.

Driftwood · 09-16-03, 04:33 PM

I'm not familiar with colored wax-- is it permanent like a paint or is it just a wax that wears off over time?

red70vette · 09-16-03, 05:41 PM

If you are going to do it do it right. Go to a body shop supply company and give them the GM paint code from the trim tag or other information. I had a pint of Monza red made up for my 70 in about 10 minutes and it cost me $15.00. I use it for chips and touch ups and with some care and patience you can hardly tell where it is touched up. Plus I have enough touch up paint to last years.

Auto parts stores only carry touch up paints that go back 10-15 years. I have never seen Monza red or anything even close.

When applying paint use lacquer thinner and remove all wax and contaminents. Use a small brush or a toothpick and apply a drop that sticks up above the edge. When it dries wet sand it smooth and you wont even know where it was repaired. Check some web sites doing a goggle search for touch up paint for more ideas and techniques.

It is not that hard to do it right. Just take your time and be patient.

It is not t

Driftwood · 09-16-03, 06:49 PM

Great info. I guess I didn't realize I would be able to get matching paint using the GM color code. I will definitely go that route. Can you do something similar to scratches, cracks, etc. or would that be harder to blend in than just a small chip? I have a 4 inch long crack on my hood I'd love to make less conspicuous.

I suppose I can start with a small chip in an inconspicuous location, see how well it blends in, and then go from there.

Thanks for the info.

red70vette · 09-16-03, 08:12 PM

Try this website for more details. Paint can be made at any good body shop supply store with the paint code or a sample of the paint. They also sell hand spray bottles that may work on your crack. REMEMBER SURFACE PREPARATION IS MORE THAN HALF THE BATTLE.

http://www.web-cars.com/detail/touchup.php

JonM · 09-16-03, 11:04 PM

Here are a couple more sites

http://www.langka.com/

http://www.paintscratch.com/

http://www.touchupautopaints.com/

Driftwood · 09-17-03, 12:12 AM

Thanks again for all the info. I looked at the links. Do you guys recommend just the single coat paint for touchups, or the base and clear coat? From the info, it sounds like the single coat is adequate for older paint jobs.

80vette_ca · 09-17-03, 12:32 AM

spend the extra time and do it right, do the color coat and polish it out smooth and then do some clear over it and polish the clear. The only problem with the clear coat is it should be sprayed on for best results. Buy yourself a small airbrush and get the paint mixed up and you can put the paint in the airbrush and then spray over that crack. I wouldn't recommend it because it would be very hard to match the new paint with the old paint, strip it all off the hood and re paint it yourself, why not have some fun and you could get some really good results, and then it's done to your standards not the paint shop standards.

714Speed · 09-17-03, 08:52 AM

What you need is not that gummy touch up paint that dealers and shops sell. That stuff is like Elmer's Glue or something. The only way to make it look good is go to the Advance or Auto Zone and buy spray paint in a can. There are many shades of red, and one of them will be a dead match, guaranteed. You may have to buy a couple of cans before you get the right match, but will be well worth it.
What you want to do is spray the paint directly into the cap, it doesn't take much either. Then get a nice paint brush with very fine bristles and go touching up. The thin viscosity of the spray paint allows you to put multiple coats and be very precise. The spray paint in the cap method is used by the best car jockeys and is a trade secret that nobody knows about. Try it, you will be amazed. It takes patience but the results will be phenomenal. I've taken cars that look desperate and spent hours with a paint brush and spray paint in a cap and changed desperate to near show quality paint.

44 Mag · 09-17-03, 09:57 AM

Driftwood
Try these guys for your touchup paint..
www.paintscratch.com.
They have touchup pens that exactly match your '69. I bought my paint from those guys and it matched PERFECT.

As for the post above where they got a pint of paint for $15. I paint cars, and I'd like to know where you can get auto paint for $15 a pint. Seems unreasonably cheap to me.

Driftwood · 09-17-03, 02:19 PM

I think I'll go with a touchup paint pen from paintscratch.com for my chips. When the weather gets too cold to drive, I'd like to also take off the piece (I don't know what you call it) that flips up when you put the top up and down. It has deep grooves in it and also someone drilled a hole in the middle of it at some point-- for what I have no idea. I'd like to strip the paint, smooth out the grooves, fill in the hole, and then repaint it.

What is the best material/approach for doing body work on fiberglass? Or any useful links? Thanks.