ok so i got the paint color from the dealer for my truck, and i want to paint the drivers side door, because the previous owner spray painted a section with you can see in pic.

Now i want it to look as close to the factory paint as i can. Now should it go like this>


-coats of primer
-coats of the paint
-coats of clearcoat


an i know i have to sand it down.

 

Yea, that's about right but you are forgetting a few things.

1. You'll need to sand off the gloss finish on the door.
2. Go to your parts store and ask for a couple of bags of TAC cloth It's a glue coated gauze that will pick up all the little particles that you are going to be leaving on the door.
3. Sand the primer a little bit to keep orange peel to a minimum. ~600 grit is what I use.
4. Lay down your color, but only in very very light mists each coat about 15 minutes a part.
5. Once you get the color down, I would let it set and cure for a few days. don't look at it every day. Come back out on the 3rd day and check for orange peeling on the finish. If there is, lightly sand the paint with 600 grit and wipe with tac cloth.
6. Then put your clear on.

Also, remember, make sure the day you paint, it's about 70 degrees out side, and the lower the humidity the better. If you are doing this in your garage, then take a water soaked mop before hand and wet the concrete down to keep dust from flying when you move around with your feet.

 

i cant wash it for a while either right?


and thank very much for the input.

 

Yea, 30 days no wash and preferably no rain driving.

 

Why are you using primer?

Do not bring the color coat to the edge of the panel... it will most likely not be a perfect match.

 

so no primer? does the clear coat give it the "base", so to speak, that primer does?

 

Primer is used over a repair. If you are just fixing a bad color match, then you should be ok without primer.

Start in the middle and blend/fog out the circle area with the base color. (hope that makes sense)

The clear will give it gloss and UV protection.



Are you using a automotive grade base coat/ 2K clear system?

 

like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAPb3o4IXKY

 

I'm going to give my input based on several years working at a body shop...

If there are no dings and/or chips you are trying to fix at the same time, and all you are tying to do is match the color:

1) Sand down the entire area to be painted with 1000 grit sandpaper until all the gloss is gone (color coat cannot fill in scratches heavier than 1000 grit, so they will show back through if you use heavier sandpaper)

2) Use a paint prep cleaner and wipe down the entire area to be painted and the area to be taped (it will help the tape stick to clean that area).

3) Tape up the adjacent panels.

4) Reclean the area to be painted with the paint prep cleaner, and from here on out, wear gloves so you don't touch the panel with your bare hands. Wipe the area off with a tack cloth.

5) Spray the color coat a couple inches past the area that was miscolored, but don't go all the way to the edge.

6) Wait 15 minutes and repeat step 5, but feather it out a little bit further this time

7) Wait 15 minutes and spray the first coat of clear

8) Wait 20 minutes and spray the second coat of clear

Optional:

9) Wait 24 hours and sand the clear with 1000 grit sandpaper to get rid of any orange peeling and spray 1 more coat down

10) Wait 24 hours and sand the clear down with 1500 grit sandpaper to get rid of any remaining orange peeling and buff with fine grit rubbing compound and a high speed buffer. Then use swirl mark remover and buff it again with a low speed buffer. Then use a polishing compound (not wax).

You can and need to wash the truck immediately after step 10, or if you skip steps 9 and 10, wait 24-48 hours before you wash the truck. Dont wax it for a month or two.

 

ok so i only need to repaintthe bad section and a little more around, but clearcoat the whole thing. (aside from the bloch my paint is in great shape)