K12144

I don't think this really needs to be in a generation-specific area, but I didn't see one for body work in the "general" section so I guess this will have to do (mods, feel free to move to somewhere more appropriate if there's a place).

Just got my new (to me) 2011, and I need to do some body work. It has a dent along the bottom from the previous owner, relatively recent. Not small-- about 6" wide and 2-3" tall, but since it's pretty fresh, there's almost no rust yet (and I'd like to keep it that way). A body shop isn't in the budget, and with the near lack of rust, I think I can maybe do this myself as I think (perhaps erroneously, lol?) that it will be pretty straightforward.

Here's the thing... reading online, it doesn't sound like this is going to be the weekend project I envisioned. I can work on it in evenings after work if need be as well, but I won't have much time after I get home before it gets dark this time of year. I live in an apartment; I don't even have a carport available to me, let alone a garage*. Between rust converter, several coats of primer, painting, and clearcoat, I assume I'm talking a couple hours of dry time for each step? Especially since, well, it's fall in Michigan with the temperature to match (I'm so excited to be outside all day freezing my rear off). (Another worry is that one article said the touch-up paint shouldn't be used in temps under 50 degrees because it won't work correctly. Well, I can't help that; against my will I live in a frozen-wasteland hellhole and it is what it is. The work needs to be done now because waiting until spring and warm weather will create a huge rusty mess where right now I have a minor issue. Weather right now gets into low-to-mid 50s during the day, but it could be much colder within a matter of days, so I can't count on above-50 temps even for this weekend, let alone next-- and of course I see it's forecast to rain this weekend.)

Any suggestions for how to best deal with this, considering that my option is to do what I can this weekend and wherever I finish on Sunday night is going to have to be where it stays until I can either do other stuff piecemeal on weekend nights or put in some real time next weekend. (Again, "just take it to a body shop" is not an option; I don't have several hundred extra dollars lying around. Yes, I should have asked the seller to lower the price to account for it but I didn't, in part because I've been looking for a car for months {on top of dealing with a lot of other things} and am no longer in the mood for someone to want to back out of a deal, etc.-- the last time I gave a lower offer, the seller, after wanting to think about it, merely called me back and said he'd sold the car to someone else.) I don't know how bad it is to just leave the work half-done for a couple days to a week; I can avoid driving it to keep road grime off it as much as possible in the meantime (I inherited my mom's car and haven't sold it yet so I have it at my disposal). I'm not concerned with aesthetics in between stages; if it has to have a primer patch for a couple of days until I can get the paint on, so it does.

I've not done body work before, but I'm sure someone here has. (My uncle says "oh you can just spray paint that." Yeah, no. A. it wouldn't last long, and B. it's not the old, close-to-retirement kind of car he usually buys and rehabs so I want it to look not like complete caca even though I know my best effort won't be perfect.) I'll do a search later on the forum for pointers as well, but my biggest question is how to deal with not having unlimited time in one block for these repairs, and dealing with cold weather. Thanks in advance for any advice!


*(Technically I'm not even allowed to work on my car here, but we'll hope nobody complains and it isn't an issue. Anyone with a problem will be invited to foot the bill for the body shop or find me a garage to work in for free; it's not like I'm disassembling the car and will be leaving a junker sitting for weeks.)

Colin42

You dont have a friend with a garage you can use?
You can do it outside, but it's not going to be fun, a small propane/electric heater pointed at the area will help. Sunny warm days are better.
If there's a couple days gap before you can work on it thats ok, just try not to drive the car like you said.
Use masking tape and newspaper to mask off a couple feet of the car around that area.
Rust converter, primer, base, clear. they will be spray cans, but follow the directions on the can, take your time and do light coats so you don't get runs in the paint.
Painting is 90% prep and 10% painting, the better your prep the better the paint job.
Good luck!

K12144

I'm not even remotely close to someone who might have a garage, no. It's going to suck to do this outside, but it will suck worse if I don't do it and it has rusted through come spring.

RobertD

What color is the car?

I recommend you repair it half *** for the winter and do it right in spring. I would completely sand off any rust, brush on boiled linseed oil and dry it gently but completely with a propane torch. 3 coats. Then slap some closely matching wrap vinyl over it. Buy or check out some bodywork books, and fix it correctly in spring. Fixing it in a rush in the wrong environment is going to end up a poor looking repair that will rust in less than a two years.


if you hate that idea, at least read books. Also understand that primer by nature soaks things up. Moisture included. Don't leave it at that stage for any length of time or you'll be painting over rust from the get go

RobertD

$300 to fix and spray a panel here at a good shop in a questionable neighborhood. Sanding supplies, tools, cleaners, primers, paint etc will run you half that anyways. An extra measly 150 for a good looking life long repair.

mac25

Please send nudes... ahermm I mean pics...
I just re painted my 1996 integra front clip, outside with spray cans. It looks OEM.

Dent removal
-either pay for "paintless dent removal"
-or if you can get to the inside of the panel easily, use rubber tools to push the dent out; or suction cups if they will fit.

Sand down the entire area, anything that is chipped and cracked must go.

Body fill any remaining low spots
-then use a flat body work fill to shave of most of the large chunks
-fallowed by sandpaper.

Spray the ground around the car with water, this will keep any dirt around the car from blowing up onto the paint.

Prime

Use "tack cloth" or "Tack Rag" to remove any dirt that has floated into the primer/paint. You tack when the paint is tacky as well. So it must dry a bit but not to the paint were it freezes the dirt solidly into the paint. I actually just used painters tape and was able to pull out dust and dirt pretty easily.

Colour
-Buy a high quality automotive colour match paint
-spray at least 3 coats

Wait 1 week for the paint to off gas since you won't have access to an oven

Wet Sand 2000 grit
-it may look a bit dull after wetsanding but the colour will come back after you clear coat it.

Clear coat
-DO NOT use cheap clear coat!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-buy a two part clear, I bought the one bellow for $30CAD and it was the most amazing clear I've ever used. Dries super fast.

Wait 1 week to off gas

Wet sand 2000 grit

Cut with an orbital buffer and cutting compound

Polish with polishing compound

..................

Now that the paint is done you want to protect it and might as well wax the whole car

-Wash car with harsh soap like dishwasher soap. We are trying to remove the old wax coat
-clay bar the car
-wash
-wax with orbital buffer and a wax like automotive "Turtle" wax, not the spray wax, that is too soft for long term safety.

-then from now on use an automotive soap when you wash it because those are designed to leave the wax on the car.

K12144

Okay, here's a picture. There's rust, but it looks superficial. Hard to tell, but the car is gray (it's not the car in my avatar pic), this dinged area is about the size of my phone or so, it appears to be down to metal all the way across, though the rust hasn't spread all the way yet.

I'm not sure it will cost only $300 (labor around here for car repairs tends to go at around $90/hr, so...). I'm not sure the primer/paint will cost me $150 (I don't think I need specialized tools). I don't care that much if it's bumped out or the panel replaced to look like nothing ever happened, I just need it not to rust out. And at any rate, that extra $150 could pay a few bills... which seem to keep cropping up just when I think I'm done with the expenses for this month...

RobertD

any sign shops by you?

i'd smooth the deep scrapes, spray that tiny area with whatever paint you have lying around, and slap a closely matching silver vinyl over it. i may be biased. i own a sign shop. people like you stop by sometimes and i usually don't even charge for vinyl scraps that small.

most of the silver vinyls i use are rated 7-9 year outdoor durable. i probably have at least 5 or 6 shades to pick from lying around


my last 5 minute vinyl repair: