Honda Accord Bumper Repair "SPRAY CANS"

[hughezee]

Starting off with some 400-800 grit Wet N Dry sandpaper wet sand to prepare the area and then mask the off the areas that you don't want to paint or primer.

Don't forget to clean & de-grease the areas between sanding and painting if your using aerosols

Apply the primer evenly and leave to dry for 8-12 hours and then wet sand with 800-1200 grit to remove any edges, just flatten the area.

Apply the colour matched paint evenly and overlap the edges of primer with the aim to blend the paint and leave to dry for 2-3 hours.

Now if your feeling brave apply the clear coat (lacquer) evenly apply a 2-3 thin layers at 15-20min intervals then leave for 24 hours.

Once 24 hours has passed you may notice some shrinkage in areas or a matt look, proceed to wet sand with 1800-2000 grit

Now you can either apply another layer of clear coat (lacquer) if the shrinkage is visible or you didn't want to sand much off

Now leave to dry for 24-48 hours and then proceed to cut the surface with T-Cut or G3 cutting compound using plenty of water and then dry area an polish...

I am certainly no expert when it comes to body repairs, I just thought I would share a few shots of the process. In regards to larger repairs I will leave those job's for the pro's, although sometimes I have been disappointed with there efforts compared to mine

[Cryistic]

This is a good small tutorial Stu, do you hand polish or use a mop?

[hughezee]

This is a good small tutorial Stu, do you hand polish or use a mop?

Yeah its only a quick guide m8 and all done by hand cutting an polishing

[Mazda Man]

Blimey, what an improvement, you've done a great job there Stu, looks like a new bumper!  It takes a long time too to perfect but the end result is bostin', as we say in the Midlands.   I think the Purple One will love his new bumper. 

[Laird_Scooby]

Good work there Stu and a much better tutorial than in the Haynes manuals about how to do paint repairs! Cracking job!

[Graymalkin]

What kind of paint did you use?

What lacquer type did you clear coat with?

 

[hughezee]

What kind of paint did you use?

What lacquer type did you clear coat with?

 

I used a standard paint, primer, lacquer Kit for £25 of eBay from a company called Paints 2 U, primer wasn't brilliant so used a halfords one

[Brett]

 good job Stu and a very good finish indeed

[Retro Rich]

Stu's not afraid to undertake this, whereas, it still makes me a trifle nervous  

[Graymalkin]

I have also gone for Halfords Primer and bought 2 cans from CJ Aerosols. I have used them before so I trusted them. Was expensive. £26 for 2 cans.

Which brings the cost of the eyelids up to £44!!! I hope its worth it.

[kag8]

Sorry to bump an old thread but most relevant (i used the search function!)

This is the scratch I'm aiming to get rid of.

Above the wheel arch (if you zoom, already turning brown) and then on the bumper too which is more obvious.

Im normally adverse to any sort of paint work but thought to give it a shot this time before I detail the car as that would just stand out too much after.

So I have ordered this item - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330993181552

It comes with lacquer.

But no primer. Any recommendations?

And I suppose I wont need any putty?

So just follow instructions in first post just scaled down to the small area? Do I tackle the 2 parts separately or sand it all into one job?

As long as I dont make it look worse Ill be happy lol.

[AhsyV6]

Unfortunately I do not have real experience in this area although would happily attempt it. The only thing I'd suggest is removing the bumper and address them separately as they are different bases i.e. plastic and metal. Also this allows you to gain access underneath the edge of the rear quarter where it meets the bumper and also behind it. You can then treat/rust proof the metal that's not visible when the bumper is on. 

Hope my pennies worth of input helps

[hughezee]

Ahsy makes a good point regards access to view and sort any potential hidden rust spots, although complete removal of the bumper might not be necessary, just remove the retaining screw and pull the side from the retaining clip.

So once you've established the rust niggle, grind it from the surface of the panel and treat the area with a rust treatment and leave it for 15-20 minutes to fully cure the area and spray with brake cleaner or a splash of panel wipe to get rid of any debris. Once this has evaporated apply some acrylic paint to seal from moisture then once dry lightly fill the areas on the treated area and a thin skim on the bumper then leave it to dry.

Then secure the bumper a little and sand with 250-400 grit going up to 800 grade until the areas are smooth and follow the curves & lines of the car now thoroughly clean the entire area with panel wipe and mask off the areas you don't want to paint but still a large enough area to blend in the new paint as it won't be an exact match unfortunately, but can still be hidden by lightly spraying on outer parts of the repaired area or to lines in the cars exterior.

Now you've masked off start to spray on primer start off lightly and you want to avoid drips or cracking, so two coats should do it about ten minutes apart and now for the stressful bit I would recommend leaving the primer for at least 12-24 hours to harden enough so no reaction will occur between the underlying paint. but you could speed things up with a heat lamp or hot air gun but it still needs at least 3 hours with encouragement.

Now using water and 1000 grit going up to 2000 lightly sand the primer to get it smooth and anything that starts to appear through the primer could require another thin dust of primer don't panic spraying the affected spot with a quick dust won't require a long drying time as the main area is effectively sealed and secure. Then proceed to clean the entire area again and make sure it is completely dry of solvent or water. Then your ready for a light spray of the paint with the primer still visible waiting for 15-20 minutes is ideal then a second layer with the aim of covering the area & primer evenly and third dusting after 20 minutes should do and blend it in and remember layers are key to a good finish as well as a good match or blend.

Final stage is lacquer or clear coat and assuming you happy with the finish of the paint now its time to shine literally applying layers is key again so don't go too heavy on the first coat as you could destroyer all your previous efforts and even spraying too close can push air into the layer which can dull the finish not matter how much you polish afterwards   

 

Hope that makes some kind of sense and any questions don't hesitate to ask...

 

[Laird_Scooby]

What Stu and Ahsy said! ^^^^^

A little tip given to me a couple of decades back by someone who made his living masking cars up for paintwork is to fold the edge of the masking tape under on the side nearest the fresh paint. This helps to feather the edge of the new paint into the edge of the old paint where you've feathered the finish by sanding. This helps to give an almost seamless join between old and new paints apparently. Never tried it myself and would presumably need quite wide masking tape to do it with but worth a try - any little tricks and tips to help the finish i'm sure will be useful!

You could become the "touch-in guru"!

[hughezee]

50 minutes ago, Laird_Scooby said:

old the edge of the masking tape under on the side nearest the fresh paint

Great tip Dave thanks for sharing the wisdom, I can see how it would save time and hassle and I'm gonna try it out

[Laird_Scooby]

The guy that told me that reckoned the sprayer he worked for insisted on it. Other than that i've not tried it but he seemed to think it made life a lot easier.

[kag8]

Woah, thanks for all the tips. Very daunting for such a 'minor' operation, but I have to give it a shot!

[Laird_Scooby]

Good luck - don't forget to take loads of pics and do a write up on it!