Restoration of the paintwork of the body - putty and painting
♦ After you, using the information from this section, have leveled dents, removed deep and small scratches, through rust and tears, sometimes you have to think about the complete restoration of the car's presentation - painting the entire body, a separate element or a small area.
♦ Thoroughly wash the body of the T4 (all or around the relevant surfaces) with detergent before painting, where this is not enough, go over with a rag soaked in solvent.
If this operation is skipped or performed carelessly, then the likelihood of peeling the coating will be very high. ♦ Putty is usually used to level the body.
There are many types of fillers, We recommend for this type of repair two-component putties, usually consisting of a jar of putty paste and a tube of hardener. To be sure, mix samples of putty parts and test on a piece of tin. The putty should adhere well to the surface (do not roll into a roller), be easy to level (not gather on a spatula), harden at the time indicated on the package, be easily processed after hardening and be difficult to separate from the metal, for example, when the control sheet is bent. After checking and approving the putty, choose a comfortable spatula. A wide, flexible plastic or nylon spatula will make the job much easier. ♦ Mix a small amount of putty in the lid, on a piece of clean tin or wood (take care not to let pieces of wood (chips, sawdust) get into the putty), strictly following the manufacturer's instructions and observing the proportions indicated on the package (otherwise the putty will set or too slow or too fast).
Apply putty to the prepared area with a spatula and smooth it to achieve the correct profile and level the surface. Once you have covered the desired area with the required layer, stop leveling, otherwise the paste will start to become too sticky and stick to the spatula. If one layer is not enough, or the maximum layer allowed by the instruction is not enough, then let the putty harden.
Apply layers of putty at appropriate intervals until the cured putty is level with the surrounding body surface. ♦ Once the putty has hardened, the excess must be removed.
First, as a rule, processing is carried out with a rough tool (large files, coarse-grained sandpaper), then processing is continued using increasingly fine-grained sandpaper. Always place an even piece of rubber or wood under the abrasive paper - otherwise it is difficult to level the surface of the putty. During the finishing of the surface (with the finest sandpaper, fabric-based, moisture resistant), it is recommended to periodically moisten the surface with water. ♦ At this stage, the putty being processed should be surrounded by a ring of clean base metal, which, in turn, should be surrounded by a thin "halo" of intact paint, dull at the transition to metal.
Rinse the entire repair area with clean water to remove any dust created during the sanding process. ♦ Apply a thin layer of primer to the entire area to be repaired - this will help to notice all possible surface irregularities of the putty (it is recommended to check the compatibility of the primer with the putty on a control sample before applying, because rarely, but it happens that the primer dissolves the putty and at the transition points from the putty a step is formed towards the metal).
Repair these irregularities with a small amount of putty and sand this surface again with sanding paper. You can dilute the putty with a thinner to get a paste of the desired consistency. ♦ Repeat the application of primer until you are sure that the surface of the filler is even.
Rinse the repaired area with clean water and allow it to dry completely. ♦ The repaired area is now completely ready for painting.
The application of paint should be carried out on a warm (preferably air temperature of 15-25ºС), sunny, calm day, when there is no dust in the air and a minimum of insects (it is possible after a light rain). These conditions are easy to create in a heated room, but if you are forced to work outdoors, then you should choose the day for this work very carefully. In a room, it may be helpful to sprinkle the floor with water to help settle the dust. If the repaired area is limited to one panel or part of it, it is recommended to cover the surrounding panels (well wet newspapers in several layers). It is also necessary to close or temporarily remove the decorative parts of the body (for example, chrome moldings, door handles). To do this, usually use electrical tape, tape or film. ♦ Before you start painting, shake the spray can well and paint a test area (preferably the same piece of tin on which you tried the putty and primer, as the paint may not be compatible with the primer) until you have acquired the necessary skills.
Cover the area to be repaired in several coats with the substrate, the thickness of the layer being achieved by successive layering of thin layers of paint, and not one thick coat, let the paint dry according to its instructions (usually 24 hours). Using the fastest sanding paper, sand the surface of the substrate until it is really even and smooth. In the course of this work, the repaired area should be abundantly wetted with water, and the sanding paper should be rinsed periodically. Be sure to let the substrate dry completely before applying the next coat of paint. ♦ Apply a top coat of paint, again reaching the required thickness by applying several thin coats of paint.
Start painting from the middle of the repaired area, moving towards the edges from left to right, until the entire repaired area and a strip of old paint around the perimeter about 5 cm wide are completely covered. Remove everything that covered adjacent, unpaintable areas after the last coat of paint has completely dried. ♦ Allow the new paint to dry completely for at least a week, then using a paint freshener or fine polishing paste, smooth the edges of the newly painted area against the surrounding paint.
Finally, apply polishing wax. Plastic Parts
With the use of more and more plastic body parts (such as bumpers, spoilers and, in some cases, main body panels), repairing them after sustaining major damage is either a complete replacement of the damaged part, or the job is left to specialist in this field.
Repair of such damage by the owner of the car is almost not available due to the high cost of equipment and materials necessary for the effective repair. The repair is based on the technique of welding polymeric materials with subsequent processing of the seams. Less serious damage (chips, small cracks, etc.) can be repaired with a two-component epoxy putty and then treated.
If the owner is repairing a plastic part with epoxy putty, they may have trouble finding the right top coat paint that is compatible with the plastic being used. Standard paints generally won't adhere to plastic or rubber properly. However, it is now possible to purchase a special kit for applying paint to plastic parts, which consists of several components (for pre-treatment, pear and painting the outer coating). Usually detailed instructions are included with the kit, but the general principle of use is to first apply a special bottom coat to the area to be painted, let it dry for 30 minutes. A coat of primer is then applied and allowed to dry for 1 hour, after which, finally, a special color is applied to create the outer coating.
T4 gearbox repair . Half shaft T4 .