Posts Tagged ‘Bodywork’
Anyone who owns a collision shop can tell you that the most costly item to the shop is the comeback repair. Re-do’s can be the difference between being successful and losing, and they reflect poorly on the quality standards, not to mention the inconvenience to the customer.
All it takes is one dissatisfied customer and that can translate into bad word of mouth, which means bad reputation. Collision shop managers have to be very alert when it comes to quality assurance so that they have happy customers and as few negative comebacks as possible. Negative comebacks happen when there are such things as…
shoddy repair work,
poor paint finish, (dull topcoat),
grind marks showing,
paint cracks or runs
or paint over spray on any part of the car,
but the worst problem of all is the mismatching of color.
Technicians and management usually share the responsibility, and, in some shops, the Read More
Auto body Repairs Using Sand Blasting Equipment
A restoration requires you to make a choice as to which method you are going to use. In order to do this you really need to categorize the levels of restoration.
Category One – Light to Medium fix ups
Mechanical repairs and repainting
The basic mechanical work is done first to ensure safety of the vehicle components. This followed by minor body works and refinishing touch ups.
Mechanical repairs with replacements and refinishing
Some mechanical parts are replaced as needed. Little more detail is required in the bodywork.
Category Two – In Depth Restoration
Similar to the mechanical repairs with replacements with the refinishing more in depth. Some taking apart of the vehicle is required to attend to rust and corrosion of key parts. Items have to cleaned, refurbished or replaced such as drive train parts, suspension and Read More
If you are performing, auto body finishing your work area has to be almost sterile unless of course you enjoy having to strip, sand, repaint and buff repeatedly on the same car because something got into the paint or finish or you left some residue and went onto the next step. If there is anything present that could ruin your finishing work then it probably will.
One of the most valuable assets you can have is a quality wax and grease remover. Most often the to the job at home guy ends up with an inferior finish if all due to not removing the residue of anything from the car like old wax and dirt build up or airborne debris.
There are solvents that can be used but you are taking a chance when you use these. Many novice auto body finishers are devastated when the mistakes made before the primer application start to appear. The key to being successful is to know the right materials for the job. Then it’s knowing how to use them. Finally when Read More
When buying a car one of the biggest choices you have is the color! Though there are many choices to make it’s the main factor that you can decide on which suits you best and appeals to your sense of style. Black is a big seller yet silver can sometimes have more style. Red is hot and white can be conservative, it’s all up to you.
The elements though can play havoc on keeping that original shine and luster to this important investment. Once a car loses its color, the value is reduced and it never looks the same. These are some tips and tricks on how to maintain that color and keep the environment from doing damage to your paint job as well as restoring any damage already done!
HOW TO RESIST ENVIROMENTAL DAMAGES
There are many different types of finishes on vehicles like enamel, matt coating, acrylic etc…unfortunately, no matter what the finish is, your car’s paint is still susceptible to the environment. To Read More
Car scratches eventually appear in a way of almost every car owner. There are many methods of dealing with them however painting it over with an auto spray gives the best result. If you have enough experience you will be able to paint over even a big scratch but a beginner also can manage to repair imperfections on his vehicle. Here are the steps to follow:
First, it is necessary to clean metal from dirt and rust. Dirt is removed by washing the panel with soapy water. When dry, sand out the scratch and surrounding area with sandpaper. Then you need to apply putty on a surface. It should consist of two components (with a hardener). Do not choose epoxy putty otherwise, it will dry for 24 hours. Use rubber or thin metal pallet for alignment.
It will take 20 minutes to dry up with a temperature of 200C (392F). At this stage, you may also use auto filler primer that is specially designed to fill scratches and imperfections and perfectly replaces Read More
If you have decided to do some repairs on your car perhaps in preparation for painting then you will need to know how to remove the old paint.
To begin with, you will most likely want to use a paint stripper rather than hours of sanding. There are many commercial paint strippers on the market. One thing you must bear in mind is these are chemicals, and most certainly must be treated with respect.
You must put all of the safety precautions in place before you begin to work. First of all, you will want to work in a well ventilated area. The fumes of some of these paint strippers can be pretty strong, and dangerous to breathe for any period of time. Perhaps you may want to consider wearing a mask that is applicable for fumes. In addition don’t bypass the safety goggles, If any of the solution were to splash in your eyes it could cause blindness.
Although there are many commercial strippers on the market, they all will have their own individual Read More
You will be surprised to see just how to spray car paint really can be easy. That doesn’t mean that you can just grab a tin of paint and go at it. There are some basics you need to know. Both in the preparation and application.
Step A:
Prepare by gathering all of your items that you are going to need. Make sure your surrounding area is protected against any possible over spray. Any parts that do not need to be sprayed and that can be removed then do so. For other areas cover well with paper and masking tape.
Step B:
You will have to examine the car carefully for any rough spots. These will need to be sanded with 300 grit sand paper. This will smooth out the rough spots. It also allows the spray car paint to adhere better. Once you have finished sanding, make sure all of the dust dirt and debris are removed from the vehicle. It’s imperative that the car be perfectly clean.
Step C:
You will need Read More
It gets pretty boring when you driving down the highway and you see all the same colors of vehicles. Sure they are different makes and styles, but color wise they are all the same and uninteresting. Then every once in a while something really dynamic pulls up beside you. Its one of those cars that has been painted with a custom design. To paint a car is one thing but to custom paint it is a whole new world.
At least when you went to buy your car you had a few more color options then perhaps your grandfather did in his day and age. Now today, not only do you have to decide on color, you need to decide if you want metallic, or rust free or even scratch proof finishes.
When you get down to wanting to paint a car with custom colors you have to really give some thought as to what you want. It isn’t cheap to custom paint a car. The paints are a very high grade poly urethanes.
When it comes time and you want to paint a car and you have decided to Read More