lets talk overspray

Envious Eric

New member
so, I had a car yesterday and I only had real time for 5 hours on it...needed interior work, exterior work. I ended up with 7 hours on it total, and skipped out on the rest of my day I had planned. Oh well, the client was extremely happy with the results.



car: 2001 toyota celica

damage: dents and dings, extreme road rash on the front (needed repaint)

mileage: 152K

interior was pretty hammered, this is her commuter car!

exterior: lots of scratches and deep scratches, plenty of swirl marks and TONS of OVERSPRAY



I spent 20 min claying the car from the front end back. then I attacked the overspray with megs red clay, clay magic red, ADS purple, 3000K megs unigrit paper, and rotary/cutting wool/105 = NOTHING WORKED efficiently in the 2 hours I spent on the front portion of the hood, the front of the fenders, and the WHOLE front bumper! I only got it about 40-50% out, but called it good enough based on time and needs/condition of the car.



I called up Patrick and asked his thoughts...he recommended I try a couple of things, but only had time to work with what I had on hand...prep sol wipe down and soak prior to the claying. Thanks for the tip! It worked a little faster, but the larger stuff was remaining STUCK on...nothing would budge it!



WHAT DO YOU USE IN THAT SITUATION? I want the proper product on hand for the next time there is extreme amounts of road paint all over the car!
 
Sometimes painting material such as urethane, paint, solvent, lacquer, glue, etc etch into the paint down to the metal. In some cases, I've seen road paint creating an indentation on the metal surface. When that is the case, it will need to be sanded. Even after sanding down to the bare metal, a small needle sized dent still remains on the metal.
 
A heated pressure washer ( I know I know not very mobile at all) would've washed it all off like a regular garden hose on a dusty hood. There are defiantly more aggressive chemical attacks you could use but I wouldn't recommend them without knowing exactly how they would react to the paint. Prep-sol is probably the least aggressive and safest way to go. Still probably going to take some time. mineral sprints would also be highly effective. you could also use a plastic razor blade on the paint and a regular razor blade on the glass with a little varnish on a MF towel on the rubber. All have very dire consequences if not done with an extreame amount of care..
 
Z-bar clay, if it is still available, mars paint like 3000 grit right out of the case. It works well, but expect to compound/polish after.
 
If there's loads of overspray, and i hv not been given sufficient time, and the owner has been informed of the risks, I always wipe with acetone first. Won't damage the paint finish at all. but avoid the non-metal parts. Dampen the sections for 5mins with acetone, rinse and thenclay as usual, and it'll be OK.
 
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