Contents: Treatment of car body scratches ⤓ Car body dent repair ⤓ Repair of rusted holes or punctures…⤓ Body puttying and painting ⤓
Treatment of car body scratches
If the scratch is shallow and does not reach the metal, rub the area around the scratch with paint renewer or fine-grained abrasive paste. Rinse the surface with clean water. Apply a thin layer of paint to the scratch with a brush and let it dry. Continue applying paint until the paintwork is level. Let the paint harden for 2 weeks and then sand. Polish the area of the body surface with wax paste.
If the scratch has damaged the paint and penetrated the metal of the car body, remove the rust from the scratch with the tip of a sharp knife. Apply a rust converter according to the instructions. Apply the putty paste to the scratch with a spatula. After it has completely dried, paint over and polish the damaged area.
Car body dent repair
When deeply pressing body elements, first try to bend the dent as close as possible to the normal shape of the body. The body metal at the point of impact is subject to stretching, as a result of which complete restoration of the original shape is impossible. It is considered optimal to level the dent approximately 3 mm below the level of the surrounding surface. If there is access to the inner side of the dent, it should be carefully straightened with a hammer with a wooden or plastic striker. During this operation, a wooden block of suitable size should be pressed tightly to the outer side of the area being straightened. This is necessary to cushion the blows of the hammer and prevent bending of a larger area. If the dent is located in an area of the body where access from the back is difficult or impossible, drill several small holes in the deepest points of the dent, screw self-tapping screws into them and pull the dent out with pliers by the protruding heads of the screws.
Remove paint from the damaged area and a 20mm radius around it. This is easiest to do with a wire brush or sandpaper mounted on a disc in a power drill. Once the dent is levelled, apply a coat of filler, paint and polish.
Repair of rusted holes or punctures in the body structure
Remove paint from the damaged area for about 20 mm around it. Using a wire brush, clean loose rust from the surface of the exposed metal in the damaged area. Treat the damaged area with a rust converter according to the instructions. Cover the rust hole or puncture with a wire mesh or a strip of aluminum foil. Cut a piece of mesh that matches the shape of the hole, insert it into the hole so that its edges do not protrude above the level of the panel surrounding the hole. Secure it with a few lumps of putty paste around the perimeter. Using a screwdriver handle, align the ends of the mesh so that it fits tightly to the metal of the body. Then fill, paint and polish the damaged area of the body.
Body puttying and painting
When performing putty work, it is necessary to have a wide flexible plastic or nylon spatula to smooth the surface of the putty. Level the putty on the damaged area of the body so as to give it the required shape and smoothness. As soon as you have managed to achieve approximately the required contour, stop smoothing the putty with a spatula, since if you smooth it for too long, it will begin to harden, stick to the spatula and roll off, as a result of which the surface will be damaged. Apply the next thinner layer of putty after the previous layer has dried and so on until the putty level begins to protrude slightly above the treated area. After hardening, excess putty must be removed with a metal scraper or file. Carry out further processing using a set of sandpaper. Start processing with coarse-grained sandpaper, then use fine-grained. Place the sandpaper on a flat wooden block, otherwise it is impossible to achieve a smooth surface. At the final stage of sanding, the waterproof sandpaper should be periodically moistened with water. This will give the treated putty surface a special smoothness. The putty dent should be surrounded by a layer of clean metal along the perimeter. To remove dust and grease, wash the treated area with water and wipe with a degreaser. Spray a thin layer of light primer on the area. This will help to reveal all the defects in the putty made during processing. Level them out with a new layer of putty and sand the surface again.
After this, the repair area is ready for final painting. Spray paint should be applied in a warm, dry, windless and dust-free place. When painting indoors, wet the floor of the work area with water to prevent dust from getting into the air. When painting only one panel, the remaining parts of the body should be covered from getting paint on them with newspaper attached with adhesive tape. Before applying the primer, mix it thoroughly, apply it to the test surface and ensure that it lies evenly. Create a thick layer of primer by applying several thin layers. Sand the primed surface with waterproof sandpaper. Do not forget to spray the sanded area with water and periodically wet the sandpaper in water. Dry the area before further painting. Apply a layer of paint with a sprayer. The required thickness of the paint layer is achieved by applying several thin layers. Painting should be started from the center of the surface being treated and moved towards the edges with back and forth movements until the entire surface being painted and an area of about 20 mm around it are painted. Remove the protective film and newspapers 10-15 minutes after applying the last coat of paint. Allow the fresh paint to harden for at least two weeks, then use a paint refresher or fine abrasive polishing paste to smooth the edges of the painted area to the level of the old paint. Polish the surface.