Chapter 14

Vehicle Surface Preparation

 Objectives

• Prepare a vehicle for painting/refinishing

• Properly clean a vehicle using soap, water, air
pressure, and a wax-grease remover
• Evaluate the condition of the vehicle’s paint
• Describe methods for removing the damaged
paint if needed
 Objectives (continued)

• Properly prepare and treat bare metal surfaces

• Correctly sand and featheredge surfaces
• Apply an undercoat
• Mask a vehicle properly
 Introduction
• Vehicle preparation involves all final steps prior
to painting/refinishing
• Foolish to apply any kind of finish to a surface
that is not properly prepared
• Even if original finish is in good condition, it
should be lightly sanded after washing
• If paint surface is in poor condition, paint should
be removed down to bare metal
– Provides a good foundation for new finish
 Vehicle Cleaning
• Vehicle should be washed before bringing it into
shop area
• Wet whole vehicle with a water hose,
concentrating water flow onto trim pieces,
around windows, door jambs, and wheel wells
• Scrub all surfaces with detergent and water,
rinse the vehicle and let it dry completely
• Paint will not adhere to a waxy surface, so all
surfaces must be cleaned with a prepainting
cleaning agent
 Surface Evaluation

• Surface evaluation is a close inspection of paint

to determine its condition
• Look for signs of paint film breakdown, paying
close attention to gloss level
• Do a paint adhesion check by sanding through a
small area of the old finish
– If you can’t featheredge it, it must be removed
• Preexisting damage includes cracking,
scratches, acid rain, and industrial fallout
 Surface Evaluation (continued)

• Acid rain may etch craters into paint film

• Industrial fallout appears as black or brown
spots or rust-colored rings on paint surface
• Hard water spotting damage leaves a round
white ring on paint surface
• UV radiation damage causes discoloration,
cracking, checking, dulling and yellowing
• Paint is removed from metal surfaces by
chemical stripping, abrasive blasting, or sanding
 Chemical Stripping
• Chemical stripping is often used to strip large
areas of paint, and areas where a power sander
cannot reach
• Mask off area to ensure remover does not
dissolve paint not meant to be stripped
• Lightly sand area before applying stripper
• Allow paint remover to stand until finish is
softened
• Be sure to rinse off any residue that remains
(A) Apply chemical stripper with a paint brush while wearing
protective gloves and goggles.

(B) Use a scraper to remove softened paint before sanding.

Figure 14-3. Here a technician is using a chemical paint stripper.
 Blasting Paint

• Abrasive blasting involves using air pressure, a

blasting gun, and an abrasive to remove paint
• Blasting will quickly reveal hidden rust that can
result in scaling or other refinishing problems
• Blasting makes hard-to-reach areas accessible
• Sand or hard media blasting is not
recommended for large flat panels that can warp
• Plastic stripping media will remove paint from
almost any surface without damage
 Removing Paint

• Machine grinding is suitable for small flat areas

or gently curved areas
• Start with a No. 40 grit paper on a soft backing
pad, and hold face of pad at an angle
• Work back and forth evenly over area to remove
bulk of finish down to metal
• Follow with a No. 80 grit paper, and then a No.
180 grit paper
• Go over entire area to be repaired
 Bare Metal Treatment

• Proper bare metal treatment prepares metal for

primer and can inhibit erosion
• Self-etching primers etch bare metal to improve
paint adhesion and rust resistance
• Self-etching primers work best on lightly sanded
surfaces
 Preparing Metal Replacement Parts
• Many manufacturers prime replacement panels
to protect metal against rust, but not necessarily
to provide a basis for a paint system
• Clean new part with wax and grease remover,
and examine part for scratches
• Sand imperfections but do not remove coating
• Scuff sand the entire panel, and apply primer
• Clean e-coated panels with a solvent, and treat
panels with a metal conditioner
 Sanding/Featheredging
• Sanding prepares surface by tapering sharp
edges in paint, removing loose pieces, and
improving adhesion by scuffing surface
• Open coat sandpaper is good for sanding softer
materials such as old paint, and body filler
• Closed coat sandpaper provides a finer finish
• Grit sizes vary from coarse to microfine grades –
select finest grit that will do the job
• Power sanding uses air sander to begin
smoothing
 Types of Sanding
• Bare metal sanding smoothes rough metal
surfaces
– Use No. 80 grit to level out burrs, nibs, scratches
• Paint sanding is needed when finish is in poor
shape, and to level primed areas
– Block sanding is recommended
• Block sanding is simple back-and-forth action
with sandpaper mounted on a blocking tool
– Often used on flat surfaces
– Do not sand in a circular motion
Figure 14-7. Dry block sanding works well when using smoothing sandpapers.
Block sanding will quickly level body filler and feather it accurately. Never sand
flat surfaces by hand or with your fingers without using a block.
 Types of Sanding (continued)

• Dry sand with coarser nonwaterproof sandpaper,

without using water
• Wet sand with finer waterproof sandpaper, using
water to flush away particles
• Wet sanding reduces paper clogging
• Wax and silicone can penetrate beneath the
surface, you might want to add wax and grease
remover or soap to the water when wet sanding
 Scuff Pads

• Scuff padding is done with a nylon pad on hard-

to-reach areas to clean and scuff surface
• Paint scuffing makes new paint bond properly
• Scuff with find sandpaper or scuff pad, wet or
dry
• Scuff pad can be placed over a sanding block on
flat surfaces, or hand-held on curved areas
 Featheredging
• If a new coat of paint is applied over a broken
area, broken area must be featheredged
• Featheredged means the sharp edge of broken
paint is gradually tapered down by sanding
• Bare metal areas are filled with a primer and
entire area is sanded smooth and level
• Start by positioning sanding disc flat against
work surface
• After leveling rough paint edges, lay sander flat
on panel, finish tapering in a crosscutting pattern
 Priming Systems
• Primer-surfacers provide priming and filling in
one step
• Apply primer-sealers to prevent solvents in paint
from being absorbed by the primer-surfacer
• Sealers improve adhesion between old and new
finishes
– Necessary between an enamel and a lacquer
• After sanding, if fine scratches still appear,
another primecoat might be required
 Using Spot Putty
• Glazing or spot putty fills small scratches and
pinholes after priming
• Two-part putties come with two ingredients that
must be mixed to start curing process
• To apply two-part spot putty, mix ingredients,
then use a rubber squeegee to apply material to
small scratch
• Allow putty to cure until hard, then dry sand area
• Clean surface, and reapply primer
 Using a Guide Coat
• Guide coat is a very thin coat of powder or
primer that shows high and low spots
• Spray or dust a light coat over repair area
• Sanding reveals high and low spots by
contrasting guide coat color with material
underneath
• When surface is flat and ready for painting,
guide coat will sand off evenly
• Scuff areas where old finish is in good condition
to improve adhesion
 Masking
• Masking keeps paint mist from contacting areas
other than those to be refinished
• Overspray from two-component-type paints
cannot be removed with a thinner or solvent
• Masking paper is a roll of paper designed to
cover parts of a vehicle
– Heat resistant, good wet strength, freedom from
loose fibers, resistant to solvent penetration
• Masking plastic comes in large sheets for
covering large areas of vehicle
Figure 14-16. When using masking tape, pull lightly on the tape with
one hand without stretching the tape. Moving the hand up or down will
control the direction of the tape application. The other hand is used to
press the tape down securely on the surface. Note the use of masking
paper over the taillight assembly.
 Masking (continued)
• Masking foam or masking rope is a self-stick
foam rubber cord for masking behind panels
• Masking tape is sticky paper tape designed to
cover small parts and to hold masking paper
• Refinishing masking tape should not be
confused with tape for home use
• Fine line masking tape is a very thin, tape used
to produce a better paint part edge
• Masking covers are specially shaped cloth
covers for masking specific parts
Figure 14-18. Note how a technician has applied fine line masking tape
first and has then gone over it with conventional masking tape. This will
let you have better control of fine line tape application for more accurate
masking. Always check sharply curved masked areas for leaks. When
the tape is curved, it can lift up and allow overspray to go under the tape.
 Masking Procedures
• If a part can be removed easily this is better than
trying to mask around it
• Removal of trim and moldings is more often
necessary when using a base/clear system
• Vehicle should be cleaned and detailed before
and after masking
• Cold and damp environments may prevent
masking tape from sticking
• Before masking glass areas, remove
accessories such as wiper blades
 Masking Procedures (continued)
• Overspray results when you do not seal area
and paint gets on uncovered area
• Use fine line tape to protect existing pinstripes
from overspray
• Double masking uses two layers of masking
paper to prevent bleed-through or finish-dulling
from solvents
• Reverse masking requires folding masking
paper back over tape
– Often used during spot repairs
Figure 14-20. Reverse masking will help blend a repair area. Overspray will
hit the folded-over paper and blend more smoothly into the old paint.
 Liquid Masking Material

• Liquid masking material seals vehicle to protect

undamaged panels and parts from overspray
• Use liquid masking on areas where masking is
difficult to apply, such as wheel wells
• Masking liquid comes in a large ready-to-spray
drum, and is sprayed on vehicle
• Masking liquid can be washed off with soap and
water after paint has cured
 Summary

• Vehicle preparation involves all final steps prior

to painting, including cleaning, sanding,
stripping, masking, priming, and related tasks
• Open coat sandpaper is good for sanding softer
materials such as paint, body filler, plastic and
aluminum
• Closed coat sandpaper generally provides a
finer finish and is commonly used in wet sanding
 Summary (continued)

• Masking keeps paint mist from contacting areas

other than those to be refinished or painted
• Some masking materials include masking paper
and tape, masking foam, plastic sheeting, cloth,
plastic covers, and liquid masking material