The body of a car is essentially its supporting structure. He is constantly exposed to stress. Moreover, these are not only mechanical factors in the form of shock and vibration. Every day, the body coating is exposed to the negative effects of external factors. Enamel sandblasted, burned out. In addition, traces of rust appear at the site of deep scratching. Of course, all this significantly spoils the appearance of the car. But what to do? In this case, body repair and car body painting save. We will talk about this in our article today.
Body repair
If there is serious damage, do not hide them by applying new enamel. Therefore, repair and painting of the car body are made in the complex. There are several types of bodywork, each of which uses its own technology. Below we will consider them in more detail.
Rust removal
Over time, foci of corrosion appear on the body. This happens due to peeling of paint, which was previously applied to the surface. As a rule, on foreign cars, the first rust occurs after 10 years of operation, on domestic cars - after 5. Sandblasting places - wheel arches and threshold edges especially suffer. Holes for drainage also rust. Recovery technology may vary depending on the size of the problem.
If these are through holes, they are repaired by cutting out part of the metal and welding new sheets. In the presence of only surface rust, work is limited to the use of a zinc converter and partial puttying. The last stage of such a body repair is painting. The price for it can be high (up to 100 euros for a local color). Therefore, the article also discusses how to apply enamel yourself.
Plastic repair
It can be:
- Bumpers.
- Spoilers
- Expander arches.
- Door sills and other body parts.
Unlike the previous method, welding is not used here. Elements are restored using fiberglass with epoxy adhesive. This material gives rigidity, at the same time aligns the element. It turns out a kind of patch. But to achieve the maximum factory look, the technology requires the use of putty.
Repair without painting
If the dent did not touch the paintwork, then you can restore the previous appearance to the machine without the intervention of a spray gun. The easiest thing is with bumpers. They are aligned by heating the plastic with a building hairdryer. Further, the surface bends from the reverse side. The element takes the desired, factory form.
But it didn’t work out with metal. For this, special PDR sets are used. The technology is to restore a dent in a vacuum. Sometimes a special glue is used, which is applied to a dent, and we install a mandrel in it. In this case, it is required to use the chipper. What it looks like, the reader can see in the photo below.
The cost of the kit can be from 10 to 100 euros, depending on the manufacturer and the size of the kit.
Painting
Body repair and body painting can be done by yourself. But in both cases, you need a specialized tool. And if in the previous case it is a converter, a grinder and a welding machine, then a spray gun is needed here. If the work will be done once, it is better to rent it. The painting itself is carried out in several stages:
- Training. First, the car is thoroughly washed. Also, paint spots are degreased with anti-silicone. All rusty areas are processed by the transducer and cleaned with sandpaper. First, large grains are used, then finer grains.
- Alignment of defects. All dents or welds must be carefully hidden, otherwise this will impair the appearance of the car. The best material for this is car putty. It is mixed with a hardener in a tube and applied to the surface with a spatula. Do not apply too thick a layer. Over time, it may crack. After drying, the layer is treated with a large and then fine sandpaper. The remaining dust is removed with rags with white spirit. Please note that after mixing with the hardener, the putty is very hot. After a couple of minutes, it turns into stone. It is necessary to have time to calculate the time, otherwise the composition will harden before it is applied. Never mix a lot of putty with hardener. You just do not have time to use the composition to the full.
- Application of base enamel. If it is applied to bare metal, it should be primed for better adhesion. The painting itself is made in several layers. The torch must be kept strictly at an angle of 90 degrees. The slightest deviation will provoke an inhomogeneous coating. Move the spray gun at a speed of approximately 30 centimeters per second. Do not forget about the solvent - with it you need to mix the base paint until the desired consistency is achieved. Mix until liquid drips from the tip of the remote control. The first layer is development. It is applied only superficially. This is the thinnest layer. In doing so, try to avoid unpainted areas. Next, the paint is sprayed in a thicker layer. The most abundant is the third layer. Keep the spray gun at a distance. Otherwise, streaks will occur on the coating. Removing them will be quite difficult. If it is metallized enamel, it is additionally treated with varnish. The latter is also applied in several layers.
- Drying. Like body painting, it should take place indoors. It is advisable that the car does not move at this time. At a temperature of +20 degrees, the enamel dries in two days. You can also speed up this process by applying forced drying with heaters. This method is especially relevant in winter when using an unheated garage.
Useful advice
When painting the body, pre-train on old parts. You can only understand the intricacies of applying enamel in practice. Testing skills on old body parts will help to avoid many mistakes. When painting the body, try not to bring the remote control closer to the surface, otherwise streaks will instantly form.