Expert: Gary - 9/6/2008

Question
I own a class 8 highway tractor and a huge chip of paint, about1 inch by 1 and 1/2 inches appeared on the roof. The plain black fibreglass is showing. How is the proper way to repair this chip without having to paint the entire roof and how is it done to blend in?

Answer
Hi Eric,

Black should be fairly easy to repair. First of all you will need to fill the chip with something. I recommend using a polyester glaze putty. There are many types on the market that would work fine. For horizontal panels I really like this: http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_dolphin.cfm It flows out nice and sands good. Sand with 500 grit wet or dry of finer. I would let it sit overnight to make sure it's fully cured and then you can apply your paint. I would recommend using a good quality black acrylic enamel to touch it up. You can spray it or I believe I would just use a small brush. Apply several coats and let it dry for several days. Sand with 2000 grit wet or dry and polish with a mild rubbing compound. This should give you a fairly invisible repair. It may not be perfect but it will be much better than re-painting the entire roof. Good luck!