| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| 1997 Suburban | 8/30/2008 | Laren Laws |
Q: I need to remove the interior panel on the right rear door to find a rattle. I can not figure out ...
A: Steven, If I remember correctly there is a couple Phillips screws on the bottom they will be hard to ...
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| How should I finish a silver metallic touch up paint job? | 8/30/2008 | Gary |
Q: Someone keyed the side of my car so I sanded down the lip with 340 grit sand paper, used putty to ...
A: If you can't see the overspray line that's great. I wouldn't sand on the metallic if you can help it ...
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| about a 1973 chevy | 8/30/2008 | William Forster |
Q: I'd like to know will a 4.3 engine fit in a 1973 Chevy 3/4 ton (c-20) 4 speed? Also, how would you ...
A: Yes, it will fit, but I doubt it will pull around a heavy vehicle like the old Chevy 3/4 tons- ...
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| body shop repairs | 8/29/2008 | Gary |
Q: I took my truck to a body shop for repair. The insurance paid for a portion. I asked the owner for ...
A: Body shops typically charge more for painting inside of a bed because of the amount of prep work ...
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| automotive paint | 8/29/2008 | Laren Laws |
Q: (1) WHAT IS THE BEST THINNER TO BE ADDED TO ACRYLIC ENAMEL PAINT WHEN YOU ARE PAINTING A CAR BY ...
A: Norris, It would be best to add acrylic enamel reducer. Acrylic Hardener would be beneficial. Also ...
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| motorcycle painting industry standards? | 8/27/2008 | Gary |
Q: I've painted a few bikes and am thinking of offering work to the public. Is there anywhere I can get ...
A: I would recommend researching the internet and local body shops and customizing shops. Or it may be ...
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| When is more base coat needed in a cut through | 8/27/2008 | William Forster |
Q: I have a question on a fender flare I'm repairing (small 2" spot got scraped down to primer) for a ...
A: Bob, you're going about this all wrong. Use a grey scotch brite, don't use sandpaper. You are too ...
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| Clear coat darkening paint | 8/27/2008 | Gary |
Q: I've done a small touch up paint job (about same size as a dime) on a Toyota 2004 with a small spot ...
A: Yes it may be worth trying. I have tested several clear-coats for clarity. The clearest one I have ...
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| acrylic enamel spot repairs | 8/26/2008 | Gary |
Q: my buddy wants me touch up a few chips and blisters on his daily drver 55 chevy. It's two tone red ...
A: Base/Clear over enamel isn't a good idea because the base/clear won't fade like the original enamel ...
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| 2003 Mustang Mach 1 Azure Blue | 8/26/2008 | Gary |
Q: My Mach 1 was invloved in an accident. They need to replace the Driver rear qtr panel and bumper. I ...
A: Unfortunately in this day and age there is no such thing as a perfect color match. If you go to ...
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| Clear coat darkening paint | 8/26/2008 | Gary |
Q: I've done a small touch up paint job (about same size as a dime) on a Toyota 2004 with a small spot ...
A: Unfortunately, At this point there is no fix without sanding and reapplying base. Often times ...
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| Driver door 92 Astro Van | 8/26/2008 | William Forster |
Q: The door hangs down a quarter of an inch, as if someone had hung on the door stretching it downward. ...
A: The door needs hinge pins and bushings installed, then it will likely need the door bet a bit to ...
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| clear coat problems | 8/25/2008 | Gary |
Q: what are the causes for the clear coat to fish eye with me even when the car has been wipe down
A: It could be several things that could cause fish eyes. I can quickly name a few: 1) Airborne ...
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| 1999 Cadillac Escalade, Passenger Door does not seal. | 8/24/2008 | William Forster |
Q: I have a fairly decent SUV that was previously stolen and had the doors removed and such. Its in ...
A: The door has been caught by the wind and sprung a bit, or it needs pins and bushings. Pins and ...
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| Driver door | 8/23/2008 | William Forster |
Q: I have a Jeep Cherokee with the driver door not shutting properly. When it is open it isn't level. ...
A: Tim, the door has been left go too long with an alignment problem. I bet if you look around the door ...
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| rubber/vinyl body trim-molding | 8/17/2008 | William Forster |
Q: Is there a product to renew besides Armorall? ..a paint for black rubber trim on bumpers and body ...
A: There are many aerosol can trim black products out there that will work nicely. My preference is ...
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| Car roof restoration | 8/16/2008 | William Forster |
Q: G'day William I've recently had a sunroof removed from my classic car & a metal plate welded in to ...
A: The roof needs a new support welded underneath the area where the roof patch was welded in. There ...
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| Roof Replacement | 8/13/2008 | William Forster |
Q: I have a 1988 Mazda hatchback with a manual sunroof that I want to remove. I know of several ways ...
A: Jim- you are treading only where professionals should go. First, The headliner must be removed no ...
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| car painting | 8/12/2008 | William Forster |
Q: I have been painting cars for some time now and every now and then I experience problems with ...
A: you are either over applying clear coat over high metallic colors, burning the metallic out of ...
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| clear coat problems | 8/11/2008 | Gary |
Q: i used the ppg global paint on the truck we painted. the problem came up when the clear was shot, ...
A: It could be that the hardener was bad or old. How long had the hardener been opened before it was ...
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| paint crack on the hood | 8/11/2008 | Gary |
Q: I just purchased a restored 1969 Camaro Z28 from a classic car dealer here in Maryland. Upon ...
A: To fix it correctly so that you would be happy with it you might as well have it repainted. ...
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| Removing wheel paint from body | 8/11/2008 | Gary |
Q: I recently sprayed my car with some wheel paint. I don't know what I was thinking. I wrote on the ...
A: If it was from a spraycan it should come off rather easily with acetone. I don't believe I would use ...
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| blending b/c c/c | 8/7/2008 | William Forster |
Q: i have questions on blending b/c c/c. i have a spot at the bottom of sail panel, and i would like to ...
A: Mike, spotting in is a bad idea- especially on classic cars. You can color the area, and just clear ...
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| Vinyl top removal-84 Cadillac Coupe Deville | 8/6/2008 | Gary |
Q: So I decided to remove the vinyl top off my 84 Coupe. What do you recommend to remove the adhesive ...
A: You can use an adhesive remover for removing the left over residue. As far as a estimate for the ...
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| 2007 honda civic hail damage | 8/6/2008 | Gary |
Q: every body part is being replace, even cutting the roof off I am worried since this a unibody car ...
A: If the repairs are done by a reputable body shop it should not affect the structural integrity of ...
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| Rear Bumper Replacement Estimate | 8/6/2008 | William Forster |
Q: I recently rear ended a 2002 VW Jetta. I was not going very fast, as we were stopped at a stop ...
A: Call a couple local body shops and compare labor rates, their lbor rate seems really high- but I ...
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| Repair or replace? | 8/5/2008 | Gary |
Q: Recently my sport side truck was rear ended (ouch) I was told both fiberglass side panels would have ...
A: Often body shops will opt to repair panels instead of replace at the insistence of the insurance ...
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| fibreglass bodykit repair | 8/5/2008 | Gary |
Q: I'm looking into repairing a fibreglass VRX bodykit for my Mitsubishi Magna, the sideskirts have low ...
A: Take a look at this website for the "How To" on fiberglass repair: ...
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| Patch or Repair armrest | 8/5/2008 | William Forster |
Q: I recently had my car repaired at an autobody shop. They had to replace the right front fender and ...
A: I really have no idea how a body repairman would cause punctures in the armrest of your 4 year old ...
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| Damaged auto door hinges | 8/4/2008 | Gary |
Q: Is it possible to damage the hinges on a vehicle door by slamming the door shut, hard, one time? Is ...
A: I would have no idea how to help you with that. You might see if you can get a technician that works ...
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| Damaged auto door hinges | 8/4/2008 | Gary |
Q: Is it possible to damage the hinges on a vehicle door by slamming the door shut, hard, one time? Is ...
A: In normal circumstances I would say no that slamming a vehicle door one time should not cause that ...
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| wrecked outer door panel | 8/4/2008 | Gary |
Q: I just wrecked the passenger door or my 2005 Chevy Equinox. The door shell it not damaged (just the ...
A: This is not really my area of expertise but I think I might be able to answer your question. I do ...
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| help | 8/2/2008 | William Forster |
Q: i just fixed rear quter now how to paint and clear with out a tape line please explain
A: It's pretty simple don- you have to paint the entire quarter. If there is nowhere to break it of ...
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| dent | 7/31/2008 | Gary |
Q: how do i repair with bondo what is the best kind on the market
A: You will need to pull out the worst of the damage with a dent puller. Afterward you will need to ...
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| 99 dodge ram pass fender | 7/31/2008 | William Forster |
Q: i was looking on the web and came across your posting on 7/30/07. it was about the replacement of ...
A: Jake, I can't really improve upon the answer I gave back on 7-30-07. It's now been 3 years since I ...
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| re-applying old decal or bumber sticker | 7/29/2008 | William Forster |
Q: I have an old bumper sticker made out of thin plastic. It's a special bumper sticker design they ...
A: 3M makes a contact adhesive designed for re-applying emblems to cars. It comes in clear, flat ...
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| 1995 Chevy S-10, Hail, Paint, Suspension? | 7/29/2008 | Gary |
Q: I'm not sure where else to post the latter part, if it's not your cup of tea don't hesitate to say ...
A: I ran across this website sometime ago that I thought was interesting. ...
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| base color not matching as expected | 7/28/2008 | Gary |
Q: I have a question on a fender/wheel flare I've painted. It is Black BC/CC from a 2007 Tahoe. The ...
A: I recommend always blending base-coat no matter what color it is. You may get away 10% of the time ...
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| Goop on my bumper | 7/28/2008 | Gary |
Q: I have a 2008 Honda Accord. I backed into a stone wall recently and got some white goop (blobs) of ...
A: First of all you need to see what this "goop" is. Go back to the wall and inspect it and see if you ...
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| Auto body repair | 7/27/2008 | Gary |
Q: My 2007 Lexus IS 250 AWD was smashed in the rear with the major impact pushing the bumper within 12" ...
A: The question is would you buy a car that you knew had previous damage and give the same price as one ...
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