Paint Repair On My Truck

 

I had some spots on my beloved truck where the paint was failing.  I guess after twenty five years it will happen, however I definitely didn’t want to leave it like that.  I didn’t have the money to have it professionally repaired, it just isn’t something I’d budgeted for.  So, I had to figure out how to do it myself.

 

In my much younger days I’ve helped my dad work on his vehicles and some of that did include body work and painting so I knew I could do it.  I had actually begun this project, working on the largest spot on the hood which I sanded and primed just before winter began in 2020.  Then that spring in 2021 I planned to finish this project once the weather got better.  However, I had my heart issues and landed myself in the hospital that April.  That pretty much put a damper on my plans.

 

This is the spot I started working on a few years ago

I navigated all of my health hurdles and eventually got myself back into project mode.  Other things taken priority over this project though, but I finally decided I’d get it done before this Fall season no matter what.  I needed to get it done and make it a priority especially before some real damage occurred.  At this point it was only cosmetic, but in time I knew it would gradually get worse and eventually I’d be dealing with rust.  No one wants rust on their vehicle.  I sure don’t.

 

Masked off & 1st coat of paint applied

All done!

Sanding the areas smooth until I got all the loose paint off was the first thing I had to do before I masked off the areas I was working on.  Then I sprayed automotive primer over the sanded areas.  I sanded between coats and once I was satisfied with the three smooth coats of primer I cleaned the area with some acetone and then sprayed the white color match paint I had ordered and has been sitting in my garage patiently waiting for me.  Thankfully, it was still good.

 

I'm really happy with how it turned out

I'm really happy with the results

Is it perfect?  No, not really, but I wasn’t going for perfect.  I was going for better and that is exactly what I have.  Once the paint cures I’ll wash the truck and then get it waxed and buffed.  Then it will be perfect, at least to me anyway.  Most of all, it feels really good to finally have this project off of my “to-do” list and to no longer have to worry about it anymore.  I’m also pretty proud that I did it myself and it turned out pretty darn good.  I think even my Dad would approve.  Definitely.