So, a previous owner on my car made a 1/2 attempt at preserving (I think that was the attempt) of the patina on my car. However they only got 1/2 way down the hood and fenders, and there is a distinct line. Any ideas on how to cut through the clearcoat without killing the patina? Any idea on how to get the car back to looking "uniform"? Here you can see the line....
It's going to be very time consuming, but you can start off wetsanding the clearcoat with 800 grit sandpaper, and work your way to a finer grit once the clear is getting thin. Any courser of a sandpaper and you run the risk of cutting too deep into the original paint.
Been a bodyman/painter 40 + years...sorry but you cannot get it off and not damage the orig finish usually, unless its fairly fresh clear, (30 days max).......some people may tell you it can be done with lacquer thinner..no way.Maybe a ...50/50 chance of urethane reducer taking it off and leaving the orig. but it has to be urethane clear on the car..witch it probobly is..(.lacquer clear would be duller than what it appears to me ).,and use a lot of clean non cotton rags,or towels....but its chancy and you could wipe the orig paint as well..and messy...if you try this.do a small area as a test...if it works.tape off all the chrome first on the front end and fenders...if you dont like what the test area reveals....The only sure thing you can do is finish what the A holes started...clear the whole car...scotch brite the clear uniformly and then the rest of the car,,...tape it off and clear the whole car...hope this helps you ... L.B.
as beyond stated, you may sand it, but, its risky if you aint a pro..maybe have a shop look at it, but it'll not be cheap..and chances are the paint will be damaged as it is a risky process for even the best paint guys...clearing it yourself, with a satin clear(or flattener added) would be in my humble opinion ... your best bet to keep the patina and it not be shiney
I'm thinking you don't really need to remove the clear so much as you need to flatten the shine from it. I'd say wet sand with 800 or even finer.
I would suggest to go to Kustom Shops.com and get a gallon of their satin clear and spray the whole car with that. At least it will be a even finish.
It's overrated until you have a car like mine that is solid, and the patina looks good, and you have no money to paint it yet Until a year or so from now, this is how it is gonna be, and I prefer it to look uniform. Went to ACE and picked up some materials to see if I can do some blending. Stay tuned...
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