Fixing Hood Paint - With out a body shop?

I got my truck used, and it has the terrible bug deflector installed from the dealer. Its a 2006, so it has had the last 5 years to tear the shit out of my hood. At each location on the hood where the metal clips bend over, im missing probably a nickel sized square of paint, its rusting there a bit and i would like to take off the bug deflector.

I have been hesitant in taking it off because i really dont want to see how bad the damage is, and i dont want to drive around with the huge chips on the lip of my hood.

Im not 100% new to painting, i did a home job on my 1988 toyota pickup about 4 years ago, but i want this hood to turn out as factory as possible. And i hope if i just put enough time into it, that will be achievable.

This is where i need your advice!

I have watched countless youtube videos and searched around the interweb trying to get a good grasp on what is the perfect way to go about this fix. But im still feeling hesitant trying to start it.

Ill try to get some pictures up of the chips, but since im not ready to do it yet, I fear removing the bug deflector, then put it back on might make it even worse.


What i know:

This is going to take a lot of time to do right, and im fine with that. If i have to spend hours sanding these few little spots over the course of a week or two as layers dry, that is ok. I just want it to look good!


What I think i need:

-A bottle of touch up paint. I imagine, i can layer this up enough to sand it flat.. (radiant red, this should be easier to deal with than any of the metallics!)
-some primer
-multiple grits of sand paper
-some sanding blocks (not sure what would be best on this part of the hood


Do i need clear? Is it bad to re-clear only part of an area?

Thanks for your help!

 

Subscribed.
After I removed mine it had same thing. But from the sounds of it size of yours is worse. I'm curious to see responses.

 

Pics would help a lot. Hard to give advice on a paint repair without seeing exactly what you need repaired

 

You make a valid point. Just removed it, and.. not as bad as i thought! But still i need to fix it, down to the metal on the corner.

There are only 2 spots! i thought 3 or 4. And most of the rust i saw, was the actual metal brackets rusting, not the hood. Looks way better removed too

Here are the closest shots i could get for you.





No mustache!

 

i dont think i home repair will cover it too well. maybe if you do it them put clear bra over it? maybe plastidip that sucker? maybe prime and pain it and put the bug flector back on?

 

Well putting it back on is out, Its fugly and is going to just keep messing it up. I guess if worst comes to worst i can just paint pen it and cringe every time i look at my hood.

Id really like to put some layers of paint on there and try to sand it flush and polish it to like new. But its kind of a noticeable spot to mess up on. :/

 

Pic #2 looks like there is rust under the paint that has not come off yet.

IMO that repair is beyond a DIY project unless you have some serious paint equipment and painting experience.

 

That hood is starting to rust up pretty bad... In your second pic, you can see all the "scabbing" above the bare metal. That's all paint that's just ready to flake off because of the rust below it.

Honestly man, take it to a shop. It's 5 minutes to pop off a hood, they can have it sanded, and painted up in a couple days, and it won't break the bank. And it will be DONE RIGHT!

If you choose to do this yourself, you've got to do what the shop would do... That's strip off all the scabbing paint, remove all the rust, fill rusty dimples with fiberglass, sand, etc... Your repair area will end up nearly 4" wide by the end of it all. There's NO WAY you can touch up that big an area, and have it look half-decent.

If you want to half-ass it, you could remove the scabbing, take a wire-wheel, or purple 3M sanding disc, and remove all the rust. Then hit the bare metal with an epoxy primer, or etch primer. Sand it a bit (use 500 grit) then touch it up. It will look like absolute shit, but at least the rust has stopped.

Those are really your 2 options. But run it by your local shop, you may be surprised how inexpensive it would be to have such a small repair made.

 

OK ill get it checked out, thanks for the honest opinions guys

 

Well i just ran down to the best reviewed body shop on yelp in San Francisco. Did i mention that SF is the worst place ever? Cant wait to LEAVE. Anyways, guy told the only way to do it and have it look good is to repaint the whole hood. Said that would run about $450. Suggested i just sand it down and touch it up. Damn. Ill have to check around

 

Well, he is right. The BEST way to go is to do what he said, but it's not the only option.

If he tries to only paint the damaged areas and do a "blend", he takes the risk of you not liking it and he has to do it all over again on his nickle. He is trying to sell you the best option for the least amount of risk for him while still making the customer happy, and that's just good business. Unfortunately it doesn't always mean it is the cheapest way to go.

Go around and get some other prices..... Estimates are free.

 

^^^ x2

Shop around, not all shops are created equal. You don't need a lot of paint to fix that area. If you're SPECIFIC with the shop, tell them you just need the rust removed, and the rusty area painted, then clear the rest of the hood, it will be much cheaper, and you won't run the risk of poor colour match against the fenders.

A good painter can keep the paint on that repair small enough, and far enough away from your fenders that you won't have to worry about blending the fenders.

Then they just clear the entire hood, and voila.

Shop around... It'll be worth your while. Otherwise, you can always DIY, but it won't look very pretty unfortunately!