How to remove car paint varnish

[Avocet]

Don't be wasting the OP's time and money. You can't cover up failed clear coat with a can. Everything must be sanded off then repainted. Don't need the body shop either. The goal should be to get something passable, and not perfection.

As someone whose son drives a 33 year old red Italian car, let's just say that "I've got the T-shirt"! You can, with a bit of work, repair lifted lacquer. Not perfectly, not by a long chalk, but it is do-able, and I've done it.

That said, those photos don't show (as far as I can see) much lacquer "peel" - maybe a patch on the back of the offside rear wheelarch - hard to tell from the photo, but most of it just looks like fading. If it were my car, I'd try some Farecla G3 buffing paste first, and then work down to finer stuff. You might end up going through the lacquer, but of that happens, you're not much worse-off anyway.

The alternate strategy for the OP is simply reduce the price. Nearly everything is sellable if the price is low enough. Rather than using this as an opportunity to learn to paint, which is valuable in itself, he could drop the price. Imagine where the OP would be if he gains the skill to paint? He would be buying a bargain like this, and have a perfectly fine car after.

It's not worth trying to paint anything in this weather, unless the OP has a heated garage.

 

[Avocet]

Hi A,
Yes, all of what you say.
I'll try a little acetone, to see if it blends the varnish edges, and just poilish it.
C.

I think you'll regret the acetone! If you really want to try, maybe an "inconspicuous area first", as they say!

 

[camerart]

Don't be wasting the OP's time and money. You can't cover up failed clear coat with a can. Everything must be sanded off then repainted. Don't need the body shop either. The goal should be to get something passable, and not perfection.

The alternate strategy for the OP is simply reduce the price. Nearly everything is sellable if the price is low enough. Rather than using this as an opportunity to learn to paint, which is valuable in itself, he could drop the price. Imagine where the OP would be if he gains the skill to paint? He would be buying a bargain like this, and have a perfectly fine car after.

Hi D,
My first job, 1961 was spraying combine harvesters.
Me again:

C.

 

[DiyNutJob]

Hi D,
My first job, 1961 was spraying combine harvesters.
Me again:

C.

Have you lost the skill? If not, you can paint car like combine harvester and polish it up. The goal should not be to get perfection. The goal should to be to get it to a state where the buyer start thinking: I'll put in some elbow grease and it'll be fine.

 

[DiyNutJob]

It's not worth trying to paint anything in this weather, unless the OP has a heated garage.

You have no trouble telling him to go at it with a can.

Good to hear your not letting your son drive an EV. He has a full life ahead of him.

 

[Avocet]

You have no trouble telling him to go at it with a can.

Yes, that's the difference between someone who knows what can and can't be done, and someone who doesn't. It CAN be done with a can, it CAN'T be done in sub-zero temperatures. (In fact, there are instructions on the cans, if ever you feel the urge to try it...)

Good to hear your not letting your son drive an EV. He has a full life ahead of him.

He can drive whatever he wants, but despite the prophesies of doom and gloom from certain, quite unpleasant, people with agendas, His ICE cost him £1100, and EVs aren't depreciating that badly, I'm afraid...

 

[camerart]

Have you lost the skill? If not, you can paint car like combine harvester and polish it up. The goal should not be to get perfection. The goal should to be to get it to a state where the buyer start thinking: I'll put in some elbow grease and it'll be fine.

Hi D,
My days of red paint have passed, I just drive it and maintain the working bits.
C