Cosmetics needed

[steveinjapan]

My otherwise pretty car has a blemish. Anyone ever fixed something like this? (The cracking I mean, but if you have a good idea on the gap, that too!)

2199

[old'uns]

the cracking is purely the age of the vinyl, heat cycles etc.
Pain in the *** to remove, even with heat gun only comes off in small pieces and leaves lots of glue behind and a lot of cleaning up.
paint stripper works but i left mine on too long..oops!
Long and laborious job either way.
2201220222032200

the gap should be just a case of removing and refitting?

[Steve_M]

That finish, as olduns says is just a vinyl covering which is stuck over the bodywork. it could be replaced (not sure if the original parts are still available). But I expect a sign/graphics company could vinyl wrap to match the satin finish black once the original is painstakingly removed and body cleaned up.

Im not sure which gap you are refering too thou??

[steveinjapan]

Thanks guys. It sure looks great but for me a bit too much work for the effect. I'm going to try sanding down to the white substrate and then prime, sand, and spray with bumper paint. Simply adore the snakeskin with the zebra, by the way :explode:

[old'uns]

there won't be a White substrate as such, next layer down from the Black vinyl is glue.
Primer 'may' react with either of those surfaces anyway.....you could just put the new layer over top, finish won't be perfect but if you use a matt finish or slightly textured similar to whats used on B pillars etc will still look better?

[steveinjapan]

Thanks for that tip. I've got most of the black off already - it's a real thin layer. If that whitish stuff is glue, it's much thicker and it's actually the stuff that is cracked. Now I have to find some primer around town, preferably sandable. I was going to use gloss top, but maybe matte or semi-gloss is the way to go.

Later - Got down to what looks like metal primer for the glue. Not too difficult using a very sharp scraper (wood chisel), and now I'm getting down to the paint, so maybe I won't even need to prime.

[Steve_M]

For original finish the part numbers of the black film are :-

72425-SS1-003 - Centre part.
72427-SS1-003 - Right hand pillar
72467-SS1-003 - Left hand pillar

[streetwise]

Thanks for that tip. I've got most of the black off already - it's a real thin layer. If that whitish stuff is glue, it's much thicker and it's actually the stuff that is cracked. Now I have to find some primer around town, preferably sandable. I was going to use gloss top, but maybe matte or semi-gloss is the way to go.

Later - Got down to what looks like metal primer for the glue. Not too difficult using a very sharp scraper (wood chisel), and now I'm getting down to the paint, so maybe I won't even need to prime.

Hi Steve,
You might want to try WD40 lubricating spray if you can get it in japan or meths spirit as these sometimes melt the glue so you can wipe away without damage to paint below. You can also use a one sided safety razor blade to take away the worst of the glue. There's a glue removal (liquid) product used by signwriters to clean old panels before appyling new graphics.
Takes all the hard work out of it!
Cheers David

I have some gloss black vinyl film if you need it (used to do signwriting!) just email me and I can send some over.

[steveinjapan]

Thanks David,
I think I'll just do semigloss black from a rattle can. I have not removed the windscreen rubber so the film would be pretty hard to apply, whereas I have a good system worked out for paint masking. I got most of the glue off with a sharp tool and then used acetone thinner and coarse steel wool to get the rest off. Unfortunately I made some gouges but I think the primer will fill them OK. Hope to finish it tomorrow and will post pix.

[Steve_M]

Add this link as img to your sig. Hows that???

http://www.u-ukhbc.co.uk/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=2207&d=1365343964

[Steve_M]

it doesnt work because you have not copied the whole URL. you need to add this to your signature.

"ttp://www.u-ukhbc.co.uk/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=2207&d=1365343964"

with an h in before the ttp at the begining and with out the quote marks.

[steveinjapan]

Im not sure which gap you are refering too thou??

I pulled the soft rubber piece back a bit so I could mask it but I'm wondering if it should be cemented to the roof-windscreen frame. Mine evidently is not. I picked up a tube of black silicone (Sikaflex) along with the rattle cans today, so can I just fill in the gap if it's still there when I push the rubber back as far as it will go?

[Steve_M]

This is what shop manual shows for that area.

Looks like two strips of sealer (If you can get it translated for exact wording)

[steveinjapan]

That's what's in there, all right. Still sticky but the rubber seal has pulled away. Offhand I can't think of anything stickier, so it's either fill the gap or look for more sealer strips.

BTW, I am truly amazed that Honda still lists the vinyl covering as available. But the satin black paint looks nice. I couldn't find any at the hardware store because it was hiding in back of some other blacks. Eventually I made myself understood to a salesman who then pointed to the casing of some power tool and asked if that's what I wanted - bingo! Good paint too. Gotta fix some goofs once it's fully dry and then will take some photos. Thanks all, for the advice.

[Steve_M]

It may be that the rubber seal has actually shrunk a bit over time, pulling away from the pillar slightly.

UV from sunlight and the weather treat rubber seals pretty badly.

[steveinjapan]

221122092210

A little detailing to go and it's done. Satin black has the right amount of gloss.The black Sikaflex polyurethane fills the gap and matches the rubber color, and if my technique of using tape to cover it until set (to eliminate glossy finish) had been better, it would be almost invisible. Again, thanks for all your help - "before" is on the left.

Can I move this thread to the "how-to" section?

SteveF

[old'uns]

looks better.