My SPI single stage white El Camino hail damage questions.

roger1

Member
Yep, my beloved car that I spent so much time on giving it a show quality paint job a couple of years got hail damage on it. It was in my garage with the cover on it at the time too! I opened the door since it's an uninsulated metal garage and it was a 106 that day. There was absolutely now weather in the forecast for any kind of storm. However, as we were eating supper, it started blowing and hailing. I'd say 60 to 70 mph with quarter dollar sized hail blowing sideways. Too late to go run and close the garage door. I would have gotten bombarded and the garage is almost 200 ft behind the house.

The hail put a bunch of little holes in the cover and dinged the tailgate and the rear few feet of the p/s quarter panel. A bunch of them but only a few were deep at all. I marked them with green tape for the photos:

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I have Grundy coverage on the car and have already given me the check ($1,202). They said due to the number of dents going PDR wouldn't have reduced the amount so it was written up as a conventional repair. I wouldn't have trusted a PDR guy to get perfection on this. Don't even know if it's possible to get a car correct with PDR on a color sanded and buffed finish that is as perfect a job I've ever done. The adjuster knew I was going to fix this myself. No problem with that.

So, bought a $140 PDR kit (glue type) to try and reduce the size dings so that they would block sand out without cutting through the paint and expose the primer. I figured if I could do that, it would make the repair easier. It took me the better part of 2 days but I was able to accomplish that. But, the paint is probably thin and I would like to apply a couple of coats to both panels. I blocked with 400 dry on long board just over the dinged areas. This SPI ss blocked just as easy as primer.

So now I'm getting to the part with questions. I'm figuring that the best thing to do is to paint the entire quarter and blend up into the sail panel. Is it agreed that this is what I should do? I've got 2 quarts of paint so plenty to put a couple of coats on both the quarter and tailgate. I will need to buy a fresh quart of hardener and a quart of blending solvent (which I have never used before).

Since this will be the first time I've blended any SPI product that has been cured, I'd appreciate any guidance and suggestions of best way to prep the panels before applying paint and best procedure for my blend area.

Thanks guys! (and gals if there are any here).
 
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Like Crash the only way I would want to do it would be to take it all the way into the roof. But I understand that would mean doing both 1/4's as well, so probably not what you want to do. Repairability is one of the main drawbacks with single stage urethanes. Blending on the sail panel while it can be done usually will never be completely invisible even after buffing. There will always be an edge that can be seen at some particular angle. Done right it's very subtle but it's still there. If you do the sail panel blend, follow Barry's instructions (on the can and in the tech manual). Don't spray a wet coat of the blending solvent or you will have a mess on your hands. Option 3 in the tech manual (blending solvent page) would be the easiest.

Another thing from reading your post, when you blocked out the dings are you confident you didn't create a lot of waves by blocking the dings? Did you evenly block over the whole area or concentrate on each one? I'd be a little worried that there would now be a bit of a wave on the panels even if you did block it fairly evenly. It's hard to do that on a topcoat and keep it perfect. Trying wetting it and sighting the panels (if you haven't already done so).

If you are going to cut and buff it afterward 3 coats of SS would be better than 2 coats.
 
It does seem awfully low to me too. Did they give you R&I time for the trim, bumper, etc.? Those decals will probably have to be custom made as well.
 
Maybe that was less the deductible? I would want to take it to a reputable shop and have them estimate it, never tell the guy you are doing it yourself since they will know that you can't do a conventional supplement process.
 
I personally would not consider putting an open blend on that kind of car, but then again it's not mine, and it's white, which will be more forgiving when the blend starts to erode.
Thanks Crash.
This was not an answer I was expecting but I'm listening and will do the top and other quarter if that's really what I need to do.
2 things on the positive list for a possible bend are the color and the narrow width of the sail panel on an El Camino.

Like Crash the only way I would want to do it would be to take it all the way into the roof. But I understand that would mean doing both 1/4's as well, so probably not what you want to do. Repairability is one of the main drawbacks with single stage urethanes. Blending on the sail panel while it can be done usually will never be completely invisible even after buffing. There will always be an edge that can be seen at some particular angle. Done right it's very subtle but it's still there. If you do the sail panel blend, follow Barry's instructions (on the can and in the tech manual). Don't spray a wet coat of the blending solvent or you will have a mess on your hands. Option 3 in the tech manual (blending solvent page) would be the easiest.
Another thing from reading your post, when you blocked out the dings are you confident you didn't create a lot of waves by blocking the dings? Did you evenly block over the whole area or concentrate on each one? I'd be a little worried that there would now be a bit of a wave on the panels even if you did block it fairly evenly. It's hard to do that on a topcoat and keep it perfect. Trying wetting it and sighting the panels (if you haven't already done so).
If you are going to cut and buff it afterward 3 coats of SS would be better than 2 coats.
Thanks.
Yes, I am confident I haven't created any waves with my blocking. I did block lightly and evenly with a long board in a cris-cross manner.

I will color sand and buff again and was wondering about whether 3 coats would be what I should do. I wouldn't be comfortable that the 2 quarts I have would be enough to do both quarters, roof and tailgate with 3 coats so that would necessitate in my needing to buy another gallon. Naturally, it would be a lot more work.

I was looking at the option 3 in the tech manual. Do you think it could possibly help at all by pre-treating the blend area with a light coat of blending solvent, allow a little flash time and then do the steps in option 3?
 
I use something like option 2. Even more important is the blend prep, which I don't believe is covered by the tech manual. There should be no rough scratches in the blend zone. I like to use a gold pad with a drop of Dawn to scrub the living daylights out of the blend area. This does dull the finish more than the old-time way of simply prepping the zone with rough compound, but I think my way helps adhesion a lot. Buffing is mandatory in the blend zone, but no color sanding should be done there, or the blend can be easily ruined.
 
I was looking at the option 3 in the tech manual. Do you think it could possibly help at all by pre-treating the blend area with a light coat of blending solvent, allow a little flash time and then do the steps in option 3?

No it won't really soften cured urethane. It's only intended to soften the edge of what you are applying. Not what's already there. It may do so slightly but I don't think so. Doing what Crash stated above is key to getting a decent blend and adhesion. I only recommended option 3 because it is the easiest to do if you have no prior experience with the stuff.
 
Looks like I have to choose whether to go through a lot more work to refinish through the roof and other quarter or do the sail panel blend and live with a subtle but detectable blend edge. I have the advantage that the color is a very bright white but the disadvantage of having no experience with the blend process. I've been doing a lot of thinking about how to proceed but I haven't made the decision yet. I keep going back and forth.

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to help me. I'll let you know how I will proceed when I've made the decision.
 
Update.
Up to yesterday morning I still hadn't decided to do a sail panel blend or paint both quarters and top. I was ready to make my order either way and I called SPI and asked for Barry. I started with the question about which way to go. He said he had seen this thread and had been thinking about it. He thought I could get away with a blend but he didn't know at first that I had 2 quarts of white paint left over from when I painted the car 2 years ago. When I told him that I did, he was even more inclined to say blending should work well. He said if it were him, he'd blend it using what he called a masking paper bridge. He said if I had had to buy new paint, it would have the best chance of being a perfect match than any other color but there still was a slight possibility of a little difference in the titanium tint.

So I made the decision to do the blend. Barry explained what he meant by the bridge and said he would tape up one of his cars this morning and text a few photos so I could see exactly what he was talking about. Here's those photos:
vmacocss05_1169557998499-2-Resized_20200711_092200_2157.jpg


vmacocss05_1169557998499-1-Resized_20200711_091945_3017.jpg


vmacocsoak_2363844494858-1-Resized_20200711_092351_8545.jpg


Those photos were extremely helpful for me to have a full understanding of what he had told me. He said when shooting the color for me not to aim the gun under the bridge at all but to just shoot straight down. And I'm to pull the masking tape bridge of before spraying the blending solvent in that area. Makes total sense to me.

I've removed the tailgate, bumper, marker light and stainless trim and I got the tailgate blocked out today. I decided to start blocking with 320 and follow with 400 and did the edges with gray scotchbrite. I didn't cut through to primer anywhere.
IMG_11481.JPG


Doing this outside helps me check for flatness. I wet it using a rag soaked with solvent based W&G remover. However, even without that you can still see a little refection since the background is so bright in the sun:
IMG_1151.JPG


My out of pocket for this job (since I already had some of the supplies and the decals I need), is only going to be about $350 including the PDR glue kit I bought. That makes the $1,200 insurance claim sound fine to me. I know you guys thought it was low but I'm perfectly fine with I got. Since this is a hobby for me I never count labor on anything. Not much to do for me right now anyway with Covid going absolutely crazy in Texas right now.

I'll keep you all updated with my progress on the car. It's HOT here so I will be slow. 107 today, 109 tomorrow and 111 the next 2 days after that. We might break the all-time record for San Angelo which is 111.
 
The point of the claim being low is they got away with not paying what the damage should have cost to repair (again). That material and decals you had was paid for at one time, wasn't it? That estimate should have been close to double what you got paid, no matter who was doing the repair. What about the cover? I would not have accepted a payment for anything less than repairing it back to pre-damage condition, which is what they owe for, and that would not include a sail panel blend. Color sand and buff, covering the car, and R&I on every part that unbolts or unclips on the rear of the car should have also been included. Sorry for the rant, I am just tired of the insurance companies ripping people off at every opportunity.
 
Update.
Up to yesterday morning I still hadn't decided to do a sail panel blend or paint both quarters and top. I was ready to make my order either way and I called SPI and asked for Barry. I started with the question about which way to go. He said he had seen this thread and had been thinking about it. He thought I could get away with a blend but he didn't know at first that I had 2 quarts of white paint left over from when I painted the car 2 years ago. When I told him that I did, he was even more inclined to say blending should work well. He said if it were him, he'd blend it using what he called a masking paper bridge. He said if I had had to buy new paint, it would have the best chance of being a perfect match than any other color but there still was a slight possibility of a little difference in the titanium tint.

So I made the decision to do the blend. Barry explained what he meant by the bridge and said he would tape up one of his cars this morning and text a few photos so I could see exactly what he was talking about. Here's those photos:
vmacocss05_1169557998499-2-Resized_20200711_092200_2157.jpg


vmacocss05_1169557998499-1-Resized_20200711_091945_3017.jpg


vmacocsoak_2363844494858-1-Resized_20200711_092351_8545.jpg


Those photos were extremely helpful for me to have a full understanding of what he had told me. He said when shooting the color for me not to aim the gun under the bridge at all but to just shoot straight down. And I'm to pull the masking tape bridge of before spraying the blending solvent in that area. Makes total sense to me.

I've removed the tailgate, bumper, marker light and stainless trim and I got the tailgate blocked out today. I decided to start blocking with 320 and follow with 400 and did the edges with gray scotchbrite. I didn't cut through to primer anywhere.
IMG_11481.JPG


Doing this outside helps me check for flatness. I wet it using a rag soaked with solvent based W&G remover. However, even without that you can still see a little refection since the background is so bright in the sun:
IMG_1151.JPG


My out of pocket for this job (since I already had some of the supplies and the decals I need), is only going to be about $350 including the PDR glue kit I bought. That makes the $1,200 insurance claim sound fine to me. I know you guys thought it was low but I'm perfectly fine with I got. Since this is a hobby for me I never count labor on anything. Not much to do for me right now anyway with Covid going absolutely crazy in Texas right now.

I'll keep you all updated with my progress on the car. It's HOT here so I will be slow. 107 today, 109 tomorrow and 111 the next 2 days after that. We might break the all-time record for San Angelo which is 111.
What other business owner would go to that length to help a customer? I've seen that method used so many times but never tried it. I think I will.
I forgot how stinking hot Tejas is. Lived in San Antonio for 13 years.
 
Damage sucks but gives you opportunity to advance your skill. Im interested in the repair process. Ive sprayed a handful of cars in SS but never done a repair or blend in SS, only BC/CC, so im interested to see how its done. Also as far as BC/CC, ive never blended without reclearing the entire panel. Its almost no extra work to scuff and reclear the rest of the panel.
 
The point of the claim being low is they got away with not paying what the damage should have cost to repair (again). That material and decals you had was paid for at one time, wasn't it? That estimate should have been close to double what you got paid, no matter who was doing the repair. What about the cover? I would not have accepted a payment for anything less than repairing it back to pre-damage condition, which is what they owe for, and that would not include a sail panel blend. Color sand and buff, covering the car, and R&I on every part that unbolts or unclips on the rear of the car should have also been included. Sorry for the rant, I am just tired of the insurance companies ripping people off at every opportunity.

X2!!!! Absolutely. Well said Texas.

This was no honest mistake on the adjusters part. It was completely intentional once he realized that you were doing the repair yourself. He/She knew that they could probably get away with writing it for half of what it was worth. Personally to do it right like TK said above I would think you are looking at $3000-$3500.
AT THE VERY LEAST I would call Grundy direct and complain to the company. You can find out who the Corporate Officers are with a Google search and contact them. Bypass the underlings who will give you the run around. Make contact with someone in authority there, preferably the CEO. Most of the time the very high up guys in a company will want to make something like this right. You are owed more than you received.
Insurance adjusters like that are just pure scum.
Personally I don't think I want to go with Grundy when I insure my car because if this is how unscrupulous their adjusters are then I don't want to give them my business.
 
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