Clear coat bubbles

[Billpolkjr]

I have a 1997 GMC K1500 that I just inherited from my dad. The truck is in great shape mechanically and the paint and body are perfect except for some small bubbles in the clear coat in various places. Is there anything I can do to fix that (rubbing compound, wet sanding, etc)? I have been a mechanic all of my life but I have never messed with paint and body. I would appreciate some advice before I do something to mess up a beautiful truck. Thanks.

 

[Needs15]

Do you have pictures? Are they in areas that get lots of sun? Like roof, hood, top of box. Usually any bubbles in clear means the clear has separated from the paint. The only thing to fix properly is to repaint those areas where the clear is bubbled. Not much else you can do if that is the problem but without pictures can't give you a forsure answer.

 

[Supercharged111]

Pics are important here. The clear coat on my 1500 is giving up and the paint in general is blowing off on my dually.

 

[Billpolkjr]

Do you have pictures? Are they in areas that get lots of sun? Like roof, hood, top of box. Usually any bubbles in clear means the clear has separated from the paint. The only thing to fix properly is to repaint those areas where the clear is bubbled. Not much else you can do if that is the problem but without pictures can't give you a forsure answer.

The truck has been garage kept for most of it's life. Here are some pictures. Any help is greatly appreciated.

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[kennythewelder]

This is how it starts. You cant polish it out, you cant really sand it out just a little, ECT. What is happening is that the clear coat and paint are seperating. The paint is turning back to powder, and the clear coat is braking down. The truck is 24 years old, or almost anyway, and ,so is the paint, and clear coat. Time and the elements have taken there tole on the paint, and clear coat. Like you, my truck is also a 97. I had it repainted in 2013. Fact-o-bake did the paint job. Cost me $867 then. I think the same job today is just under $1000. I am putting my truck in our local car shows all of the time. Its in show room condition. Like you, before the paint job, my truck had no dents, so all it needed was a repaint. As long as you keep it the same color, it cost a lot less for a repaint. From what I understand, Macco does the same type of paint job. I admit I do wax my truck a lot, clean it a very lot. My paint job is a single stage paint job, so no clear coat. All Fact-o- bake does im this type of paint job is sand down, tape off, and paint. So when I brought my truck there, I removed the grill, and tail lights. I also had them paint the strips, and mirrors black. Here are a few pics. The top pic I took only a few weeks ago.

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[Hipster]

That is the clearcoat breaking down and most body/paint guys will tell you those panels need to be stripped as painting over clearcoat or paint that is letting loose is not the way to a long lasting repaint.

 

[Needs15]

What Hipster said is the best way to repair it. Anytime trying to paint over that you are asking for issues in the future. If your plan is to not keep the truck for a long time or your not worried about what may happen in a few years time then you may get away with it but it isn't what I recommend. I like to strip any vehicle I am doing a full repaint to bare metal and start fresh and clean and I know what I am using works, is compatible and lasts.

The other thing I don't recommend is a maaco paint job. (Sorry to anyone who has a maaco type paint job as this isn't intended to make judgement.) Especially if you plan on keeping truck. They use cheap products which breakdown way faster in the sun and elements and In a few years time will have the same issues your are having now. Just think a gallon of paint is anywhere from say $200 to $400 or more depending on quality of product and color. Red is always more expensive. That's not including activators or reducers which the hardner is usually close to cost of paint. So now your say $400 in paint materials assuming they use single stage. Now they have $400 to sand mask and paint your whole vehicle and at 60 to 80 bucks an hour labour rate you can just imagine the quality of sanding happening on your vehicle. Adhesion will be a huge issue due to lack of sanding, sand scratches showing through will be a huge issue. Now like I said if your ok with all those than that's fine but I would personally not want to throw money at something that's not gonna last. I would take my chances if I had no knowledge of paint work and try and do it myself.

 

[Hipster]

Not all Maaco's are created equal. They are independently owned and operated and some do much better work then others. You have to go look at their work. maaco doeasn't remove anything from the vehicle as paint prep so you get paint on moldings etc. I had one I dealt with and used to detrim and prep, bodywork , even partially outline masking tape and have them wrap it up and shoot it. I would ask for the urethane grade paint and not the acrylic or synthetic enamels and get a reasonably decent job from them. They would give me basically a dealer type price because it was ready to shoot and the used Nason so I was getting the Nason Single stage urethane which is actually not a bad product.

It wasn't really a bad deal as a gallon of single stage of some type of decent urethane runs me in the $500-700+ range with reduces and activators.

 

[kennythewelder]

Not all Maaco's are created equal. They are independently owned and operated and some do much better work then others. You have to go look at their work. maaco doeasn't remove anything from the vehicle as paint prep so you get paint on moldings etc. I had one I dealt with and used to detrim and prep, bodywork , even partially outline masking tape and have them wrap it up and shoot it. I would ask for the urethane grade paint and not the acrylic or synthetic enamels and get a reasonably decent job from them. They would give me basically a dealer type price because it was ready to shoot and the used Nason so I was getting the Nason Single stage urethane which is actually not a bad product.

It wasn't really a bad deal as a gallon of single stage of some type of decent urethane runs me in the $500-700+ range with reduces and activators.

Oh, IDK that they dont strip off the old peeling paint. Fact-o-bake, did sand down mine. They gave me a 12 month warranty. As mentioned about macco, fact-o-bake is local owned. So I agree 100% that you need to go see there work first. That is why I chose fact-o-bake. The owner used to be the paint guy at our local Ford dealer. I knew He knows what He is doing. Also after seeing there work, I was impressed. They do grate work there.

 

[Needs15]

If it's worked out for you guys that's great, not gonna argue about it.

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This is what happens when a vehicle is not prepped properly prior to painting, I took a spreader to the whole truck and could scrape all the paint and primer off right down to the factory paint. Would this show up right away, no. It would have taken some time but as soon as some rock chips formed or the paint started to break down and you went to pressure wash it you would start having big sheets of paint flying off.