emperor_gp

iTrader: (1)

Alright, for all the people that didn't get their '03 wing warranty taken care of (like myself) or bought their evo used and is now seeing clear coat flaking or turning white on the horizontal areas.. Please read in its entireity before performing. This is by no means the most definitive guide on accomplishing this task. Feel free to add input if you have done it and know of a better way. I only did the top portion of the wing.

What you need:

350 to 400 grit sand paper
Bucket of water and rags (to wipe off dust)
Masking tape
Newspaper
Alcohol (not the drinking kind )
Spray Can of clear coat


Directions:

Well I want to start off by saying that I didn't want to use paint stripper on the CF/resin part of the wing just because I didn't know how the resin would react to the paint stripper so I decided to sand off the clear coat instead.

Tape off and wrap in newspaper the parts of the wing you do not want accidentally touched by the sand paper. You don't want additional damage to the finish. Save some tape and newspaper for later. You will use more tape and newspaper to protect the painted parts of your car when you spray the clear coat.

Tear off a piece of sandpaper no bigger than your hand (this is a personal preference, you can use whatever size you want).

Begin sanding. Do not use too much force! You'd rather sand off the layers of clear coat slowly and safely rather than eat too much into the resin. That would create pits in the resin (not good).

As you're sanding, the clear coat will appear cloudy and white. Just keep at it until the cloudiness comes off and STOP. Move on to another area. With that said, you don't want to sand small areas at a time. Sand 8 to 12 inch areas. Inevitably, you will have stubborn spots that will require more sanding. Sand those areas with care. Every now and then, use a wet rag to wipe off the dust created. Dry off and sand again.

When you have all the clear coat removed, make sure you clean off all the dust with the water and rag. Use plenty of water.


Applying the clear coat:

Tape off (tape and newpaper) the rear part of your car. Make sure you cover the rear glass, trunk, rear quarter and bumper. You might want to cover a bit of the roof as well. Re-tape the parts of your wing that you don't want sprayed.

Take a rag and pour some alcohol on it. Do a couple of passes on your wing. This will ensure that there is no oil on the resin and aid the adhesion of the clear coat. Allow for alcohol to evaporate.

Shake the can of clear coat VIGOROUSLY for about five minutes. Take off the cap.

Spray in sweeping motions from left to right (or right to left, it doesn't matter). Touch up the corners that attach to the sides of the wing. Be careful not to spray too much on each coat. Allow each coat to dry (30-45 mins) before spraying another coat. I was told 3 coats is fine. I applied 4

Allow at LEAST 48 hours before buffing. I used detailing clay to buff. You may be able to use a fine grit rubbing compound (NOT THE RED KIND). It took me a total of 6 hours to do mine. The clear coat on my wing was already halfway off so it was easy to remove.

I will post pix this coming weekend

Hope you guys find this post helpful.

krafty

iTrader: (17)

Great write up, any pics?

emperor_gp

iTrader: (1)