Bicycle meets Speedster

You could leave it like it is and spread some rust colored paint on it....

Let the purists wonder if it's the real deal.

Never thought of that one Terry! I avoid purists, I can't measure up to their expectations.

I think the Dr Clock powdered resin fiberglass kit might help to get the area smooth then it is sand and paint.  Our TD bodied friend used it for his fenders and it worked well. 

a 2-part epoxy would also work, it might take a couple of applications since it's a vertical surface I would use a fast-set like 5 minute, mix, let it thicken and apply. Sand with 200 or finer down to 800 (or finer) and paint.

Then make a nice bike rack, far away from you car and insist that the boys use it!

You're a pretty easy going guy, Bob.  Good for you.

If that happened in my fathers garage we would be one kid short at dinner.

Note to self: move kid stuff further away from speedster

I may be wrong, but with metallic paint you are going to need to paint the entire door.  

At least. Metallic is impossible to match. I have a 6.5 year old at home. Once he got big enough to cause damage outside, I built him his own toy shed for his bike, scooter, etc. it was a very good investment.
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I'll defer to the craftsmen out here but depending on the depth you could prime and use the red filler (red lead) for small dings. I use it on boats when there's a small hole or gouge that's not big enough for the epoxy etc. Tom is right about getting a match on metallic. I had a racing shell recently where I had the manufacturers paint code but it was still off. You need a good shop why they can blend the color manually to get it right. Not many of those around. I'm still working on my skills in that area -with mixed results. Good luck!

Notice how Tom didn't say whether he ever let his 6.5 year old OUT of the shed. 

I'm just trying to get it presentable for now. A total respray is in the future.

Thanks.

Al Gallo posted:

You're a pretty easy going guy, Bob.  Good for you.

If that happened in my fathers garage we would be one kid short at dinner.

 Your not kidding now I keep hoping my second reaction will be my first

I'm with Boothy.  I don't know what it's called these days, but when I was prepping Pearl for paint I got a tube of Red Putty from the paint supply place.  It looks like red primer but is the consistency of toothpaste and is used for deep scratches and gouges.  Sand the area out to 2"-3" radius around the gouge and then apply the putty with a plastic spreader (looks like a plastic spatula).    Like Spackel, it might take a couple or more light applications to get it to fill smoothly, once sanded with a large sanding block.  Let it dry for a day or so between applications to make sure it cures through.  It looks like a deep-ish gouge - later, lighter coats will dry quickly.

I would not attempt to match the color and paint it myself.  Instead, I would take it to a locally recommended place that does good paint work and let them color-match it with a computer scanner.  The place that painted Pearl (3-part micro-metallic with a top coat) said that they could match my paint perfectly with their machine.  Even then, ask around if any place is better than others in your area with metallic paint, if that's what you have.  Even with a computer formulation, really matching it can be a PITA.

And don't forget!  In your area, that best-of-breed paint shop might be one that does boats for a living!

Bob,

I'll bet you're pretty glad you put off the re-spray on the front of the car, huh?

I had my IM for exactly one week (didn't even have the engine in it yet), when Michael (then 16) tripped and dropped a piece of scrap steel into the passenger's side rear quarter-panel. gouging it down to the fibers. I did a fill with "spot putty" (the red stuff everybody is talking about) without feathering out then applied color-matched touch-up paint (made using my paint-code) from Born Paint on Jefferson in Peoria.

I did the "wipe" with a rag wetted with lacquer thinner, and called it good enough for a while.

If you try to get aggressive sanding, you'll get through the clear-coat and have a real mess. Anything you do isn't going to look "great", you'll just need to live with it until you do the respray (but you knew that already).

So right, Stan.  These cars do collect battle scars.

My three lads are all gone from home.  Actually, I don't need them to do dumb things to the Speedster - I do enough on my own. 

Mike's been married for 6 years, now. He was a great kid, and is an even better man. He was sick to the point of all color draining out of his face when he saw the damage.

Stuff happens. It's just a thing. It was pretty tough to swallow, though, as it was less than a week old.

Whatever. The front of the car looks like it was shot with a 12 gauge loaded with rock-salt now. Someday, I'll get it shot again-- but not this year. 

I would recommend a 2 part polyester glazing putty.  After sanding, this filler can be used to smooth out small areas.  Apply in thin coats.  Evercoat makes some really good stuff.  I have used several of their products.  They make it easy for even us non-body repairmen to do a good job! 

Stan:

Born in Peoria made up my touch up paint for the car as well. I have most of a rattle can and about a half cup of the wet. 

James: 

Thanks for the advice. 

West Systems products are used in the boating trade. Great products for all things fiberglass.  Available at boating outlets, such as West Marine (no relationship).

Do not do anything other than what you have done, a wrong epoxy can play havoc with paint,  metallic's can be matched ....it all depends on the body guy, ( variables are: type of gun, air pressure metallic weight content and how good the painter is)  if one shop say's it can't match it ( they don't know how) move on to another shop that does. If you happen to have the paint code or left over paint it can be matched even if slight adjustments need to be done with the code/ mix formula..... This is the trait of a professional  painter. I've seen what I'll refer to as the near impossible get done correctly and reasonably with just spotting it in. If the entire door needs to be done ( older paint  - sun exposure) a painter won't just do the door as it will stand out, it needs to be blended into the front fender and rear quarter.   Kelly F. will chime in he had his red speedster matched perfectly. Too bad you are not close to me , it would get turned in two days and be right.

I would prep the area without too much "aggression".  Fill with any 2 part polyester

filled resin if it's more than say, 1/16" deep. (don't use epoxy).  A wipe with acetone after sanding, then the red spot putty.  Prime and paint.  Good luck matching that metallic.

That Gouge is a little more than I'd try to fill with red spot putty. And once you're into it with the 80 grit, the job gets pretty big anyway. So I second Merklin. If you're going to have it resprayed anyway later, just leave the touch-up for now.

" Red putty" aka Nitro-stain is a thing of the past, it's just thick primer putty that shrinks leading to problems.  Now days,  Evercoat followed by a high build primer is the right way to go for small defects w/o shrinkage. 

STP sticker for us old guys. Used a Castrol sticker/ decal on a fan shroud from Bergmann, hid the crack and held it together too.