Thoughts on spraying clear coat on dull paint?

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Just washed an old metallic silver Honda hatchback for the first time since I got it 6 years ago. Most of the paint will polish out nicely but the roof paint is pretty dull. I'll try polishing it first but if it's anything like similar cars, that wont help much with the shine. I have some of this 2K clear coat I've been wanting to try, https://car-rep.com/us/product/car-rep-2k-polyurethane-clear-coat-high-gloss-11oz/ Would it be worth a shot? I noticed while washing it, the roof looked nice and shiny while wet. Wouldn't the clear coat give the same effect?
 
I have had the roof of a car with nice paint but bad clear "re-cleared", and it has looked great and lasted nicely for ten years now at least. But it isnt outside all the time, which probably helps. And I had it done by a professional shop that specialized in classic car updating/improvements.

I suspect like everything else, prep is the key.

I have re-cleared over failing clear on my 2wd Ram and it has been OK, but I wasnt trying to make it look consistent...
 
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I've watched a few YouTube tutorials about this as I would like to re-clear the hatch on my Scion. IIRC, prep the surface by washing and then remove any oils with a solvent, tape off, spray in an enclosed area and recoat if needed.
 
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No aerosol, please....it just looks hideous.
That type of 2K spray paint is not a normal spray, has the 2 components and comes out heavier more like a real paint gun, I have used it and seen it used, albeit on smaller parts like a spoiler, bumper cover, all of which ended up with a very smooth final finish that required just a bit of polishing nothing crazy orange peel and definitely not that look of a standard rustoelum spray bomb finish.

Make sure you soak the can in a bucket of warm water before you spray..... and regular paint prep as already mentioned.

What do you have to lose?
 
Sprayed on 3 coats. Hard to tell in the photo but looks much better already with some nice shine. Does have slight texture in the finish. Can I wet sand tomorrow or should I wait a week for it to fully cure?

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No offense intended, but that looks terrible. You can try to knock down the texture with a 2k disc, but I just don't see this turning out well.
I think a better photo at a different angle would help.
 
Does it need to be fixed? The clear coat failed on my car years ago. After five years of more sitting in the sun the paint looks no worse.
 
Sprayed on 3 coats. Hard to tell in the photo but looks much better already with some nice shine. Does have slight texture in the finish. Can I wet sand tomorrow or should I wait a week for it to fully cure?
I would have definately waited the week and left it sit in the sun to fully cure. Then started with 2k wet sand by hand and worked up to polishing from rubbin compounds first. Is there actually enough paint on it? you said its 3 coats, how wet were they and did you wait between each? at the end did it look like it was flowing out or no?
 
I would wet sand it with 400 then 600 and spray 2 full wet coats of real 2k clear on it with a gun. That looks like it was put on drier than burnt toast almost fogged on.
 
You first need to really clean and finely sand with about 1500 or 2000 grit to really get the surface fine without ripping the paint and you have to lay a tack coat and let it sit for a bit then lay on a wet coat which can be tricky. I've done it with trial and error and got great results with aerosol clear. Looks like you didn't get that wet coat on, I'd sand with 600-800 grit and give it another go. Try to paint in the most suitable temperature and humidity. That has a big effect too.

Also yall need to stop being such azzes he's genuinely trying and even going out of his way to let others know of his less than good results. It just discourages others.
 
People here giving you instructions like you're heading to Pebble beach. That spray can clear is likely very thin. I would do a light wet sand with 1500/2000/2500/3000 then buff lightly. If the clear is too thin you won't get much UV protection for the old paint underneath.
 
@atikovi dont give up. I applaud your effort, that’s what DIY is all about. I’m not a paint expert, but my guess is that it has turned out a little dull, less glossy. Is it a glossy paint?

if the metal was hot, in the sun, the paint may have dried too fast, not able to level out. how far was the nozzle from the car? With these sprays, distance and speed play. Too slow or close and it goes on too heavy. Too far and fast and it never flows and levels together. for me, going in a consistent pattern, stripe by stripe, keeps a wet edge for the next stripe to blend with. I prefer closer and quicker, so the next pass comes sooner. If you can mask it at night, and then spray it in the morning before its hot, dry and dusty, you may have better results.

do a light sand on what you’ve got now and have another to at it. I applaud your effort and chutzpah.

-m
 
I did this quickie clear coat job for a co-worker. Very quickly wet sanded with 1500 grit, then painted with clear. The fender was not too bad, so I did not address it.

The hood looked terrible before clear, and while not perfect, considerably better afterwards. The orange peel near the windshield cleaned right up with sanding and buffing. Unfortunately the car's owner smashed the front end about a month later. Ugh. No good deed goes unpunished.

Take a look at the roof for how it looked before.

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You first need to really clean and finely sand with about 1500 or 2000 grit to really get the surface fine without ripping the paint and you have to lay a tack coat and let it sit for a bit then lay on a wet coat which can be tricky. I've done it with trial and error and got great results with aerosol clear. Looks like you didn't get that wet coat on, I'd sand with 600-800 grit and give it another go. Try to paint in the most suitable temperature and humidity. That has a big effect too.

Also yall need to stop being such azzes he's genuinely trying and even going out of his way to let others know of his less than good results. It just discourages others.
You are just rewording what I and others said but yet you call us asses? Doing a larger panel like this with a rattle can should discourage others.
Blowing a couple of coats of clear on with a gun is not making it "pebble beach" as can be seen by Cujets example, it looks okay for what it is (a recoat).
You don't need an expensive gun or setup to do but you do need a least some basic stuff if you expect even a reasonable result, if you don't have it and have no experience its best to give the job to someone who can.
 
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