How to fix logo

[Skunksmash]

Hi all. I am trying to restore my chevy logo to its former glory. I got a new grille and since the grill is new, of course I want to fix up all the parts that go on it, to look new as well.

The logo has some rock pitting in it from being on the front of the truck all those years. As you can see, the rocks have hit the logo and caused pits. The logo seems to be a solid chunk of steel, so its got that going for it at least. It may be pressed together at some point but you can't separate it without breaking it. So anyway, what sandpaper should I use to get it flat? I don't want to sand it too much cause I don't want to take off too much metal.

And after I sand, what should I do about the pits? Try and go over it with some kind of body filler? If so, which one? Just typical bondo? I'm going to go ahead and repaint the logo gold again so I'll need something that is going to be able to be painted. I'm a body work noob so I don't know.

[riz]

just carefully sand away the gold paint and then give it a thin coat of Evercoat glazing putty. prime and paint it gold again.

RIZ

[Skunksmash]

Ok thanks are you referring to evercoat's Slick Sand?

[riz]

I'm not sure? I used to use Evercoat Glazing Putty. It's finer and perfect for a part like that.

RIZ

[Skunksmash]

Also I'd like it to be something I can buy in a 1 pint size since I'm only going to be using it once. If possible.

It looks like they have a few different ones and I'm a pretty big body work noob, do you happen to have a link or maybe you can remember the exact one you used

[riz]

just find a small tube of glazing putty and you should be good to go.

RIZ

[INSIDIOUS '86]

That piece is aluminum and if you look on the back you see to little holes where it is melt riveted to the crone bowtie

Also that is anodized.
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[Skunksmash]

Need to do something different with anodized aluminum then? It feels kind of heavy for the whole thing to be aluminum.....

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Whole thing isn't.
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[Skunksmash]

OK so to be clear it goes like this:

1. Sand it with some 220

2. Clean it

3. Fill everything in with the glazing putty

4. Sand again with ? grit. To get it all smooth.

5. Clean again?

6. Primer it

7. Sand the primer smooth with ? grit

8. Paint it.

Does that sound about right? Maybe someone can fill in the question marks if so. I know very little of proper body work.

[riz]

That's how I'd do it.

RIZ

[86c20]

the fine sand paper you use at the end the smother it will look. BUT you are going to loose the gran in the mettle when you paint it as it is anodised(SP?)

[79duallyc30]

One thing I would consider that wasn't mentioned, wet sand your final layers before paint, and during paint, IE, wet same with 600 grit (has to be waterproof Silicon Carbide type sandpaper) paint first coat, wet sand once it's dried then grow another coat of paint down, the. Clear coat. I normally do two coats of paint then three coats clear.

And the ever coat putty glaze is amazing, plus it comes in a qt container. So you don't have to buy a gallon. Carquest will have it. Hope this helps!
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[Skunksmash]

I was hoping to do dry sanding all the way through the project, and then just a cleaner.

What type of cleaner should I use? Like pre paint or something? Something that won't take the primer off, I assume. Just some pre- paint from the autozone or something? This whole thing is going to be done with rattle can and stuff I can get at my local autozone. But, I know rattle can can turn out great and last a really long time. I rattle canned a lot of parts on my mustang and 5 years later they still look great.

So what grit should I use to sand the primer?

[79duallyc30]

220 is pretty good. Hand sand it tho. Most sanders will leave swirls or small scratched. As u will see in body shops (good ones) they hand sand once they start with the paint
Like it was mentioned earlier, the higher the grit the smoother is will be. Alcohol is a good cleaner. Windex is also.
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[Skunksmash]

Ok I think I got some alcohol and if not I know I got some windex. So I need to sand with say... 800 grit after I primer it? How many coats of primer? And do I sand the paint in between coats?

[79duallyc30]

Primer only one or two coats. Remember tho when painting to put light coats on. Im sire u already kno that, a primer coat is good to cover bare metal and to fill in any small imperfections in the old paint. Or whats left. Get a nice good coat of primer. I would sand after the primer. With say a 200 grit. Then paint yes sand between those coats with the 500 or 600 grit. Dont apply too much pressure when doing it between the painted coats. Nice and smooth.
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[Skunksmash]

Thanks all you've been a great help! I'll post up the "after" shots when I'm done.

Oh and what would you do about getting the polished border around the whole logo, to look shiny again? As you can see its pretty... faded. Maybe just a little tiny buffing wheel on a dremel? Maybe some compound or something?

[Skunksmash]

Ok well I used the glazing putty and I got it primed. Didn't use etching primer on the aluminum though. That might turn out to be a mistake but I guess we'll see. I sanded it with 220 though so it should have plenty of tooth.

So my next question is this. The glazing putty filled in most of the pits and scratches. Most of them. Some are still left, and the big ones just got a lot shallower. But they're still there. What do I do? The rattle can primer says to sand with 800 grit if anything is left, and then primer again. Or, should I sand the divots that are left with 220 again, and use the glazing putty again? And then once that is done, get that flat again, and then primer again?

The primer does say that a second coat MIGHT fill in what is left. But who knows.

[79duallyc30]

You can try to do the reprimer, sometimes the primer filler will fill the holes. If not then repeat the process of the glaze coat. Personally i would repeat with the glaze coat. Ive never had a primer fill air pockets unless u use a two part epoxy primer. But ive only used that when spraying helicopters (Cobras/Hueys)
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[Skunksmash]

So is there any need to sand all the rest of the primer off? Or just in the area of the divot that didn't get filled all the way?

[riz]

recoat with the glazing putty and sand again........ no need to sand the entire part really, just the areas that you needed to re-putty. I can't wait to see the bowtie when you're done.

RIZ

[Skunksmash]

Thanks again. As for when its done... I'll be shy about posting it here but I'll do it. I'm but a lowly amateur. And, its not going to have that metal grain. Gold paint will see to that. Then again, not all chevy bowties over the decades have had the grain so that's not so bad.

[riz]

I'm no pro by any stretch of the word....... I just try my best. I'm excited to see the final outcome. Just be proud for doing it yourself and not paying somebody else to do it for you. We had a saying on a K5 Blazer site I'm a member of........... BUILT NOT BOUGHT.

RIZ

[Skunksmash]

Originally Posted by INSIDIOUS '86

Whole thing isn't.
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Hey insideous 86. Once you took that thing apart, how did you get it back together? I'm thinking epoxy but I really don't want it to fall off the front of the truck when I'm driving down the road lol.

It was press fitted in there somehow and once you grind off those little blobs of aluminum, its never going back together that way again. But its the only way you can get them separated.