how thick is factory clear on 4th gens?

[firebirdguy]

im considering doing a minor wet sand & buff on a new to me 08 4th gen & was wondering if anyone has done this on a 4th gen & how thick the clear is?

i see quite a bit of orange peel in the factory clear & it has some minor scuffs & scratches that will sand & buff out. i only plan to use a 2000 grit lightly then 3000 then buff. just want to be sure i dont go through the clear if its too thin.

 

[bsa70]

Cant give you an exact measurement but its pretty thin. I would be extremely nervous about applying any sand paper. I dont like buffing compound. I would go to a local reputable body shop for advise.

 

[firebirdguy]

yeah im not looking for exact measurements... just curious if anyone has done a true "scuff & buff" to be able confirm if the clear is super thin where 2000 will rub through easily or if its got a decent thickness & they were able to lightly sand with 2000/3000 & remove the factory orange peel or light scrathces.

a body shop wont be able to confirm the thickness without doing a test spot or having done a 4th gen 4runner before so i wanted to ask for advice from others who have actually done this on these 4runners.

i have done the prep work for painting a few of my older muscle cars & have quite a bit of experience with wet sanding & buffing so that is not a concern, i can do some test spots to decide how thick it feels if needed. i also dont use traditional rubbing compounds with a real abrasive in it, i use modern 3M products that are more of a chemical based compound with no real abrasives that work amazingly well.

any input from guys that have done some light sanding or paint corrections are welcome.

thanks

 

[MSRP.]

I think the 4th Gen white paint is single stage..
I wouldn't suggest going after the orange peel if you're planning to keep it long term. Without a paint depth gauge, you're only guessing how thick without prior knowledge if it has had any previous body work done which would vary the clearcoat depth across the car.
I would ALSO recommend trying to live with the minimal scratches.. from a once-upon-a-time detailer, living without giving a second thought on keeping the 4R super shiny has been such a relief.

 

[firebirdguy]

this is a silver 08 sport.

thanks for teh suggestions to just live with it... i will probably do that with most of the scratches & dings, afterwall its a 10+ year old vehicle. but there are a couple id like to improve or remove so i will just do some test spots down low & see what it does.

 

[Timberland]

Every paint job is different, even if it's the same color on the same model. The history of your specific 4runner plays a role too. These trucks are getting up there in age so there's always the chance that it's been corrected or had some paint work in the past that you might not know about (unless you're the original owner of course.)

You really have to operate based on your specific vehicle. The only way to know how much clear you have to work with is to use a paint depth gauge or at least know a lot about the vehicle's history. Even then, I wouldn't suggest sanding it. It might be a common strategy in the body shop world, but keep in mind that aftermarket paint jobs tend to have a LOT more clear than most OEM ones.

You should only be sanding OEM paint if you have a ton of experience under your belt. We always tell the joke that the person doing all the sanding in the body shop is the lowest on the totem pole, while the person that does the sanding at the detail shop is at the highest level. OEM clear is paper thin (or less!) so you need to really know what you're doing if you're going to sand it.

It's not just about the grit of the paper. You could go through an edge with 5000 grit if you don't have the right feel and technique. It sounds like you're not looking to chase perfection for show car results, so a moderate compound/polish with a dual action polisher will be a much safer way to go. You can make your paint look amazing compared to all the other daily drivers in the parking lot, while retaining as much of your clear coat as possible.

Some of the top paint correction experts are able to level the orange peel out of OEM paint without removing too much but those guys are the best of the best. Another thing to consider: even if you were able to successfully sand your truck without going through the clear, how much is left in terms of protection afterward? Typically the deeper you dig into the clear, the softer and easier to scratch it becomes. Also, the majority of the UV protection migrates towards the top of the clear - so you can technically still have some clear coat left but you've removed most of it's UV protection.

I don't think sanding is a good idea in this case, but I'm all for giving it a nice paint correction. Happy to help if you have any questions!