Anybody got any tips on redoing the clearcoat on a fender? I just noticed the other day that my clearcoat is flaking off really bad on the passenger-side front fender. An area about 3" x 3" is already completely gone and I want to get on this really quick.

Which would you recommend also:

Stripping and re-coating the bad areas?

or

Stripping, repainting and re-coating the whole fender?

http://www.pickupspecialties.com/Herculiner/Herculiner_kit.jpg

If it wasn't across the top of the fender along the hood, then absolutely but I'm not ready to get that far with the herc. hahaha

honestly, i would pull the fender off, wet sand the entire thing down to the color(just take the clear off), and then either rattle can it with clear coat yourself(can be done nicely if you take your time) or bring it to a body shop and have them do it...then, reinstall it, give it a week or so to harden, then wash and wax the whole truck to make it look even

nice thing is its just the clear coat, so no reason to go all the way down to bare metal and having to re-prime, paint, clearcoat, etc....at least no reason that i can see

good luck, maybe take some pics and do a DIY on it?

Hmmm... that is a definite possibility. My buddy's dad owns a body shop that I could probably use their paint booth and do it right, not to mention doing it in a controlled temeperature which is near impossible to find down here. 70 degrees one day and 20 the next sorta makes painting impossible.

If I do it, I'll definitely do a write-up if it turns out good and if it does, I might even tackle one of my back doors that an oak tree left a nice reminder on although it has served as a nice carnage badge of honor. lol

chicks dig body damage dude.... :)

yeah, definetly see if you can get some time with your friends painting gear...if not, just wait for a decent day outside (50 or 60) with a slight breeze(breeze will help it dry faster)....make sure you wetsand plenty and leave it nice and smooth....then, leave the fender off the truck for a few days while it hardens, maybe keep it inside in a controlled temp and it should turn out nicely

Bringing this thread back to life, the same area of my fender is in bad shape, it looks like just the clearcoat but i can't be sure, a buddy called it "spider webbing" saying the clearcoat had cracks in it and that the cold temperature was expanding the cracks causing whats looks like a million mini scratches on the top of my passenger fender. any insights?

Yep, I want to know what happened too.