@Pete Gonzalez answers member questions in Ask Pete Anything!
Q: Pine sap stains in convertible top: I have a blue Haartz cloth convertible top on my 2013 Camaro. It was a number of pine tree sap white spots on it. How can I remove them. Any attempt to scrape with a credit card produces white dust but the spot remains. Something must lift this out but I am stumped. - @082276
Pete: Sounds like a sticky situation! Some things that have worked for me in the past are:
- thoroughly wet the entire top and gently scrub with dawn dish soap. Do not use anything rougher than the top to scrub it. chamois or microfiber towels would be best. Suggestion would be to gently scrub the entire top, rather then just individual spots. And let the soap sit for 5-10 mins before removing it.
- Apply Goo Gone to the affected areas with a qtip. Rinse with cold water and let it dry naturally. Be sure to test in a small inconspicuous area first to make sure it won’t discolor your top.
- A Garment Steamer works well, doesn’t leave scrub marks or discoloration. But it is recommended to reapply a water repellent after steaming.
There are a few other methods such as baking soda, mineral spirits, nail polish remover etc. You will just need to take caution not to scrub hard and be sure to test any method in inconspicuous area first to ensure it won’t discolor your top.
Also would highly recommend buying a cheap cover and/or avoiding parking under any trees in the future. (branches can fall too 😬)
Q: AMC Engine Paint: Why don’t you offer engine paint for late 60’s and up to 70’s era AMC vehicles? - @themayor
Pete: Thank you, this is a great question! While any of Rust-Oleum engine enamel paints can be used on a late 60s-70s model AMC, Rust-Oleum does not offer the exact color originally used on those models. On those models AMC used paint that I believe was manufactured by either Seymore of Sycamore or Diltzer.
Paint companies invest a lot of time and money to create proprietary paint color formulas, and unfortunately often do not disclose the exact color formula to a 3rd party.
Q: Pesky Rust Spots: Hi Pete! I have persistent rust spots that are showing up on the roof of my car. I clean them out, then primer and paint and they come back. Any suggestions on how to make them be gone for good? (They are small areas about the size of a quarter or smaller). - @GirlieGarage
Pete: Excellent question! When removing rust spots from a surface, it’s very important not to just remove the visibly rusted area. You will want to remove the paint all the way down to bare metal, not just where you can see the rust on the surface, but also in the surrounding areas, ensuring every bit of rust/contamination has been removed. Otherwise it will continue to come back.
I sand it down to bare metal, using 80grit usually about 2 inches all the way around the affected area Or until all the rust is gone. I then sand the bare metal again with 180 grit and feather it into the color to prep for etching primer.
Then thoroughly clean the surface and mask it off. Leaving only the bare metal exposed.
Next I recommend using a self etching primer. When priming bare metal, you need something with a lot of bite, self etching primer will help ensure the bare metal is properly covered and protected. (self etching primer has acid in it and can eat through other paint, so make sure the painted surface is properly masked before applying)
Depending on which Self Etching primer you use, sanding may or may not be required.
Another option I recommend for priming bare metal is Epoxy Primer. With Epoxy Primer, you won’t need to mask up the painted surface. You will apply it to the bare metal and feather it out onto the surrounding areas.
As long as you don’t wait more than 3 days, you will not need to sand the epoxy primer before moving onto the next step.
After applying either the self etching primer or the epoxy primer, it’s time to apply regular primer. I recommend using a high build primer. Once dry, dry sand with 400 grit and feather out the edges, blending 2 inches past your primed edges.
Finally, apply the color over the primed area and feather out into the 2” perimeter you sanded in the previous step. Stoping just before the outer edge of your sanded area. (Leaving a small perimeter of scratches around the outer edge will help you get proper adhesion and a clean feathered look when applying your clear coat in the next step.)
Last but not least, apply clear coat to the newly painted area and feather out this time going to the very edge of your 2” perimeter.
Depending on the finish on the rest of the paint, you can cut and/or buff the newly painted area, or simply leave it as is, whichever matches best.
Looking forward to hearing how it works for you! Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks to @082276, @themayor, and @GirlieGarage for these questions. @Pete's here for all your automotive queries: head over to Ask Pete Anything and have your questions answered.
