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Paint cracking

MO.RR

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I attached some pictures of what’s going on. It’s cracking around the lock and the emblem slowly spreading outward. It just barely catches the fingernail. I don’t know what kind of paint it is or even when it was painted. I thought I had heard that lacquer paint tends to be more prone to cracks but I don’t know. Other than pulling the door and getting it in a body shop, is there a way I can fix it and not look like I slapped the old ladies nail polish all over it?

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I'd bet there's filler in those areas; either too much, or moisture contamination, or incompatible materials.
If there's no filler, it's likely moisture contamination, especially around that nameplate.
Some primers - especially lacquer primers - suck up moisture if not painted over.
Last time I saw that cracking it was a Restorations by Julius car - he'd apparently sublet the body & paint to the low bidder.
Had to strip the car to get to good metal and re-so the car. I bet we sanded over 100 lbs of bondo & polyester primer off the thing.
 
The lock looks like a stress crack from wrestling with the lock, too much build also likely. Lacquer cracking is more like checking. The emblem is likely rust or moisture getting underneath. Unfortunely both require paint and body to fix properly. Just need to find a paint wizard to match and blend.
 
Ok
I scratched at where it chipped and only a very thin layer of filler. Those are the only two spots on that car that are doing it.
 
Its also possible way to much build up of Primer. Or spray filler , delaming from the metal . I see that often with material over use. Bad preparation.
 
I know very little about paint jobs, but if it were mine, I would roll up the window, pull the arm rest and door panel off, grab a good flashlight and take a look at those areas from the inside. It won't help with fixing what you are seeing, but it might help you know if there are bigger issues with that door.
 
Its also possible way to much build up of Primer. Or spray filler , delaming from the metal . I see that often with material over use. Bad preparation.
Agree. Bad prep is typically the culprit with issues such as that. Possibly too much build up of layers as well. If it were too much build up though I would think it would be cracking around the door handle as well. The door handle suffers far more stress than the lock.
Sorry to say, the best remedy is to strip the hardware off the door, feather sand it out, prime back up and re-shoot. Depending on the condition of the existing paint, shooting the whole door at a minimum is in order.
 
Agree. Bad prep is typically the culprit with issues such as that. Possibly too much build up of layers as well. If it were too much build up though I would think it would be cracking around the door handle as well. The door handle suffers far more stress than the lock.
Sorry to say, the best remedy is to strip the hardware off the door, feather sand it out, prime back up and re-shoot. Depending on the condition of the existing paint, shooting the whole door at a minimum is in order.
Im could almost bet that the metal either sat to long exposed to air. Or the metal was at a polished state prior to primer with little scratch to the metal surface for adhesion either way its going to be a chore.
 
Unless your really prepared to dig in deep your best option might be to keep an eye on it, see if it's getting worse & if not drive the damn car.. Nobody will see either flaw at 65 MPH....
 
I've wondered if cold weather could lead to this.
My thoughts are that cold weather makes everything harder and more brittle. Non stock paint jobs seem to be thicker in coverage than the standard 2 coats the factory put on so the thicker paint may be more likely to crack.
Later model cars with painted bumper covers use a flex-additive in the paint when new. This allows some movement in the cover before damage.
 
I have seen and experienced issues with fast drying fillers(glazing putty) used as a skim coat. They dry so fast they don't bond well and when the hot/cold weather comes they crack or peel. Even a really thin layer can give problems. Body shops use it because it dries fast and is easy to block sand and make the car straight. I would guess some products are better then others as well. Why it cracks in some area and not others is hard to say, just seems to be the nature of the stuff.
 
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Kern raises an interesting point. I’ve never thought about paint cracking like that from cold, and had to ponder it for a moment. Here goes another rambling post, just like the old days…
I paint for a living, have for about thirty years. Mostly industrial equipment, but have done semi trucks and a few cars. And as I go to annoying lengths to show, it gets cold here. But we also have strong spring sun, so that a dark vehicle can have water running off it despite it being twenty below. So body panels really expand and contract as the sun then shade hits them.
I’ve only ever seen paint crack like that from poor surface prep, and not as a result of temperature. In one case that I was responsible for it did exactly that sort of cracking over areas of bondo that had a wrong primer applied.
Where extreme temperature shifts seem to screw your paint job is around the edges. The panel shrinks, and exposes metal that wasn’t painted that was under gaskets or masking. Steel doors with a window in them are notorious for this.
On an unrelated note, I’ve seen many metal clad buildings built in the cold. When summer comes along all of the metal cladding goes wavy as it expands in the sun. Looks bad.
It doesn’t seem to happen as frequently now but large sun roofs and back windows on SUV’s used to explode with regularity when those heat traces to defrost them made some parts of the glass expand differently then the glass that didn’t have the heat trace. Sounds like a gun going off and can be disconcerting when your sunroof crumbles onto your head. And then you have to figure out how to seal the opening when it’s dark and forty below.
 
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Might seem logical - cracking from cold - but that hasn't been my experience.
My '93 Pathfinder "driver" has repaired left doors from 10 years ago - with filler and of course paint.
It's been in below-zero and 105-degree weather every year, and there's not a flaw in the repairs.
 
Kern raises an interesting point. I’ve never thought about paint cracking like that from cold, and had to ponder it for a moment. Here goes another rambling post, just like the old days…
I paint for a living, have for about thirty years. Mostly industrial equipment, but have done semi trucks and a few cars. And as I go to annoying lengths to show, it gets cold here. But we also have strong spring sun, so that a dark vehicle can have water running off it despite it being twenty below. So body panels really expand and contract as the sun then shade hits them.
I’ve only ever seen paint crack like that from poor surface prep, and not as a result of temperature. In one case that I was responsible for it did exactly that sort of cracking over areas of bondo that had a wrong primer applied.
Where extreme temperature shifts seem to screw your paint job is around the edges. The panel shrinks, and exposes metal that wasn’t painted that was under gaskets or masking. Steel doors with a window in them are notorious for this.
On an unrelated note, I’ve seen many metal clad buildings built in the cold. When summer comes along all of the metal cladding goes wavy as it expands in the sun. Looks bad.
It doesn’t seem to happen as frequently now but large sun roofs and back windows on SUV’s used to explode with regularity when those heat traces to defrost them made some parts of the glass expand differently then then glass that didn’t have the heat trace. Sounds like a gun going off and can be disconcerting when your sunroof crumbles onto your head. And then you have to figure out how to seal the opening when it’s dark and forty below.
Weather can play a big factor in cold metal ,hot metal how much product is on a panel. Where Im at is just that. So many things that can make or break bodywork to paintwork.

I guess the op could get this addressed and peel layers off to see where the failure started. My guess is way to much material Ive seen it at restoration shops .
 
Thanks everyone. I cannot do anything with paint that doesn’t look like a three year old did it. I will probably pull the door off and haul it into a paint shop.
 
Thanks everyone. I cannot do anything with paint that doesn’t look like a three year old did it. I will probably pull the door off and haul it into a paint shop.
Best to drop the whole car off as it will need to be blended into the fender and quarter.. Otherwise it will look really bad with a door that doesn't match the fender or the quarter..
 
Best to drop the whole car off as it will need to be blended into the fender and quarter.. Otherwise it will look really bad with a door that doesn't match the fender or the quarter..
Oh boy.. don't I know. It doesn't end once you start.....
 
Oh boy.. don't I know. It doesn't end once you start.....
Agreed and Personally if that bothers the OP I would save money to just do it all at once cause I would guarantee other areas are not far behind... OR Leave it alone and use as is instead of chasing one area at a time.
 
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