Bigfoot camper - spray paint color match?

terrybk wrote:
Grant at Bigfoot would likely tell you the color code (even going that far back.) He tells me pretty much any obscure detail I've asked. Lol.

But as stated, fading will probably make new paint of the right color code stand out so definitely go to an auto paint place and have them measure the color. That's about as close as you can get. But if you know the original color code you can compare the values and see just how much your color might have shifted over time.

Who custom color matches gel coat? Auto body supply stores don’t in my experience. Obviously it possible but also not probable or practical in my experience doing a few random fiberglass repairs over the years.

Tom/Barb wrote:

unbob wrote:

Tom/Barb wrote:
Why does it require a repair?

Sustained several "puncture wounds" due to flying debris from a nearby tornado. Two windows broken also. And blew away my solar panels on the roof. Otherwise no apparent structural damage. But interestingly, insurance company totaled it and I did a buy-back.

Get the proper color Jel-coat from Big Foot then cover the hole with scotch tape on the out side of the repair.
then mix a small amount of jel-coat and apply with a small Brush until the hole is covered on the inside of the repair, allow to jell. then make the repair on the outside of the repair..
Then sand smooth buff, polish as required.

The way they are made the Gel-coat goes in the mould first, in a cavity mould, then the fiberglass is laid up inside of mould.
you make the repair the same way.

Negative ghost rider. I mean, yes, most all ‘glass structures like boat hulls and campers are originally constructed in that order, for efficiency and consistent finish but it would be wholly unnecessary to tear apart the interior of a camper or boat to reach the inside, unless the repair area was large enough or did enough structural damage to warrant it.

On that note, OP has not done a good job of describing the damage other than “puncture wounds” which I presumed to be small. Hence the bondo first recommended. If larger, use kitty hair for filler. If larger yet, may require some access from the inside, but NOT for the gel application. That gets sprayed, brushed or smeared on from the outside. 100%.

Grant at Bigfoot would likely tell you the color code (even going that far back.) He tells me pretty much any obscure detail I've asked. Lol.

But as stated, fading will probably make new paint of the right color code stand out so definitely go to an auto paint place and have them measure the color. That's about as close as you can get. But if you know the original color code you can compare the values and see just how much your color might have shifted over time.

unbob wrote:

Tom/Barb wrote:
Why does it require a repair?

Sustained several "puncture wounds" due to flying debris from a nearby tornado. Two windows broken also. And blew away my solar panels on the roof. Otherwise no apparent structural damage. But interestingly, insurance company totaled it and I did a buy-back.

Get the proper color Jel-coat from Big Foot then cover the hole with scotch tape on the out side of the repair.
then mix a small amount of jel-coat and apply with a small Brush until the hole is covered on the inside of the repair, allow to jell. then make the repair on the outside of the repair..
Then sand smooth buff, polish as required.

The way they are made the Gel-coat goes in the mould first, in a cavity mould, then the fiberglass is laid up inside of mould.
you make the repair the same way.

unbob wrote:

Tom/Barb wrote:
Why does it require a repair?

Sustained several "puncture wounds" due to flying debris from a nearby tornado. Two windows broken also. And blew away my solar panels on the roof. Otherwise no apparent structural damage. But interestingly, insurance company totaled it and I did a buy-back.

I haven’t been around BF campers but believe the fiberglass w gel coat construction similar to boat construction and repairs.
Gel is totally different to work with than autobody repair. And in many ways easier.
For the holes, you will want to fill them back up with likely autobody filler bondo.
Then prep the repair by grinding back down about 1/8” max with sharp edges (not feathered)
Fill the areas back up flush of slightly above flush with thick gel coat (like with a putty knife or bondo spreader). Cure the gel cost and sand back to flush, cut and polish. (Read up on how to cure the gel)
The repair will be seamless.
For color match, you can get a small universal gel repair kit that comes with white gel and mixing colors to tint it. That part may be trial and error but you can experiment on a piece of cardboard first until you get a close match if needed.
FWIW, I’d do gel repairs all day long vs paint repairs.

This spring I was pushing my 2 year old Northstar 12 STC out of it's storage position in my pole barn to the middle bay where I load it onto the truck. Unfortunately, I hit my wife's Bowflex workout thing, and punched a couple holes through the front of the camper. After doing the body work to repair the holes, I needed to find matching paint. We have a NCS (National Coatings and Supplies) not too far away. They have a camera thing that they put up to the surface of the camper, and somehow they can mix the matching color and put it in a spray can. I think it was $40 or something, but it matched close to perfect. My buddy who has a body shop looked at it and said he couldn't see a difference.

Then I topcoated it with USC SprayMax 2K Glamour High Gloss Aerosol Clear. It's a two part acrylic resin. There's a button on the bottom of the can you push in to burst a packet inside the can, then shake to mix. You must spray within 48 hours or it solidifies in the can. It sprays very high gloss, and is hard as a rock, even hard to sand.

The only thing I can see from the repair is a difference in gloss around the repaired area. In the right lighting I can see a 1'x2' high gloss area surrounded by a 6 or 10" lower gloss area. Probably didn't hold the spray straight on at the end of each pass. I should probably mask and spray the whole front of the camper to have a consistent gloss, but it's pretty low on the priority list.

Much thanks for all the replies!!

Tom/Barb wrote:
Why does it require a repair?

Sustained several "puncture wounds" due to flying debris from a nearby tornado. Two windows broken also. And blew away my solar panels on the roof. Otherwise no apparent structural damage. But interestingly, insurance company totaled it and I did a buy-back.

mkirsch wrote:
Personally it would not bother me if it was slightly off as long as it was painted.

Yeah, I agree. Perfection not required.

Not only won't it be a great match, but Home Depot paint is house paint. Okay if you're painting drywall, but not so much on fiberglass.

Even a "perfect" automotive paint match won't be perfect. Unless you blend the new paint into the old color, it will always be noticeable.

But yeah, I don't think you're going to find a shade of Rustoleum that's going to be an adequate match. Personally it would not bother me if it was slightly off as long as it was painted.