Paint thickness gauge. measure the total thickness of the vehicle finish. It is important to accurately measure the thickness of the finish on each vehicle as the thickness of the finish will vary on each vehicle. Use a paint gauge before the sanding process in order to accurately measure how much finish there is to remove before, during, and after the sanding process. Paint gauge. range from magnetic pull type to sophisticated electronic types, and are available from a variety of sources. The older magnetic type gauge., at best have a 5 percent accuracy range and are not sensitive enough to detect removal of 0.02 mm 0.5 mil (0.0005 in) clearcoat. The newer type magnetic gauge.
have improved accuracy ranges. Most gauge. are confined to checking either ferrous metal, steel, non-ferrous metal, or aluminum panel.
At this time, there are no viable gauge. for reading film thickness on composite (SCM doors, RIM fenders) panels. The more sophisticated (ETG) electronic paint thickness gauge. digital type gauge. are able to read film thickness on both ferrous and non-ferrous metal panel.
Digital ETG gauge. may have an accuracy range of 1 percent and include thickness standards for recalibration. The following paint thickness gauge. are available. Call 1-800-GM-TOOLS for information:
Paint Thickness Gauges
Clearcoat Thickness
The clearcoat on the vehicle is typically 0.059-0.078 mm (1.5-2 mils [0.0015-0.0020 in]) thick. The clearcoat contains ultraviolet screeners. Removing more than 0.5 mils (0.019 in) of the clearcoat may result in early paint failure.
General Plastic Repair
Warning: In order to reduce the risk of personal injury when exposed
to toxic fumes while grinding, cutting, or applying repair material on
any type of sheet molded compound or RIM rigid plastic, observe the following
guidelines:
Work in a properly ventilated area
Apply protective cream t ...
Installation Procedure
Note: If the location of the original plug weld holes can
not be determined, space the plug weld holes every 40 mm (1½ in).
Drill 8 mm (5/16 in) for plug welding along the edges of the underbody
rear side rail reinforcement as noted from
the original panel.
Clean and ...
Installation Procedure
Prepare all mating surfaces as necessary.
Align the front hinge pillar body reinforcement.
Create 6 x 20 mm (4/16 x 12/16 in) slots for MIG-brazing in locations
where you can not apply a resistance spot
welder.
Clean and prepare the attaching surfaces for spot welding a ...