Recommendations on paint touch-ups

[Shdwdrgn]

I picked up one of those cans of color-matched spray paints today and did a test patch on the cross-piece from my original (now broken) grill. I thought I might get a close match, but I didn't expect it to be this close! Out in bright sunlight, I cannot see any difference between the old and new paint. So now I am optimistic... When I was building the new steel bumper, I scratched up my fenders, and I'm wondering if I can touch up the areas with this spray paint?

Now I don't have any good experience with pre-existing paint jobs, but I do know a couple things...

• I need to remove any wax and polish from the area, and scuff up the existing paint with a scrubbie pad. Any recommendations on a good product that will strip the finish completely?

• I know that despite what my eyeballs tell me, this spray paint is NOT an exact match, and that may become more apparent on larger areas. Fortunately I only have a small area to touch up, maybe the first couple inches from the front edge of each fender. So are there any tips for blending the new paint into the old area, other than simply feathering it back from the edges?

I'm excited to find that I'll be able to paint the bumper and new grill myself once the weather warms up, plus be able to easily touch up any scratches I get in the bumper over time. Now if I can just clean up the rest of the paint to her looking nice again...

 

[Black LT]

What store/brand of paint did you get?

It sucks, but I could use a little.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

I picked it up from O'Reilly auto parts. The brand is Dupli-Color. For the indigo blue, the paint number is BGM0506, but they have a manual there to match up their paint with the color code in your glove box. They are only 8oz cans, at $7.50 each, but the color appears to be good.

 

[tblazerdude]

I did the bottom of my drivers side rear door. It was already showing rust, so I sanded it down to mostly bare metal, cleaned it with denatured alcohol, applied eastwood rust prevention paint/primer, and finished with the same dupli-color black. It's not that noticeable, except for the little bit of primer overspray I need to buff out. Just remember to tape off what you want to paint very well, and clean the surface. If the paint is ruff you could sand with some 600-700 grit to smooth it out. I sanded all 3 primer coats, and 1 layer of top coat.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Yeah I think some sanding will be required. I scraped the fender a couple times with the sharp edges of the bumper as I was trying to make it fit, so there's at least a couple gouges that are deep into the primer. I'll do my best to feather those out.

So are there any recommendations for a product that would strip back the wax and finish in those areas, leaving a good surface to paint on top of?