It can be done, but you need to figure out where you’re gonna hide your refinish, ….if I’m planning on working on the boiler course, but not the cab, after my repair, I’ll mask off the cab, and shoot the entire boiler course…spotting in any paint is gonna leave you holidaze somewhere ( holidaze is that gritty, grainy look where you try to dust in a spot ) ……..hiding a refinish in the corners where the cab meets the firebox would yield best results,……for best results from a rattle can, we use SEM brand automotive trim black. It is available in satin black, and we’ve found this to be a near perfect match for sheen, and color holdout to the OE finish. Not cheap by any stretch, but y’all know good products aren’t cheap, and cheap products aren’t good,…….to make the repair you’re describing, I’d start with a miniature sanding block with 300-400 grit, and just work the block till the parting seam till 99.9% of it is gone, then switch to 800, and finish policing it up. Afterwards, blend out the surrounding paint that’s been removed with 1000 or finer. Then, scotchbrite the entire boiler course, so the new top coat has something to bite to….scrub the entire shell with hot soapy water,..stay away from the cab!!….If your repair is slick & smooth, no need to prime. The SEM is a very good high hide urethane finish that will bite to a scuffed surface. ….then it’s just a matter of masking off the cab,…here’s the trick for a hide, don’t wrap tape over the edges of the cab, leave them parallel to the course, Now your cab edge is your hide,……your repaint will be undetectable that way,…….if you go the SEM route, practice makes perfect, ….test shoot some scraps till you get the desired results,….
Pat
