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A while back i replaced the front fenders on my truck. I ordered the fenders while i was in Ga, and had them sent to Tx. Dad took them over to the painter and he painted them up to match. The fenders sat in the back of the truck for a few months (covered up) and once i got home, i fitted them to the truck. They looked pretty good and i finally got rid of that imperfect passenger side fender. I took the truck to Ga and everything got subjected to partial clay/mud and grime. This stuff sticks like glue and bonds itself to the surface. I assumed the wax would shield the paint but this stuff bonded hard to the truck surface. I tried to use rubbing compound to clean things up but it didn't faze the film of dirt. And to make matters worse, the compound dulled the finish of the fenders. After the fact, Dad asked why i would use compound over clear coat. CLEARCOAT!?!?!? The painter clearcoated the fenders? Dad said "yea". This pissed me off because the painter didn't clearcoat the truck when i took it to him 5 years ago. And the fenders got cleared and nobody thought of telling me. I couldn't see a clearcoat finish and the fenders matched the exsisting paint perfectly. This made sense because the compound didn't have any bad effect on other parts of the truck, only the fenders.

So now i was thinking of wet sanding the fenders to remove the flim layer and to restore the finish. Is wet sanding the way to go?...

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Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

From what you say i think your only option is to wetsand. If it's rough start with a 1000 grit and slowly work up to 2000 grit. If your careful trying not to burn through the paint you should be able to get all the clear off the fenders. If you just do the damaged area you'll see the difference with whats cleared and whats not. Just wetsand all the clear off and use a good 3M compound and buff it out and i think you'll be okay. Its called 3m perfect something? Its a 65 bucks a bottle but works perfect. 2 different finish types, get both! Don't try the cheap compound in the auto stores. I did and had to respray half my car The cheap shit won't get the scratches out! I've been working on wetsanding my car for almost a month now and its really slow going. Just take your time and don't go through the paint (stop once your wetsanding water color changes to your paint color, clear coat comes out kinda yellowish). Good luck!

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1980 luv sport 4x4 Just a memory now
Frame rusted from the inside. Truck stripped and now looking for a new donor in southern ohio

The other day i decided to go to the parts store and get stuff to deal with the fenders (rags, 1000/2000 paper and such). I made it over to the wax isle and i stumbled on this stuff i used to use years ago. TR-3 Resin Glaze! I havent seen this stuff for over 15 years. I used it to clean up my truck when i first got it back in 81. I bought the only can they had.
I softly wetsanded a low, bad spot on the fender and then hit it with TR-3. It helped out well but i found out that the paint itself was rather soft like it didn't have much hardener and the paint wasn't very thick. Soft paint was the reason that the mud/grime bonded to the paint.
I only wetsanded the heavy areas and used TR-3 over everything. The fenders are cleared up to the point were i can be ok with it.
But the fact that the paint was soft and thin left some spots were the black base could be seen slightly.
Someday when i get a new hood, i can get everything repainted clean.

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Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

I used TR# in the 80's. I swore by it then, but years later my tan truck didn't look much like it did in old photos of when it was new. I've gone back to good old carnauba wax. I like Meguiars.

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

The stuff rocks if you're out to get rid of oxidation and dead paint. It's a cleaner / polish but it's best to apply wax over it. Constant use will eventually remove all paint.
TR-3 to clean and clear up the paint and Wax to keep it sharp.

_________________
Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.