Matching Cybertruck Surface Finish When Sanding Out Scratch

[Red Beard Ops]

I got me a scratch/gouge on my rear panel… I was able to get the bulk of it out with some 320 grit sandpaper.

My question is, what can I do to best match the original finish post sanding? To some degree it seems brushed… Do y’all think a scotch bright pad or a wire wheel could get close? Has anyone tried to match the original finish?

I know she’ll get scratches overtime… just looking for a simple way to blend them effectively.

Thanks!

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[countryboy]

Near the bottom... links to the proper tools and process: https://service.tesla.com/docs/Cybe...UID-B4A61C9E-4CE2-4D9A-B9B3-B6D74EEFE038.html

 

[AeroTool]

Near the bottom... links to the proper tools and process: https://service.tesla.com/docs/Cybe...UID-B4A61C9E-4CE2-4D9A-B9B3-B6D74EEFE038.html

Thank YOU for the Body Repair Manual...!!!

 

[HaulingAss]

I got me a scratch/gouge on my rear panel… I was able to get the bulk of it out with some 320 grit sandpaper.

My question is, what can I do to best match the original finish post sanding? To some degree it seems brushed… Do y’all think a scotch bright pad or a wire wheel could get close? Has anyone tried to match the original finish?

I know she’ll get scratches overtime… just looking for a simple way to blend them effectively.

Thanks!

You definitely need a random orbit sander (with a 5 mm orbit pattern) and a non-woven abrasive pad to match the OEM finish. The Service Manual says the abrasiveness should be "very fine" (for the brand of pad they call out). I've found this to be the equivalent of around 500-800 grit. It's really not that critical as long as you do all body planes with the same orientation. You may find that you prefer a finer or coarser finish and it's your truck so experiment and use whatever gives the appearance you like best.

 

[Red Beard Ops]

You definitely need a random orbit sander (with a 5 mm orbit pattern) and a non-woven abrasive pad to match the OEM finish. The Service Manual says the abrasiveness should be "very fine" (for the brand of pad they call out). I've found this to be the equivalent of around 500-800 grit. It's really not that critical as long as you do all body planes with the same orientation. You may find that you prefer a finer or coarser finish and it's your truck so experiment and use whatever gives the appearance you like best.

Nice. thanks for this. I have a 5” dealt cordless orbital sander I’ll try out. Ordered the surface conditioning pads just now.

 

[seussiii]

curious, what happened?

 

[Red Beard Ops]

curious, what happened?

….. you’llllll never know!

 

[HaulingAss]

Nice. thanks for this. I have a 5” dealt cordless orbital sander I’ll try out. Ordered the surface conditioning pads just now.

A six-inch RO sander might not sound much bigger, but it makes a bigger difference than you would guess in the speed of refinishing. Also, use a vacuum for dust extraction on your sander and clean with isopropyl alcohol between grits. You don't want to grind in contaminates. And don't press hard, let the action do the work with a light touch. The metal is really hard and will dull your abrasives quickly if you bear down.

 

[agordon117]

people also pointed out here that the manual seems to suggest they don't just use a random orbit sander, but rather a forced orbit sander. That would be very helpful in keeping both light pressure and having a homogenous orbit.

You can see it calls it an orbital sander, which isn't the same thing as random orbital sander. and it also says consistent rotational speed, which is something that a forced orbit sander would provide.

I don't have any firsthand knowledge into the process at the factory, but this does seem to make the most sense.

 

[REM]

I would anticipate doing at least an entire panel in order to blend it as much as possible.

But be forewarned and be prepared to end up buffing/scuffing a lot more than you think you will need. Matching abrasion patterns on a vehicle is hard and skilled work.

 

[TickTock]

Maybe get a small sheet of SS from your local hardware store to practice on. I was able to get pretty close but had to polish it to a mirror first and then burnish it.

 

[HaulingAss]

I would anticipate doing at least an entire panel in order to blend it as much as possible.

But be forewarned and be prepared to end up buffing/scuffing a lot more than you think you will need. Matching abrasion patterns on a vehicle is hard and skilled work.

It's not doing an entire panel that matters, it's doing all surfaces with the same orientation.

For example, I've refinished my entire truck except for the lower plane above the black plastic rocker panel, the hood and the tailgate. As long as the panels have a different orientation, it doesn't matter if they match exactly, you will never notice it. However, if you do the largest plane of the front door, you will also want to do the same plane on the adjacent door and the adjacent plane on the front and rear quarter panels.

Matching the factory pattern is mostly a matter of the machine and abrasives used. And I wouldn't fret about matching the factory pattern exactly, just work entire planes so there is not an obvious difference.

 

[HaulingAss]

people also pointed out here that the manual seems to suggest they don't just use a random orbit sander, but rather a forced orbit sander. That would be very helpful in keeping both light pressure and having a homogenous orbit.

You can see it calls it an orbital sander, which isn't the same thing as random orbital sander. and it also says consistent rotational speed, which is something that a forced orbit sander would provide.

I don't have any firsthand knowledge into the process at the factory, but this does seem to make the most sense.

I was the person who brought this up originally, but my understanding is different now.

With the idea of the consistent rotational speed mentioned in the quoted graphic, I purchased a geared random orbit sander (Festool RO 150 FEQ 6'' Rotex Sander). It has two sanding modes, a more aggressive mode and a less aggressive (finishing) mode.

My understanding is that in the more aggressive mode the rotational action is consistent speed because it is gear driven, it is also more aggressive because the geared action rotates the pad faster. In the less aggressive mode, the rotation of the pad is free spinning on the center bearing, driven only by the orbital action.

What I found out is the geared action makes quick work of polishing out scratches but doesn't leave a very consistent finish. For that I switch it to the less aggressive mode and it leaves a nice even finish. I believe this is the only action available on a more typical RO sander without two sanding modes. A consistent enough rotational speed can be maintained simply by holding consistently light pressure on the sanding area. Most of the sanding action is from the 5mm orbital action but the pad also rotates to prevent sanding patterns from developing.

I do think a good sander, and good abrasives makes it easier to get a consistent finish. However, the factory finish is far from consistent so I think most people will be able to better it without too much difficulty. It may be the most important ingredient is simply that your pads have consistently graded abrasive sizes and enough abrasives that are well attached so the Hard Frickin' Steel doesn't get the better of them.

The Service Manual recommends overlapping each stroke of the sanding pattern by 1". What I think they actually mean, if you are using a 6" pad, is to overlap the last stroke by 5" (so you would only be expanding the sanding area by 1" each pass). This means every spot in your pattern should get sanded 5 times, and another 5 times in the vertical pattern, so you can keep moving at a good clip and with a light touch. Focus on completing your patterns, not what you see the surface looking like. It's so simple a robot could do it.

 

[RickJ19Zeta8]

I got me a scratch/gouge on my rear panel… I was able to get the bulk of it out with some 320 grit sandpaper.

My question is, what can I do to best match the original finish post sanding? To some degree it seems brushed… Do y’all think a scotch bright pad or a wire wheel could get close? Has anyone tried to match the original finish?

I know she’ll get scratches overtime… just looking for a simple way to blend them effectively.

Thanks!

As others have stated. And here is a Youtube video of the process.

Evolve EV Refinishing Cybertruck Panels

 

[Gundo]

As others have stated. And here is a Youtube video of the process.

Evolve EV Refinishing Cybertruck Panels

This is such a terrific video - just need to source the right polishing pads

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