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I’m not totally sure what you are asking but I’m going to give it a shot.
I would go with the highest estimate here because it looks like a number that’s been calculated rather than a ballpark figure. And you can guess they are probably going to replace the most parts if their estimate is higher. This is my opinion, you may like the others for your own reasons.
I believe Nissan used an “underhood” color during that time. Which is not the same as the exterior.
A good shop will weld in the new parts and finish them off with primer and paint to prevent any future rust.
Hope this helps
There are only three things you can do here.
Call your local salvage yard, give them the specs, and hope they can find one.
Call your local dealer or aftermarket parts house and get a new one.
Find a good shop that can fix the one on the car.
Of course all of these options will include painting to match. So might be better just to take it to a shop and they will find the best option.
Often times the clips become compressed after they have been on and off a few times. Try spreading them out just a little bit and see if that helps.
Unfortunately, if in fact it has “eaten” into the paint then compound is probably the best way to get rid of it. I would try a little bit of toothpaste and a clean soft rag if you don’t have any compound. (hint) Tootpaste is a very fine compound for your teeth.
Steam cleaning may also work but usually most ppl have better access to toothpaste or compound than a good steam cleaner.
A little light wet sanding with 2000 grit or higher will get rid of any that got any deeper.
It feels rough because the tiny particles are sitting on top of the surface. Paint needs time to flow the particles together before the thinners dry away to create the smooth surface. Overspray is just small “balls” of paint that dried before or shortly after hitting the surface which feel rough when there is enough of it.
The actuators do tend to get weak over time. You could get a new one or you could first pull the door panel and see if the rods inside are binding up making it hard for the actuator. If the lock moves smoothly, replace the actuator and you should be good to go. A little grease in the lock wouldn’t hurt either.
That panel is not really a job an ordinary person would be able to replace themselves. I am pretty certain it is welded to the other parts of the subframe and would need to be cut off and rewelded. The fenders would also have to come off with the front bumper, bumper reinforcment, ac condensor, and the radiator.
I don’t know your skill levels so I can’t say whether or not you should try it yourself, but I would not recommend jumping into this job if you haven’t done any welding, painting, or ac work before. You could cost yourself more money in the long run if you have to pay someone to fix your mistakes.
Hope this helps
You shouldn’t really worry too much about how it looks. If you get a new bumper end cover for it and use it as a guide to properly place the bumper end on its mounting points, then the rest of the panel should pretty much fall into place.
If you really want to just look at it, I suggest getting a manual for the car that may have pictures(haynes, chilton, etc) or you could look up the quarter panel at a parts dealer to see a picture.
Use what you have and build up from there. I started out with a small cheap set of sockets and wrenches from popular mechanics back in the day. I still have them 20 some years later and you’ll still have yours if you take care of them. I would use those while you spend your money on the tools you don’t have yet. When just starting out, there is a huge list of things to get so no immediate need to buy doubles just yet. The way I went through the process was buying the things I use everyday first and buy everything else as the need arises. Your hand tools really don’t have to be the best brands in the world as long as they do the job. I only spent lots of money on things like impact sockets and air tools that the quality of the tool really impacts the performance, reliability, and usablility of the tool.
I never use a heat gun anywhere near a composite or fiberglass wing. All it takes is one small air pocket in the wing and the heat will make it explode. And it will bubble the paint if it gets too hot on the decklid also.
Like I said the best advice is for them to meet at a shop where a pro can switch them out for them. To each his own I guess.
Sounds like a bad ground somewhere. Seen similar issues where the grounds get corroded and caused all sorts of different intermitten problems.
The double-sided tape(thick foam) is really tough stuff. String or fishing line will probably work as mentioned above as long as they are strong enough to resist breaking from the pressure. I usually use my trusty old thin paint scraper that I use to take off emblems. But beware, my method can damage the paint if you aren’t careful. If you can lift up on it a little, and use the thin scraper to cut the tape apart in the center leaving half the tape on each piece is ideal. Then you get the fun task of carefully peeling the leftovers off of both pieces to prepare to replace the tape to install on the other vehicle.
I would suggest maybe you two meeting at a shop that can maybe take care of it for you. I wouldn’t recommend switching decklids as the vin number stickers will be switched also and may throw up red flags at resale.(they may think it has been wrecked)(looking at you CarFax). And finally they may be the same paint code, but it is highly unlikely the paint will be a perfect match.
This is my two cents, hope it helps.
Sounds like you probably have it licked pretty good. If it starts to come back however just wire wheel it off again and try a little 2-part primer. Surface rust usually doesn’t really need something that drastic. You could use POR15 and then primer too. Keeping the air off of it as you mentioned is the goal with any of these solutions.
In my years I have seen many products come and go. I am always leary of products like this. My first problem with it is that it doesn’t “need” hardener. Most paints that don’t need a catalyst or hardener usually will not last as long or hold up as well as those that do. Secondly, if this is a project that really needs to look good then I wouldn’t try any “new” methods and stick to the tried and true methods to avoid rework. I surely would not “just knock off the scale” and put this on without any other prep. This is usually a red flag for me.
I would properly prepare the metal (grinding, sanding, sandblasting to remove all rust) and use a good quality 2-part etching primer followed by a good hardened undercoat or chassis paint. I have never seen a paint or primer that can do the prep work for you. If it did exist, it would be a lot more than $33 a quart. 😆