Paint chip advice

[tommyg29]

Been trying hard to get at the little things now, and these couple body/paint items have bothered me for years. In fact, they were like this when I bought the car 6 years ago. Its a 12 year old restoration now, so getting on in years, but with the care I give it, I look at it like a good woman. Its not getting older.... its getting better. 
These two pictures show what I consider the only real noticeable blemishes on the outside of the car, other than some very minor wear on a few trim pieces, and what I'm asking is, can these be repaired or made to look better without major work?
I certainly dont want to go spraying whole panels to repair these, because I dont want to spend a lot of money, and paint matching will be a problem. In one picture you can see the driver door is also a little out of alignment. So thats maybe another thing bothering me. Since body work isnt my strong suit... any suggestions?
Thanks.

[tommyg29]

And sorry if this is a lightweight issue here. I realize most guys are deep into major work, and this is piddling stuff, but thought it would be better here than in the general section. 

[blown motor]

And sorry if this is a lightweight issue here. I realize most guys are deep into major work, and this is piddling stuff, but thought it would be better here than in the general section. 

It's not a lightweight issue. It's your car and it's important to you. Is your door hitting the striker bolt properly? You should be able to adjust the door at the hinges to correct the allignment issue. I did mine.

[CHL2T]

Start with the latch and end with the hinges and take your time......

For the paint cracks, maybe just dribble some touch up paint and fill them up?

[jimynick]

The cracking at the upper body panel is due to whatever they used to fill the seam, failing. You could try taping very closely to the edges of the seam and carefully digging it out, but with your stated bodywork experience, that may not turn out well. The suggestion to fill them in with some paint isn't a bad one for where it's at and what you want (or don't want) to do. As for the door, try opening it a couple of inches and grab the bottom of it and try to lift it. If it moves up and down any appreciable amount, it's in the hinges getting worn out. Those doors are hideously long and heavy and it's just death on the hinges. Otherwise, look at the fender/door gap and see if there's room to lift the rear corner some without screwing up the fit of them too much. The pic looks like the back edge of the door has been hit in the past and that may have pushed it down a wee bit. If you try to adjust the door, loosen off 2 of the 3 bolts and then just crack the 3rd on to keep the door from falling to the bottom of it's adjustable range. Two people make this a better job if possible. Good luck.

[tommyg29]

Think I will tackle the two chips on the upper edge of the door first, and the alignment. I will sand and build up the two small areas with several applications, with careful spot sanding, then top it with the clear.
The crack in the seam scares me, especially because I have used wd-40 on it a number of times over the years to saturate it, to prevent moisture trapping and rust. That seems to have done the job, but Ive been told that painting the spot having used it could be a problem. Is that true?

[jimynick]

"The crack in the seam scares me, especially because I have used wd-40 on it a number of times over the years to saturate it, to prevent moisture trapping and rust. That seems to have done the job, but Ive been told that painting the spot having used it could be a problem. Is that true?"
Yep, sure is. I'd virtually guarantee that paint won't stick under those conditions. You could try to wash it out with brake cleaner, but I'd mask the seam off carefully beforehand.

[go-fish]

Lime Green Crayola on the dutchman panel. You'll be suprized.

[tommyg29]

Lime Green Crayola on the dutchman panel. You'll be suprized.

A wax? 
Intriquing

[go-fish]

Of course it won't stay on forever but just fill it in like you're coloring a line. Fill in the blemish. It will push into it and then you can lightly rub the excess of with a microfiber towel. The crack in the paint will be filled in. As the sun heats it up or washing wipes it away you can just reapply. Keep the crayon in your center console or something.

[go-fish]

[jimynick]

There's a man who think's outside the box- of crayons! I like it! 

[tommyg29]

I tried the crayons. Didnt work. Mixed about two parts green-yellow with 1 part yellow green. Tried drawing it in. No. Tried melting it up in a cup and pouring it over. No. Wouldnt take or stick and looked like a sloppy mess
So, after carefully using a prep cleaner, I just used touch up paint I ordered a few years ago, and one of those little syringes with the tiny felt tip.
A little messy but it does look better.

[shawge]

That looks pretty good.

[go-fish]

That's nice!