Info on painting

Old 02-11-2008, 08:28 PM
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bowtie4542001
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Hello Guys,
I am thinking about changing the color on my car and painting it myself. This will be my first paint job and want to do it right. The car was painted last year so everything looks pretty good. The paint does have a few small runs in it though. What would be the best way to start out sanding this car and will I need a primer coat to get started or can I paint over the paint that is on there now. What grit sandpaper to start and finish prior to paint. What is a good paint gun for beginners. I know that I have asked a lot of questions but any help would be greatly appreciated.

Chris
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Old 02-12-2008, 11:22 AM
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olds48
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I have painted a few cars,no show cars,just drivers.Star off sanding with 180 grit on a DA(dual-action)sander.They can use alot of air,so you will need a pretty decent compressor to keep up.Don't lock the DA into grind mode,let it flop around and vibrate.Not alot of pressure,let the sand paper do the work.You don't have to cut your car down to bare metal if the paint on it is holding good.But it is good to work door jambs and high ridges down to bare metal to help prevent them building up too high.Keep it moving so you won't make high and low spots.Once everything is sanded down with the 180 you can start doing your body work(dents,holes...)Big holes,more than the diameter of a dime,need to be welded up.Smaller holes,I always just dent them in slightly,to make them lower than the surface you want,then fill them with plastic filler.You can weld them up and grind them flat,but it is extra work IMO,and filler holds up fine when used properly.Bondo is okay :roll: but I prefer Chromalite filler.It sets up a little quicker,sands easier and doesn't clog up your paper as bad as some others I've used.Work your dents down with an air file in a criss-cross pattern.Easier to blend them in than just going up and down.Use 80 grit to get the filler close,then switch over to 180 to get them ALMOST done.Do your finish work with a hand block and 300 grit.Hand blocks are good for flat panels and areas with very little curvature.Might need to improvise on what to use.I have used all sorts of things to get into different curves,paint roller heads,heater hose,AN hose,socket extensions,whatever fits your contours you are working with,just make sure they are rigid and will hold their shape.Using sand paper in your empty hand can leave weird dips from where your fingers are applying uneven pressure.One your body work is done go over the whole car by hand,no air tools,with 300 grit.Now your are ready for primer.Shoot a coat just heavy enough to cover the car,don't try to build it up.After it sets up,go over the car with a hand block again,in a criss-cross pattern.You will probably find some high and low spots.Some of them you can just keep block sanding until they flatten.others you will have to fill and cut down.Keep working the car with a block and spraying light coats of primer until you are happy with how flat the car is.DO NOT use spray can primer.It is real gummy to sand(even if it says "sandable")and will make you have to work extra hard.Once you think it is done shoot a good coat of primer on the whole works.Cover all your work(filler will tend to soak it up)but don't try to lay it on real thick,just enough to cover.Now your ready for paint!Sand the primer one last time before painting.What grit to use now will depend on what kind of paint you decide to use.The guys at the paint shop can help with all that.I have always used urethane enamel paint.It's not fancy(pearls or candies)but it easy to use for a beginner.If you use enamel read the instructions on the can,it will tell you what reducer(thinner) to use at what temps,how much,and whatever else is used for the particular paint.If you use enamel you can double the amount of hardner(catalyst) it calls for and use a slower drying reducer to make the paint extra shiny and resistant to scratches.Make sure you wipe the car down with a good solvent(Prepsol is my favorite)to clean off any grease or wax BEFORE you start sanding in the first place.Don't want to embed it into your paint.Also use it before laying any filler,between every layer of primer,and before you paint.If you have small rock chips to repair that the sanding might have hovered over,you don't have to sand all the way down to flatten them,or use plastic filler,either.Get some"spot glazing putty".It is real easy to sand,goes on without mixing and will make yor life real easy.Also good for filling any air bubble holes that might show up in your filler ops: Don't use it on dents,just small chips and gouges,nothing much bigger than an 1/8".As far as guns go.Like I said,I don't have show cars,but all mine turned out fine with a gun from Walmart ops: Good luck and be patient.Just because one spot is taking forever doesn't mean you are doing something wrong.I stretched my fender openings and spent 10+ hours per fender before they were ready to paint.Hope all this didn't bore you too much,just giving all the info I have.Good luck,be patient and let us see how it turns out!WHEW!I'm gonna go lay down now.......
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Old 02-12-2008, 02:35 PM
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bowtie4542001
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Thanks olds48,
That really helped a lot.

Chris
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Old 02-12-2008, 02:58 PM
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olds48
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No problem.Come on down to the house and we'll get started!It takes alot of time and effort,but when you shoot that last coat and you get to stand back and look at it,man that feels good!
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Old 02-12-2008, 05:58 PM
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bowtie4542001
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I hear you, you are only 7 1/2 hours away. I am sure that I will have more questions once I get started though. I will keep you posted on the progress. I am just getting started on trying to polish the aluminum interior.
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Old 02-12-2008, 07:15 PM
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olds48
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:shock: :shock: That sounds like alot of work :shock: :shock: Don't bring that down until your done polishing :lol: BTW.There is a product called Fisheye remover.Incase you don't get all the oil off the car it will prevent fisheyes.I'm sure you'va probably painted something before and had little dots show up.Those are the dreaded fisheyes :evil:
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Old 02-13-2008, 10:21 AM
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Whether or not you need primer depends on what kind of paint is on it and what you are going to use. If you are going to use a base coat /clear coat( I recomend you do) you will haveto put a good coat of a Urathane primer over the current paint or it will lift.( unless it already has a base/clear on it) It will even lift Laquer primer...the urethane primer has a hardener with it...good stuff and it fills in nicely because it is thick. I wouldn't use the DA on it if it were me unless it has a ton of paint on it. Wet sand it with a good straight paint stick. It does not matter if it is flat or curved...a straight paint stick will follow the shape of the car. I would use 220 or 320 to block the paint down, with the stick..block sand it dull and if you see metal on any high spots STOP. To really make it look good it should be block sanded at least twice..maybe more depending on how straight the car is.I would put a good heavy coat of the Urethane over the sanded paint and block sand it until you see any high spots then primer it again..then sand it back down again...as many times as you need to get it straight..THIS IS the best way to get it straight...but don't end up with too much primer on it..use some common sense as far as that goes. When you are happy with it being straight wet sand the primer slick(but not too slick) with 400 wet/dry. Once it slicks up you can hose it down with H2O and it will look like paint...you can see how straight it is that way. Once that is smoothe use a silver scotch brite pad to scuff it up a little then wipe it down with a rag with some wax/ grease remover (I use laquer thinner but don't soak it) blow out every nook and crany cause dust and or water will come out in the paint .Tape it up then tac it off good.
The base coat will dry very quickly and be dull like satin paint..wait a half hour..tac it off then clear coat .

Base/.clear is THE ONLY way to go in my opinion. Any blunder made when spraying the color can be wet sanded 10 minutes later and resprayed..... great stuff. Another benefit you can color sand it the very next day...so if your paint job looks dry as long as you have enough clear on it you can block sand the clear with a stick with 1500 or 2000 grit paper the buff it back out...I always do this no matter how slick it is because it always makes it look better..gives it that mirrored deep look....
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Old 02-13-2008, 10:32 AM
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Oh yeah.....if you just use acrylic enamel on it you don't need the urethane primer cause the enamel won't lift the existing paint. The stuff I use is 45 bucks a quart and that is without the hardner and reducer....but it is good stuff.

If you paint it a solid color you can still color sand the enamel but if it has metalic in it you want to be extra carefull trying to block sand the top coat because the metalic will look blotchy if you aren't carefull...

Also base/clear will not fisheye...but acrylic enamel will and the fisheye stuff he mentioned works very well.
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Old 02-13-2008, 03:04 PM
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bowtie4542001
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Thanks Tod74, I am getting a lot of good information here.

Chris
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Old 02-17-2008, 05:22 PM
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If the car was BC/CC then you are good to go. Block it with 240 to even everything out and knock out the runs. DA the rest. Anything you are taping up needs to be sanded up to and or under if you can. This will be where the paint will lift later in it's life. Shoot a good 2k sealer on it. I use PPG in my shop so I would go with NCP 271. This will fill the 240 scatches and make the surface even in color and texture. Then lay on the base coat. Finish with the clear.

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