Finally ready for some paint!!!!!!!!!!!

[madkaw]

Well I posted those pics of the jam work being done-atleast we thought. After taking a second close look the painter(my best friend) and I decided that there were some discrepencies. Since we are just painting in a garage the lighting isn't the best and that cost us. We had found some areas that just didn't get covered well enough. I hated to complain about a "free" paint job, especially to a great friend, but he knew that he kind of blew it. So he basically shot everything over again, what a difference! If the outside turns out as good as the jam work, we will both be estatic. This weekend is slated for the final work. We promised ourselves that we would take our time and triple check everything, and clean everything 20 times and get this right the first time. At 150$ a quart, you can't waste this red stuff.

[cbudvet]

Oh thats starting to look pretty sweet! I'm sorry to hear about the problems but at least you caught them early. It sure is better to deal with it now than have it all back together and wish things were different. Good luck with the final paint.

carl

[madkaw]

Well my buddy and I spent about 7 hours wet sanding and finishing any minor bodywork that we missed. We are about 4 or 5 hours away from painting-besides the day it will take to clean the garage before painting begins. It is truly amazing the amount of work that is involved in a complete paint job like this. The guys that complain about the cost of a QUALITY paint job, just try it once yourself. My buddy and I were talking about the cost of labor and materials for a paint job of this caliber and we figured 8k+

It will be nerve racking until that final coat of clear goes on, I might have a stress attack before this is all over:nervous:

[geezer]

When you're in the trenches doing the actual prep work and paying the cost of materials first hand, it's easier to understand how a quality paint job can cost what it does. You are lucky to have a knowledgable buddy help you through the process. Don't let the stress get to you and don't skimp on any of the prep work. Looking forward to seeing the finished paint. Good Luck!

[madkaw]

We almost had her done today until the spray gun starting throwing fits with the clear. It was a day of high anxiety because of the unknowns and the high costs of failure. I had never used a sealer before and it was a white tinted sealer to boot. Then there is always the issue of dirt and bugs and spider webbing and runs and ect...

Well the sealer went on weird , but settled out smoothly later. We had a few small runs in the sealer that really didn't show up until we painted the base coat. The base went on well with some weird spider webbing, but we were able to smooth that out too. We(my painter and best friend) were pretty happy by this point because besides the few small issues, this was going pretty good with hardly any dirt at all in the paint.

Then the clear was sputtering and causing bad orange peeling, so my friend gave up for the day. There was a bad run that also needed work, so he said enough until he figured out the issue. Now we will have to wet sand the clear and start over, but I am still very very pleased with how this is turning out-especially the body work-this will be nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, the red pics are before clear

Edited August 27, 2009 by madkaw

[gregs240z]

Looking good Steve! Can't wait to see her finished. Nice garage too, so CLEAN!!!

[five&dime]

How long did you wait b/t the sealer and the base coat?

What kind of gun are you using? HVLP? What pressure are you running? What kind of paint as well?

I wish I was closer I would love to come spray this car. I have already made all the mistakes and now lay down a mighty fine paint job IMO My dad bought me a nice Devilbiss plus HVLP gun last year and it makes all the difference in the world. Now my clears don't need wetsanding!!!

[madkaw]

Brandon,

I wish you could have here to give some pointers or just tell us that we are screwing up! My friend a difficult time with the clear. First mistake was not using the fish eye reducer. Secondly, we had some kind of reaction or some spray gun disorder. We are using a hvlp -don't know the brand name. Not sure on the pressure, but I would assume according to instructions. Probably waited an hour between the sealer and base-also according to instructions. Base went on pretty smooth, just the urethanes we had the issues with. I think at first he had the wrong tip on the gun-too big.

Needless to say I will have a lot of wet sanding and polishing to do. Any hints on doing this? How do you avoid swirl marks from the polish? What grit do you use for final sand before polish? Wool pad?

I love the color and with all the blacked out trim it should be great. These pics the sun wasn't out, so the color is much brighter and lighter then the pics show.

[ktm]

Looking good! Yet another "painting my car" thread that is making me envious. I bought the car in 2005 and have been working on it since. Every year I always say, "next year is body and paint." Then the next year comes and I am doing something else.

Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

[madkaw]

Well Bo, I have had this car for about 15 years -so I know what you mean. Plus paint is so expensive-even if you do it yourself. Plus when you start down that road your car is out of commision for a long time.

I can't wait to see the finished product too.

[five&dime]

Looks pretty damn good. I always allow about 6-12 hours b/t sealer and base though. I have found that not giving it enough time will cause lifting or cracking.

The air pressure is essential for a good spray!! It makes all the difference in the world. Also need to make sure the gun has been cleaner really well before base/clear. Sealer can get in every part of the gun and really clog up the air passages.

Appears to have turned out well. May just take some wetsanding and buffing. I have never used fish eye reducer unless you are just referring to standard reducer. I have learned that spending the extra money on PPG or equivalent is definitely worth it too!!!!

Can't wait to see the final outcome after cleaned up and reassembled

[madkaw]

Pictures can be decieving. The orange peel is narly in spots. I think the problem was clogging and maybe too large of a tip----throw in some humidity and inexperience and bingo. The color is great though and so is the shine, plus there is over a gallon and a half of clear on that car. I could sand forever and never break through. I think it will be great in the end.