wheee!

I like your green very much, but it is the lightest version of 240 green I have ever seen... Again, mine is a water based mix so that may have some play here but I'm not sure. It DOES look very close to the 2335 on the nose of the fender (to which I am partial) The other colours I sprayed look nothing like their paint chip samples either!

Thanks for the feedback Jim! I agree... the nose colour is very attractive. The original 240 green is a close second. However, the wife has the final say and she wanted dark green.... Have to see what she says when she sees them. She might want more samples....

Sprayed the remaining three colours last night. Got the gun pressure dialled in and used the 3M PPS cups like I should have the first time. Paint went on smooth and blem free like expected. Painted three coats plus a fan coat at the end. Let the paint flash dry on each between coats. Wiped the panel down and shot two passes of lacquer clear coat with a 15 minute flash time between each. Will post more pics in sunlight when I get a chance. The clear needs sanding and buffing too. I will do this for practice and also to make the colours pop the most. Clear is still wet in these pics.

Couldn't resist...

I agree. This particular situation with the test fender is merely for colour, not quality so I am not too concerned. The real parts and chassis will be all done in the flash times for that reason.

Yes. Many parts including fenders are (were) available when I ordered one two years ago. Canada for some reason has more items than the US... I ordered new fender emblems for example for under $50 each!

I don't believe their is a "window" for the topcoat with the water based paint.

Water base lays metallic better, is harder, and covers better than regular paint. It also does not have off-gassing of the base once the water evaporates in a few minutes. That means less imperfections a month or two later once the clear coat is on. It is prone to runs and sags if the gun is not set up right though. It also meets or exceeds the VOC requirements for most areas. Thought I would start with the product that will be probably the only one available later for repairs if necessary.

Pre-thinned by the supply shop. No mixing required. Your gun setup sounds exactly like mine is now!

The cup system works amazing. You can spray upside down due to the enclosed collapsible cup system. Brain fart... I meant lacquer thinner. The drier has desiccant pellets that I replace monthly. Cook the old ones and then recycle. I have three sets of pellets. Mine are white. Size of tater tots .

This thread is getting unwieldy large lol. All the info on the dryer is back in the thread somewhere... it's a basic system from Princess Auto. There is a 50' hose from the compressor to the drier, then another 50' hose to the gun. Couple of pictures of the cup system with filters and the drier.

I have an air dryer system plus an air cleaner/drier at the gun. This was an issue of gun settings more than anything. It may also have been a small amount of gun contamination as I had just cleaned the gun top to bottom with mineral spirits (from the DTM epoxy work) then a complete wash down with water based paint gun cleaner ($50 a gallon!!!!). The gun was not completely dry possibly when I added the paint and it may have added to the issue. I expect the next test panel to look a lot better. Not that this one isn't colour correct, just not blem free!

Splatter. Too much pressure and flow in the gun plus unfiltered paint (regular cup, not a 3M 125 micron cup). The finished dried panel look better but not great. I was going for colour and coverage rather than quality here. I also anticipated having to dial in the gun as I went so the following panels should get better! I didn't have enough paint to spray a lot of test patterns for the gun. Paint ain't cheap!

Pics as promised! First pass - Second after flashing - Third with fan coat - And one with the fluorescents turned off - No more till I finish the rest of the colours and again after the clearcoat etc.

And with that, I admit a fail this evening. I prepped the panel with 600 grit, cleaned it, cleaned the gun (twice) and then decided to save a little money and not use a filter cartridge with the first paint colour. Big mistake. Blew chunks onto the panel halfway thru. Not really bad, just enough to teach me a lesson. Also had the air too high and the fan too wide. Water based sprays differently than epoxy... live and learn.

Some product shots... And the Iwata HTE-2 (corrected tip size is 1.3)

Geez.... now I'm sweating! I have the 3M filter cups for my Iwata hvlp gun that are 125 microns. I will be using a 1.3 head for the gun. I used the same gun for the sealer coat and it sprayed beautiful.

PPG is a main supplier for sure. Most OEM paint jobs are all water based now. Europe has been doing it for years. I am by no means an expert and can't help but feel a little nervous over this as it is my first automotive paint job! However, I am confident that my lack of experience and knowledge will allow my ignorance to protect me... hopefully resulting in a nice paint job. Ignorance is bliss.... and yes, I will post pics as I go, as usual!

Water based is pre-mixed and requires no reducing. It covers better due to higher solids content and lays metallic on more evenly. The Body Shop guys tell me that the best results seem to be coming from 600 grit. The 800 is often recommended but has less "grip" than the 600 finish they say. They use the stuff regularly and seem to have great results. I have done some test sheets (spraying water based) at an auto body painting class earlier last year, but have not done any proper panel prep. We shot bare aluminum panels and they looked stunning. I was very surprised at how easy and even the results were. When spraying, it is very difficult to predict final colour due to the water content of the paint. It changes as it dries, hence the need for a proper test panel before choosing a colour for the final spray.

Made a trip to the friendly Body Shop Supply store and picked up my water based paint samples! I have 4 pint sized samples of the original 240 Green, as well as 3 other similar "British Racing Green" colours. Also picked up a tub of the Norton brand guide coat powder. Very interested to see how it works as it is very inexpensive and twice the size of the 3M Guide Coat! Also picked up some high quality clear coat and water based paint gun cleaner. While I'm at it, I also ordered a water based paint panel dryer. A small directional gun for blowing clean compressed air over the panels to speed water evaporation and drying. I'm looking forward to the test panel! I will sand the sealer coat with some 600 grit prior to spraying the test colours then post the results as soon as I have them!

It looks like Dave's actuator is tilted down more and slightly offset from the locking arm. He has bent the actuator rod slightly to make it work. You have yours more parallel to the locking arm. I think it's do-able!

Interesting.... I was thinking of using velcro strips glued to the towers, then gluing the velcro receiver to the back of the carpet. That would make it removable for cleaning etc. But maybe I will try and build a carpet set myself then. I have the old vinyl for templates...

Thanks! The seam sealer worked very well and the DTM primer/sealer completely covered it and made it almost invisible!

Thanks! I am looking forward to the long block work actually. Hoping it goes well... I welded in new metal, then short strand fibreglas filler over the welds to waterproof them in case of pinholes. Both sides.

Also prepped the spare fibreglas fender I had so that I can spray some base colours on it. I would like at least four sample greens on the fender that I can compare in real light with contours etc.