Prepping a shell for paint

[Thomas]

Thanks for all the tips. I think I'll hunt for some iron phosphate and etch primer on monday. It's been dry here lately so I think it shouldn't be too bad to leave the shell under some tarps?

And on the note of sanding, is it ok to focus the sheet sander on sections to remove a patch of paint then go in long circular motions to even things out? Would the primer coat fill in any deep patches that are left if I focus on a particular area?

[LeeRoy]

On the note of hand sanding it is good and bad. Generally you will find that there is alot of stuff that you cant get with a block - even a tiny one and will end up having to use the tips of your fingers and sandpaper. Places such as door jams, door handle recesses, and other parts. Just be careful as if you do a bit of sanding by hand the shape of your hand will cause an uneven surface.

Also the problem with block sanders is that generally you use them with 360 grade paper which is fairly course. As such you will notice that after youve sanded, depending on how hard you've pressed, lines from the sandpaper. If you dont give a good wet rub - or two after youve dry sanded the primer/hi fill youll see these lines under the paint when its finished.

I'm a lil confused by your last q so can't help you there but in regards to primer its quite thin so no it wont cover what youve described as deep patches. Depending on how straight and wobble free your panels are you might want to consider giving it a few coats of hi fill. If you dont know what this is its like thick primer. Good for covering imperfections not covered by primer and you can put a good few mm of it on there.

- LeeRoy

[LeeRoy]

Heres some reading for you
Here for spray painting tips
Here for rust repair
Here for cleaning that unsightly engine bay
Here for bead/sand blasting
Here for acrylic paint help

- LeeRoy

[infotechplus]

Thanks for all the tips. I think I'll hunt for some iron phosphate and etch primer on monday. It's been dry here lately so I think it shouldn't be too bad to leave the shell under some tarps?

And on the note of sanding, is it ok to focus the sheet sander on sections to remove a patch of paint then go in long circular motions to even things out? Would the primer coat fill in any deep patches that are left if I focus on a particular area?

Putting an unprimed car under a tarp will promote moisture overnight, especially if you leave it for a few days. If you have dry weather make sure air can circulate under the covering. This is especially true for those poly car covers you buy from SupercheapAuto, Repco, etc.

The short answer to your second question is No. Modern paints are mostly water based - this is for legislative and OH&S reasons, it is only microns thick, so it won't compensate for heavy sanding in one area. I tried to feather out stone chips on a bonnet and even though it looked and felt smooth in primer when I did the colour coat you could see all the sanded areas.

You could use what's called HiFill, its a spray on putty. Also there is a skim coat filler that's easier to work with than normal body filler. It's used for final levelling, after you've sanded the guide (black) coat.

Again, it all boils down to patience and preparation.

But don't be put off because when you are finished there is a great sense of satisfaction when it comes up looking good

Peter

[Thomas]

doh. so no tarps? Whats a good way to store the shell outside then? At the moment I've got some tarps covering the metal, held in place by one of those dodgy supercheap car covers.

[infotechplus]

doh. so no tarps? Whats a good way to store the shell outside then? At the moment I've got some tarps covering the metal, held in place by one of those dodgy supercheap car covers.

The only answer is to prep, primer and paint all in the space of a week. but whatever, don't leave it too long.

I've just finished putting the primer on the ute this morning. I'll aim to paint it at least by next week as long as there's no rain till then.

Here's my project. Photo1 is last weekend, photo2, 3 and 4 all this weekend. Photo 3 is etch primer where I went back to bare metal. It's a darker grey than primer-surfacer.

cheers,

Peter

[Thomas]

Cool as. So the primer will adhere to the paint even if it hasn't been sanded down a couple of layers?

[infotechplus]

Cool as. So the primer will adhere to the paint even if it hasn't been sanded down a couple of layers?

Yes. For the backyard painter acrylic is the only way to go. It's forgiving, dries quickly and can be easily sanded.

You can paint acrylic over original paintwork (usually 2Pac, or clear over base) with minimal effort. There is no need to disturb good paintwork, just rub it back to take away the gloss with something like 400 wet/dry, wash it down with soapy water and then clean, lintfree rags with Wax & Grease Remover, use compressed air to blow everything clean.

Set your gun up. I used a 2mm needle today with a HVLP gravity fed gun. HVLP is Hihgh Volume Low Pressure - less waste of paint than with a suction gun. Plus you can get into more hard to access areas.

You can't paint 2pac over acrylic because on a hot day the acrylic will move around but the 2Pac topcoat (which is a much 'harder' paint when it dries) will not move but it will crack like a desert in the drought. To do this you need to either sandblast the whole car or rub it back completely. A paintshop would charge you about $1500 to do this before painting.

Here's some more photos:

I degreased the gearbox and swapped the bellhousing to the 1G for the transplant. I used red engine enamel for this.

The engine bay has been degreased, then washed with a pressure cleaner, then Wax & Grease Remover, then blow dry before painting.

The last photo is the complete project - my Hilux is waiting for a 1GGZE conversion. Not sure of the final colour yet. I have a number of options.

Cheers



Peter

[Thomas]

Thats awesome. I'd want my bay to come out like that! I'd rep you again as well but I can't yet.

Keep me updated with pics, I want to see how it turns out!

[skiddz]

i went to bare metal on the ta22 just gotta work fast, and as for sander, i recomend a tin of stripper and a paint scraper yards faster, although stay away from the body seams as that stuff promotes rust, i left a margin of about 20 mm either side of a crevace/seam/place where i couldnt get it out of and that seemed fine

[love ke70]

so did not go to bare metal, you went to half bare metal, half remaing paint and half bog lol

[skiddz]

lol the better part of it was metal and all the bog was taken off dude....

[LeeRoy]

The only prob with seams is that once you get rid of them you need to seam seal again which can be time consuming. However, in the end you can und up with really neat seam seals or even weld them up then grind them back for that totally flat finish. Its a PITA otherwise and if your only after a spray.

- LeeRoy

[love ke70]

there was still bog on the rear quarter...probably an inch deep for all we know