Respray tips

[willwal98]

Actually i've used iso free 2 pack. It leaves quite a nice finish and wasn't too bad to spray. A small note though, make sure you cover everything you don't want paint on. I painted in the garage with plastic on the walls etc and I found paint dust everywhere else.

[o_man_ra23]

Well it's what i 'heard'. It doesnt seem odd that paints flamable...and if there's something to light it then who knows...

The main constituent of acrylic thinner (2 pak included) is toluene... one of the best octane boosters on earth. So yeah... shes flamable alright. Makes good octane booster cheap tho, a 20 ltr drum is good for about $40ish, and its rated somewhere close to 114 octane, or some other super high number.

If indeed it is an RT142, they infact have glue in screens. My suggestion is get a glassy in to remove if its necessary, otherwise leave it there. Remove windows and cover with cardboard (the open space in the cabin will a) get paint stuck on stuff you dont want it to be stuck on, and b) cause turbulating air which will cover your car in paint dust and make buffing a royal pain in the a-hole)

Also, dont wet sand bog, its porous. Use a bog file, then paint with spray filler, and allow to dry.

Primer stretches and flexes while drying. Allow primer to dry for about 2 weeks before giving a very light sand, and painting with colour. Spraying cheap acrylic matt black in super thin dust coats over the primer between sanding will show up high and low spots really well. Got a badly rippled/rust repaired XA coupe body straight as a die using that method.

You can buy hand sanders which are somewhere near 2 foot long and about 2 inches wide. These are the best things since sliced bread, and you can buy the sheets to fit them. Dont buy cheap stuff... a good hand sander like that will set you back over $30, maybe over $40.

Cheers, Owen

[Enchanter]

Environment? Me and a mate want to paint our rides, we have no enclosed area to do it, so we are thinking of chippin in and buy one of those erectable carport shade thingys from supercheap bout $200, pitch it in the backyard, and hang black placky down the sides, protect against wind, dust.

I recently painted my ride in one of these and it worked ok, BUT be sure to cover the ground in something like a tarp to prevent blowing crap onto the paint. I also had a problem with bugs, friken thousands of them !! The chemicals in the air did actually kill almost all of them by the end of each day but I had a problem of them dieing on my wet paint

Personally I would recomend NOT going all the way back to bare metal unless you are after a really professional job, there is a fair bit more work to do in that scenario.

Applying the paint is the easy bit as long as you know the basics, its the prep that takes time, so my tip is to take the time, this includes doing a guide coat to reveal any imperfections.

Cheers, Tim

[Trent-KE30]

Yeah one more thing, the preperation is the most important part, if you don't get this right, no matter how good the finish coats are it will look shithouse, So take your time and don't take unnessecary shortcuts,

-Trent

[LeeRoy]

As for bugs thats why booths are run for a short time before any paint is laid down

- LeeRoy

[Shifty]

Thanks for the replies. The car is a $300 Mazda 808 sedan.

My old man used to be a painter & sandblaster, but didn't do any automotive stuff. I'm sure he has a pretty good idea what to do but haven't discussed it yet. This info has been quite useful, and if I go through with it I'll post up about my experience & what I learned.

[o_man_ra23]

if its an 808, i believe they have a rubber mounted windscreen, search the tech thread, as i did a writeup on how to play with removing/installing these without the heartache.

Cheers, Owen

[Toobs]

Go and find yourself a copy of Motorbooks Workshop "How to paint your car", don't mind the gay name, it's a really good book... tells you everything from buying the tools etc. to dealing with paint defects.
Buy it and you won't be disappointed.

To get you started:
1. what I will need to buy (want to get it all/most of it in one shot) and what tools I should have on hand
HVLP spraygun, decent quality line filter for compressor, test cards, stiring sticks, paint funnels, painters tape, masking paper, plastic drop sheets, much sandpaper +++.

2. recommended mask (I am asthmatic so this is VERY important)
As presiously mentioned don't skimp on this as 2p paint will f' you up hardcore otherwise!
There is info in the book on models etc.

3. the best method for stripping the car back
Sand back using orbital, hifill, prime and you're good.
Media blasting can warp the metal quite easily if you don't know what you're doing.

4. the best method of preparation
There is too much involved to discuss here... basically you should spend more time on prep than you spend painting the car.
Read the book

5. best method for removing windscreens
Call O'Briens or similar and have them remove it... it's not worth the effort to DIY.

6. the best paint choice
Glasurit.

7. compressor & gun settings
Read above mentioned book... really depends on the gun, paint:solvent ratio and paint used.

8. the best painting method
HVLP.

9. misc tips regarding the environment, what to do and what not to do
Basically the cleaner the better, make sure the work area is completely free of dust, preferably use a proper HVLP spray booth.
Once the car is prepped roll it straight into the booth... do not leave it outside for a second longer than necessary!

[o_man_ra23]

Why a High Volume Low Pressure gun Toobs?? Depends on the compressor you have. If you have a good compressor, then a High Pressure gun will atomise the paint better, and give a more even finish, and less chance of orange peel.

Also, make sure you only paint thin coats and give the correct flash time between coats (see paint tin, or talk to the person selling the paint)

Cheers, Owen

[LeeRoy]

If you have a good compressor, then a High Pressure gun will atomise the paint better, and give a more even finish, and less chance of orange peel.

Orange peel is unaviodable, the only way to get rid of it is to wet rub the paint after you've finished. Flow coating will also reduce it too but unless you sand it you will always have orange peel to an extent. Some is worse than others.

[o_man_ra23]

leeroy,
I had no orange peel when I painted my GF's old laser with Protec quik dry 2pak. Quik rub with 1200 then 1500 then a buff and it was shiny as. Its all about the mixture, you need more thinners to reduce the orange peel, and thinner coats too.

Cheers, Owen

[li21]

Is there anyone that wants to paint my car?
Its an AE86 thats currently blue, I want to color it white/panda.

Im prepared to do all the prep myself but I dont have a large enough garage thats ventilated or dust free in order to do the paint job..

Im willing to pay someone with cash and beer if they can help me with the painting
Ill ofcourse help out and buy all the stuff needed for the job.

Im in North west sydney.
cheers

Email me : [email protected]

[LeeRoy]

leeroy,
I had no orange peel when I painted my GF's old laser with Protec quik dry 2pak. Quik rub with 1200 then 1500 then a buff and it was shiny as. Its all about the mixture, you need more thinners to reduce the orange peel, and thinner coats too.

Cheers, Owen

Yeh, i mentioned that, but what i was getting at was that an "off the gun" finish will always have peel but depending on the quality of spray the amount of peel will differ.

Also by cutting back and buffing that's the only way to get a flat as peel-less finish.

Cheers - LeeRoy

[o_man_ra23]

I didnt have to cut because of peel, I had to cut because of dust, bugs etc
Unfortuanately a proper booth wasnt available at the time

Cheers, Owen