How To: DIY Paint and Body work

[isaac5021]

do the steps work on carbon fiber also i want to paint my hood but im not sure how it will turn out

[ManoNegra]

Originally Posted by buentellomma

Also to save you from a mess when you spray base coat, place paper on the edge of your masking..... By spraying onto plastic it will flake off when the air pressure hits it and go all over the place.

even with the stuff that is made for automotive masking?
that's what I've seen used in YT videos and what I have on the front of the car

I would take that wing off and spray it that way, it will turn out a lot better.....

I would if I could but one of the bolts that holds the wing on the trunk was rigged by the previous owner and it just spins in place... wont' come out


on another note
have any tips on masking/painting door handles - maybe pics?
I don't really want to remove them
car will be a weekend/track slut after all

[PureRush]

What's a decent priced spray gun to hook up to my air compressor? Also I want to paint my whole car pearl white. I was thinking 3 coats of primer (maybe more if it doesn't look solid), 3 or 4 coats of base with pearl, and 3 or 4 coats of clear. Is that too many coats all together? Of course I'll be dry sanding the primer and wet sanding after. Also what's the best type paint to use? I'm not looking for a show quality finish since I'll be painting my Daily Driver.

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by PureRush

What's a decent priced spray gun to hook up to my air compressor? Also I want to paint my whole car pearl white. I was thinking 3 coats of primer (maybe more if it doesn't look solid), 3 or 4 coats of base with pearl, and 3 or 4 coats of clear. Is that too many coats all together? Of course I'll be dry sanding the primer and wet sanding after. Also what's the best type paint to use? I'm not looking for a show quality finish since I'll be painting my Daily Driver.

Way too many coats ! 2 good coats of primer over repair areas then block the, with 320 grit, 1 coat of primer sealer over the whole car this will cut down on coats needed for base coat, usually 2 to 3 coats for base, 1-2 coats of the pearl coat, then 2-3 coats of clear. Only use this method if the car hasn't been painted before, if it has you need to remove the paint down the factory ecoat or bare metal.

Originally Posted by ManoNegra

even with the stuff that is made for automotive masking?
that's what I've seen used in YT videos and what I have on the front of the car




I would if I could but one of the bolts that holds the wing on the trunk was rigged by the previous owner and it just spins in place... wont' come out


on another note
Havel any tips on masking/painting door handles - maybe pics?
I don't really want to remove them
car will be a weekend/track slut after all

Trust me it's happened many times to me before, you might get lucky once or twice but it will low off into your paint once it's dry. 18" paper is the safe way to go then plastic. That sucks about the wing..... Only way now is to cut the nut off or break the wing lol..... Masking door handles.. If you dont want to remove them which I recommend to remove if possible, mask the whole handle as tight as possible then take a razor and tightly trim the tape around the handle do not let it touch the surface of the car you will have a hard line .

Originally Posted by isaac5021

do the steps work on carbon fiber also i want to paint my hood but im not sure how it will turn out

are you wanting to clear coat the hood of apply base coat? If just clear coat wet sand the hood with 800-1000 grit paper, clean with wax and grease remover and tack rag, then spray your clear. For base coat, follow same steps as painting a car on here

[PureRush]

When and what grit should I use to sand each layer? Wet or dry?

[g2ic02]

can any one show pictures and steps used to fix common flaws while paint. (running paint, dirt, fish eyes....)

if you notice a flaw in between coats, do you try to look whole car over for flaws and fix between each coat??. ideally you would like to not have problems, but do you only have your flash period(8 hours) to fix them. If you are approaching the end of your flash time would you spray a 2nd coat to a majority of the car, rather than have to sand the whole car/clean/tack rag the car.

if you do make repairs: how would you clean the area to continue painting.

sorry for all the questions. thanks in advance

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by g2ic02

can any one show pictures and steps used to fix common flaws while paint. (running paint, dirt, fish eyes....)

if you notice a flaw in between coats, do you try to look whole car over for flaws and fix between each coat??. ideally you would like to not have problems, but do you only have your flash period(8 hours) to fix them. If you are approaching the end of your flash time would you spray a 2nd coat to a majority of the car, rather than have to sand the whole car/clean/tack rag the car.

if you do make repairs: how would you clean the area to continue painting.

sorry for all the questions. thanks in advance

Sorry I don't have any pictures of issues while painting.... I rarely have anything more than a small run in the clear coat. Yes you would want to look over the whole car between coats to identify issues. No you can wait longer than 8 hrs but the 8hr window is for having to scuff it before moving on. If you go over the window time you must scuff sand the base coat before spraying clear. You do not have to recoat if your within or after the allotted time frame, only if you have to repair the area. Scuff it clean it clear coat it. Clean the repaired paint area with wax and grease remover and a tack rag.... Get use to tack ragging more than anything else.

Originally Posted by PureRush

When and what grit should I use to sand each layer? Wet or dry?

If removing the paint layers use 180 grit on a DA... It will take you forever to hand sand or wet sand all the layers off. Remove the paint layers before working body work or priming

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by ManoNegra

even with the stuff that is made for automotive masking?
that's what I've seen used in YT videos and what I have on the front of the car




I would if I could but one of the bolts that holds the wing on the trunk was rigged by the previous owner and it just spins in place... wont' come out


on another note
have any tips on masking/painting door handles - maybe pics?
I don't really want to remove them
car will be a weekend/track slut after all

alright this is an old project picture to use as my example:
the black arrows is what i was talking about with your masking. Notice i am using masking place closest to the paint and then plastic after it to cover the areas not being painted. This is to prevent wet paint from being sprayed onto the plastic sheeting. When the wet coat is sprayed onto plastic and drys it flakes off. The paper keeps this from happening. The white arrows is where i masked with paper the areas that i knew was going to get a lot of paint applied. The red arrow is where i was in a hurry and just threw some plastic over the wheels. Some of the base coat overspray flaked off when i was clear coating and caused a good bit of sanding and buffing for me. Hope this helps


this is the only picture i can find with door handles being masked, most of the time i pull them out. Mask it tightly and then trim with a razor

[silviaks2nr]

Manonegra you really need to pull the wing off- whatever it takes. You will really regret it if you don't. I would try to get a dremel tool with a cutting wheel in there to lop it off or just really yank on it and pull the stud out with pliers. It's easy enough to fiberglass or epoxy another stud back in.

[ManoNegra]

Originally Posted by buentellomma

Hope this helps

it does, thanks

Originally Posted by silviaks2nr

Manonegra you really need to pull the wing off- whatever it takes. You will really regret it if you don't. I would try to get a dremel tool with a cutting wheel in there to lop it off or just really yank on it and pull the stud out with pliers. It's easy enough to fiberglass or epoxy another stud back in.

yeah, I get what you are saying and I probably will regret it
but at the same time it's already taking way longer than I intended to
it was meant to be a quick job to get the track car to be one color
next thing I know I'm removing mirrors, trim, weatherstripping, etc....

[isaac5021]

I want to make my cf hood black so just sand primer sand seal base and clear

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by isaac5021

I want to make my cf hood black so just sand primer sand seal base and clear

Correct , since your going with a color, scuff sand with 320 grit or finer sand paper until the surface is dull looking. Prime sand again with 320 grit clean seal base coat and clear. If you run into any issues just post on here and I'll walk you through it

[ManoNegra]

On the topic of paint guns while contemplating a HF gun to shoot primer
I came upon this (long ass fuck) interesting video:



cliff notes:
cheap HF paint guns can be modded to perform like nice expensive guns by:
- getting o-rings for the cup
- taking the gun apart and cleaning/removing the cheap silicone sealer used on various threads that can potentially chip off and clog the gun
- applying teflon tape to all the threaded parts upon reassembly.

any thoughts on this?

I may do this on a the cheap primer gun I plan on picking up.

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by ManoNegra

On the topic of paint guns while contemplating a HF gun to shoot primer
I came upon this (long ass fuck) interesting video:



cliff notes:
cheap HF paint guns can be modded to perform like nice expensive guns by:
- getting o-rings for the cup
- taking the gun apart and cleaning/removing the cheap silicone sealer used on various threads that can potentially chip off and clog the gun
- applying teflon tape to all the threaded parts upon reassembly.

any thoughts on this?

I may do this on a the cheap primer gun I plan on picking up.

im indifferent on using the HF guns for long term. $20 is nice for just a few uses but i wasnt happy with the way they atomize the paint vs my quality guns. For someone just starting out or on a slim budget i dont see anything wrong with it. I personally wouldnt invest in a HF gun but thats just my opinion.

[ManoNegra]

I stopped by the HF by work last night and picked up their 2 gun kit

HVLP Spray Gun Kit

sure enough the quality of the gun isn't all that great
I spent a little time today at work using a veritex wheel and taps clean up threads and obvious burrs found thought the gun
installed the 1.8 needle and nozzle in preparation for primer
already the 'feel' of the gun has improved

[Geadien]

Ok I did my primer but I guess I have these little marks in it what grade sand paper should I use to get that out. New to the whole paint game so sorry if this is a stupid question.

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by Geadien

Ok I did my primer but I guess I have these little marks in it what grade sand paper should I use to get that out. New to the whole paint game so sorry if this is a stupid question.

Can you post a picture? Sand with 320 grit of finer.... Doesn't matter wet or dry sanding.

[Geadien]

Ok I think i have fixed the problem!

[Ineedastarter]

Big up, mate! I have been meaning to step into the world of auto body/paint for years now and I'm finally following through this summer.

My knowledge is limited to using the miracle system for pulls and dings. I'll be going through your posts as I go along. Any chance of some youtube videos?

Thanks for all the tips/walkthroughs!

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by Ineedastarter

Big up, mate! I have been meaning to step into the world of auto body/paint for years now and I'm finally following through this summer.

My knowledge is limited to using the miracle system for pulls and dings. I'll be going through your posts as I go along. Any chance of some youtube videos?

Thanks for all the tips/walkthroughs!

I dont have any youtube videos of my work but i know there are a lot of them out there.

[ManoNegra]

question(s):
I'm blocking the build up primer on the car and pieces right now.
How smooth do they need to be?
smooth to the touch or also to close inspection?
wet sanding with a foam block and 320 grit btw

also, I've read that a sealer coat of primer is optional.
Is it? What's to be gained/lost by shooting base over the blocked car?

thanks in advance

[S14TEENZ]

Originally Posted by ManoNegra

question(s):
I'm blocking the build up primer on the car and pieces right now.
How smooth do they need to be?
smooth to the touch or also to close inspection?
wet sanding with a foam block and 320 grit btw

also, I've read that a sealer coat of primer is optional.
Is it? What's to be gained/lost by shooting base over the blocked car?

thanks in advance

Well shooting base over a blocked car will help fill in any little imperfection.

Are you using lacquer primer?

Or like a epoxy primer?

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by ManoNegra

question(s):
I'm blocking the build up primer on the car and pieces right now.
How smooth do they need to be?
smooth to the touch or also to close inspection?
wet sanding with a foam block and 320 grit btw

also, I've read that a sealer coat of primer is optional.
Is it? What's to be gained/lost by shooting base over the blocked car?

thanks in advance

The surface needs to be both smooth to the touch and also needs to be visually inspected for pits,orange peel, and any other surface defects. Other than the 320 grit sanding marks you should see a completely smooth surface. When blocking sand at a 30* angle one way and come back over it the opposite way at the same angle. Sealer is not required but it is highly encouraged. The sealer allows the base coat to cover better and seals off anything underneath from reacting with the fresh solvents. If you ever look down the side of a show car and notice the mirror like finish that is what it takes, properly block sanding the surface will give you a smooth flat surface without waves. Its a lot of work and if your just going to track whore it out i wouldnt spend that much time trying to make it perfect.

Originally Posted by S14TEENZ

Well shooting base over a blocked car will help fill in any little imperfection.

No........... It...........Does........... Not............ base coat is not used for filling imperfections. If fact it brings out all the surface issues some colors are worse about it than others.

[ManoNegra]

Originally Posted by S14TEENZ

Well shooting base over a blocked car will help fill in any little imperfection.

Are you using lacquer primer?

Or like a epoxy primer?

epoxy

Originally Posted by buentellomma

The surface needs to be both smooth to the touch and also needs to be visually inspected for pits,orange peel, and any other surface defects. Other than the 320 grit sanding marks you should see a completely smooth surface. When blocking sand at a 30* angle one way and come back over it the opposite way at the same angle. Sealer is not required but it is highly encouraged. The sealer allows the base coat to cover better and seals off anything underneath from reacting with the fresh solvents. If you ever look down the side of a show car and notice the mirror like finish that is what it takes, properly block sanding the surface will give you a smooth flat surface without waves. Its a lot of work and if your just going to track whore it out i wouldnt spend that much time trying to make it perfect.

No........... It...........Does........... Not............ base coat is not used for filling imperfections. If fact it brings out all the surface issues some colors are worse about it than others.

ok, that's what I was leaning towards
the panels are smooth to the touch but if I look close I can see some 'orange peel' in some spots
I will spend some time but won't go crazy trying to get the panels perfect since it is a track project

I think I will shoot a coat of sealer.

thanks again

[Dany]

wat kind of welding machine u have? mine sux and i wana get one that welds like that! where u did the red corolla cancer spot tacking

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by Dany

wat kind of welding machine u have? mine sux and i wana get one that welds like that! where u did the red corolla cancer spot tacking

Lincoln mig with gas

[huffandpuff00]

what is the smallest size compressor i should buy (HP/Gal) to run a DA to sand my car?

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by huffandpuff00

what is the smallest size compressor i should buy (HP/Gal) to run a DA to sand my car?

I have a 33 gal and it barely I mean barely operates my DA sander for extended amounts of time. So I would say 33 gal or bigger

[huffandpuff00]

I am looking at getting a 60 gal, just didn't know if that was over kill. thank for the reply!

[buentellomma]

How to buff clear coat:
Step 1: after your clear coat has cured for more than 8 hours you can begin sanding out orange peel/ trash/ runs/ sags.

Step 2: there are two ways to sand the clear coat, wet sanding and dry D/A sanding. On this bed cover i did both but i finished with wet sanding. When wet sanding keep water on the surface at all time to ease in the removal of clear coat. If your wet paper does not have enough water it will begin to clog up. Start sanding with 1000grit until the surface is smooth then go back over it with 1200 grit then 1500 grit and finally 2000 grit. Use a 45* angle when sanding then when switching to the next grit go in the opposite direction. This will help with removing the course grit sanding marks.


Step 3: Once you have removed the surface issues, you are now ready to use rubbing compound and a buffer. I like to use 3m and a 3m waffle buffing pad.

Step 4: A good rule to follow is only buff a square foot at a time. I like to lay out about a foot long strip of compound.

Step 5: Take the pad and spread out the compound so it doesnt sling out everywhere.

Step 6: Once you start buffing keep the buffer moving side to side and dont let it sit in once spot for too long. This will heat up the surface and you will burn through the clear coat.

Step 7: this is what it looks like if you buff one square foot at a time. Buffing like this you are less likely to miss spots.

Step 8: Once your part is buffed it is ready to go. Polish compound is optional sometimes ill use it depending on the color.