Need Help - Painting a Car

[good_jolly]

I am attempting to paint my car this week. I am painting with OEM color acrylic enamel single stage b/c I am on a budget. Most of the clear coat has been burned through more than 2 years in Texas heat. I am spraying and has bought pretty much everything except paint and primer.

I just tried slightly sanding with a sander/polisher with a 240 grit. It burned through the base coat instantly and leaving me with straight up primer. I have looked at the way people sand a white car but I cannot tell how much sanding is needed. Some recommend 320 grit then 400 or 420.

My question is how much to sand? Sand out base coat? Can you guys give me some tips?

Thanks

 

[nthach]

The best thing to do here is to hit the paint with a 80-grit disc on a rotary sander to take off ALL of the failed paint down to bare metal. Then shoot on etching primer and at least 2 coats total of primer/filler, blocked out with 320 grit on the first coat and then 400-800 grit after the last coat before sealer. If you like, you can shoot on epoxy primer before the primer/filler. Then use a sealer as a wet-on-wet coat before your single stage.

I've painted my car - even though I botched the quarter panel to door blends and I did this with the help of the local community college.

You live in Texas, so unlike in Cali you have access to the old fashioned solvent-borne stuff which is much easier for the amateur to deal with. Waterborne isn't for the inexperienced or faint of heart although I dealt with it.

 

[good_jolly]

I talked to a guy in the paint store today, told him I am a beginner and need all materials to paint. He gave me a quote of 4 items : the paint, reducer, hardener, 1K sealer. He was a cool guy and seems to be straight up.

Is he meant for me to just sand the base and shoot the sealer then the paint? What is etching primer, epoxy primer vs regular primer? Lastly, u mention about hazardous issue, how bad is acrylic enamel spraying in the garage?

 

[PT1]

Just make sure you clean the old surface with some type of reducer cleaner solvent to get all the grease,oil, dirt off before you paint.

 

[TooManyWheels]

Originally Posted By: good_jolly

Is he meant for me to just sand the base and shoot the sealer then the paint? What is etching primer, epoxy primer vs regular primer? Lastly, u mention about hazardous issue, how bad is acrylic enamel spraying in the garage?


Yes. Otherwise he would have included a primer, one of the ones you mentioned, or a primer-surfacer. Etching is for grip. Epoxy has good grip of its own, but is expensive. Both have better grip than regular primer. I suspect specialty primers have pretty much displaced just plain "primer".

Re Hazards - You have several. Inhalation in the garage, inhalation in the house, flammability. If you have an attached garage, your house will be essentially uninhabitable for a couple of days, and I'm not sure I would trust it afterward. You will need a very good charcoal respirator, with new filters. Filters which have been exposed to the air more than a day should be replaced, or when you smell fumes. Ideally you would wear an air-supplied respirator. Whatever you do, make sure their are no sources of ignition (water heater pilot light, smoking, electrical motors, etc).

 

[good_jolly]

Lol. Anyhow I decided not to spray paint in the garage anymore due to flammability and health hazard. I was going to do it in my sister's garage but I guess its just not worth it.

What do you think of rattle can? There's a guy who used acrylic enamel can on his rsx, he really did a very good job, no kidding. I am scare of causing a fire. So whats the degree of flammability and health hazard if I were to spray with can in a closed garage?

 

[paulo57509]

Click on the link below and then click on the link for the '66 Corvair.

http://www.rickwrench.com/index79.htm

Google "rustoleum", "paint job" and/or "car" and you'll find other links. I didn't realize a lot of people have done this.

 

[mrsilv04]

Got a Maaco or an Earl Scheib shop nearby?

 

[mechtech2]

Even if you get the old paint to the proper finish, it may be cooked or beat up.
This is tough to tell on the internet.
You may have to dig deeper and get more off.

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Got a Maaco or an Earl Scheib shop nearby?


+1 Earl painted all my old high school beaters. Back when it was $29.95. I did all the masking & prep though.

 

[nthach]

If you want, my friend painted his beater VW Scirocco with Rust-Oleum enamel which is very similiar to old school alkyds used way before I was born. He spent about $60 or so at Home Depot for a gallon of the stuff, paint thinner and any supplies needed.

The problem with shooting automotive paints in a non-controlled environment like a spraybooth and without wearing somekind of protection are 3-fold - first is that paints are HIGHLY flammable, second is that without a constant flow of clean air and dust-free conditions, you're going to have issues and you'll spend a ton of time wetsanding and buffing afterwards if it's just dustnibs but more serious issues could arise. Third, pretty much ALL primers, sealers, clearcoats, single-stage and some basecoats use isocyanates and other nasty chemicals in them. Isocyanates aren't to be taken lightly - if you have asthma or if you're sensitive to them it can trigger a serious reaction.

 

[good_jolly]

Originally Posted By: paulo57509
Click on the link below and then click on the link for the '66 Corvair.

http://www.rickwrench.com/index79.htm

Google "rustoleum", "paint job" and/or "car" and you'll find other links. I didn't realize a lot of people have done this.
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Got a Maaco or an Earl Scheib shop nearby?


Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Got a Maaco or an Earl Scheib shop nearby?


Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Even if you get the old paint to the proper finish, it may be cooked or beat up.
This is tough to tell on the internet.
You may have to dig deeper and get more off.


Originally Posted By: PT1
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Got a Maaco or an Earl Scheib shop nearby?


+1 Earl painted all my old high school beaters. Back when it was $29.95. I did all the masking & prep though.


Originally Posted By: nthach
If you want, my friend painted his beater VW Scirocco with Rust-Oleum enamel which is very similiar to old school alkyds used way before I was born. He spent about $60 or so at Home Depot for a gallon of the stuff, paint thinner and any supplies needed.

The problem with shooting automotive paints in a non-controlled environment like a spraybooth and without wearing somekind of protection are 3-fold - first is that paints are HIGHLY flammable, second is that without a constant flow of clean air and dust-free conditions, you're going to have issues and you'll spend a ton of time wetsanding and buffing afterwards if it's just dustnibs but more serious issues could arise. Third, pretty much ALL primers, sealers, clearcoats, single-stage and some basecoats use isocyanates and other nasty chemicals in them. Isocyanates aren't to be taken lightly - if you have asthma or if you're sensitive to them it can trigger a serious reaction.


Well I am really on a budget right now, cant afford maaco. I decided to take nthach's medthod by using Rustoleum auto rattle can. First, sand to metal and use etching primer (2 coats?) Second, spray primer/filler. Third, spray primer/sealer. Last, the paint and clear coat.

How does that sound?

 

[TooManyWheels]

I think you will be only 5 minutes into using a rattle can on a car before you decide that isn't the way to go, budget or not. To put things into perspective, I whipped out my spray gun just to paint a tool cabinet.

A very high percentage of the cost of a paint job is in the preparation. Do the sanding, then take it to Maaco or similar for an estimate. Also check out a high school shop class, and see if they will do it for the cost of materials, or look for a place to rent a spray booth for a day.

 

[good_jolly]

How bad is paint dust, primer dust, etc. from sanding to the metal?

 

[nthach]

You can roll on the Rust-Oleum or spray it on, thinned down with a little paint thinner.

And sanding dust is bad, you'll find out a good respirator, tack rags, wax and grease remover and a good blow gun+air compresssor are your friends here...