AusCaRnAgEr

Gday,
Im just painting my car in acrylic Black and i require some help.
1. Whats the best way of stripping the old paint off, besides patience ofcourse as it is quite a painstaking task.
2. What do i do with the Etch Primer, eg mixing ratios, how many coats, etc.
3. How long should i leave the primer until i do the top coat, and how long should i protect the top coat from the sun, etc before i either buff/cut it or start using the car?
4. Any other tips/hints or general advice?

Most of the tins dont actually say anything so thats why im asking.
Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Matt

__________________
1966 Blue Ford Galaxie - 4Dr Sedan, Pwr Steering, 302 Windsor, Edelbrock Performer Intake Manifold, 650 Holley Race Custom , Crow Cam 15666, Rollmaster Camgear, Heads Ported, MSD 6AL Ignition, MSD Billet Dizzy, Crane Energizer Roller Rockers, C4 - Stage 2 Shift Kit, HiStall 2500rpm, B&M Z-Gate Shifter, XY GT Radiator, 2.92 9" Diff, Dual Thermofans, 2.25" Dual Exhaust, RCI 16gal Fuel Cell.

 

Dellboy999

If you are going bear metal, then just use paint stripper of any kind will do the job very nicely and quickly, just clean the panels thouroghly with paint thinner, and dry properly before priming.

The rest gets hard, but if not driving it while doing it, then just leave the primer overnight, no point rushing, escpecially with black it will show EVERY little mistake.

Tips - always dust coat the primer, so if you use grey/pink primer then dust coat lightly with black a spray can will do, then block it back lightly, to find the high and low spots, make it as perfect as you dare (will go mad if you get to caried away).
- If you dont think it is ready for another coat, then wait

Jason

__________________

73gscoupe

Best way to remove paint is to take the car to a bead blaster – not as expensive as you might think, gives you a good clean surface to work with too. Other than that paint stripper is the only way. Get a good scraper blade – makes a world of difference. Wire wheels are handy for especially thick paint or bog

The etch pimer is mixed 1 to 3 or something like that from memory. Put on enough to give yourself a good surface for painting – depends on how rough your bodywork is.

I like to let the car sit for a week or two to let the paint set. Seems when I paint Acrylic that its still soft a few days after painting.

The real key to a good paintjob is the rubbing back- use a fine grit, get the surface really smooth – never think the paint will cover a scratch or dent, paint shows every little mistake.

Hope this helps a bit.

RaceCraft

1. Why do you want all the old paint off? If it is crazed fair enough but otherwise i would sand your existing paint slightly and use that as your base to start from..Bearing in mind inperfections are harder to spot on bare metal than a painted surface

2. Etch primer is only required if you are taking it to bare metal,, as for mixing it you can get a 'mixing' ruler where you got the paint.. It has 'parts' in icrements instead of mm or cm.. It is great as you can mix each pot up to the same parts of paint to thinners instead of quessing how many ml of paint is in each refil.

3. Primer comes after Spray Putty and you have no mention of that anywhere.. As your going to a black top coat i'd be spending most of my time with the spray putty and blocking that back.. 2 coats block back (600 grit),, prepsol and another 2 coats then guide coat ( as said use a acrylic spray can of matt black) and block back again (1200 grit),, then it is time for a good prepsol and your primer... Spray a light coat, leave for an hour and two then look over the whole car again.. Fix any imperfections you might of missed now..

Then hit it with another coat or two of putty, guide coat that and block it back again (1200 grit)..Leave it for a day or two after you have finished rubbing it back to 'breathe' Then its time for your black top coat.. Leave (provided your happy with the finish - no big runs etc) the top coat 'off the gun' and hit it with a few coats of clear to protect it from the sun and elements.. Then you get some 2000 grit and lightly remove any orange peel and buff it till your hearts content..

4. Always use a block... with black top coat you will see every finger mark if you dont.. Be carefully on the edges.. Always dunk your paper frequently <-- or better still use a hose, the last thing you want is some stray grit digging into the surface..Don't skimp on the prepsol and always use a tac rag after you prepsol to remove any fluff etc that can be left behind..
When your spraying start at the highest surfaces first as you dont want to drag the airline over any fresh paint
Have lots of breaks and walk around the car using the reflection of the light at diffenernt angles to spot any imperfections.. Spend alot of time masking it up nice and clean,, use a razor blade to push and trim any masking tape off..don't leave the tape on too long because the glue leaves a nasty residue behind thats a real biatch to clean up later


Sorry for the long post i got carried away

Good luck and post some progress piccies if you can

ford4v429

Ive only painted twice(and at home)- my Camaro in 1995, and my Galaxies roof this winter...the camaro used blue metallic basecoat/clearcoat(as recommended by a freind that paints cars), but I used cheap acrylic enamel on the galaxie-its white, figured good enough... the basecoat/clearcoat was sooooooooo much easier in my beginners opinion- color coat dries real fast looks like 'flat' finish, cleared, ran the clear bad on one side of the car that wasnt lit up very well, was able to wetsand the runs out and respray clear the next day. Mistakes in slower drying paint, you have to wait a while before you can fix. after fixing the one side, looked so much better, wetsanded the whole car again, and gave final coat of clear- turned out pretty nice. the car sits outside year round, and NO paint/rust problems still(but I dont drive it if roads have snow/salt). The galaxie got a couple bugs in it, waited a month before blocking/buffing(still havent finished buffing yet).
Both cars I used PPG 'K36' three part urethane primer- you can wetsand a couple hours after spraying- etched areas of surface rust with phosphoric acid from hardware store, used K36 as 'filler' to fill any rust pitting instead of plastic filler- not a single bubble has popped up yet on the Camaro...love that K36, but it was about 100 bucks a quart with the reducer/hardeners...
If I ever paint another car, #1 thing I learned is you cant have too many lights- secondly, the basecoat clearcoat looks better, lasts great, and is fast and easy to fix mistakes.
with black especially, as mentioned a post or two up blocking the primer to get it straight is going to be critical. for my two cents worth, I'll never buy acrylic enamel again.
Be sure your respirator is up to snuff- isocyanates in hardeners are extremely toxic. A couple more years, I doubt we'll even be able to buy paint without a licensed booth.
Something else about slower drying paints especially- overspray can travel hundreds of feet- if doing it 'at home' make sure you get decent ventilation with filters in and out...fire/explosion hazards anyone?
well, thats my inexperienced two cents worth- good luck!

__________________
Confidence: that feeling you have just before you realize the mess you've gotten yourself into...