Im about ready for the body work and paint on my 67. Ive got a california body that is pretty much rust free except for the lower portion of the windshield and back glass panel. A few small dents in the quarters. I've got the car stripped to bare metal. I've got a friend going to help me paint this car, but he hasnt painted anything since the eighties and i've never painted at all. My friend is an ACE body man though. His former partner used to spray. I have been practicing on some extra parts with my Finishline gun. I need some advice and suggestions on materials, such as primer, paint, and clear. Something easy for two novices to do so please keep the directions in laymens terms. The car will be torch red or close to that color and I plan on smoothing the firewall and painting it along with the bottom of the car body color. I dont mind spending the money on the good stuff as long as It is fairly easy to lay down. What brand do you guys prefer for a beginner? Should I use a BC/CC

I use DuPont but most any reputable brand will work. I would start with an Epoxy primer and do the body work over the primer, then top it off with a 2k primer and then seal it, then spray either a single stage urethane or the bc/cc system but that is totally up to you.

thanks for the help jarrod, anyone else with a suggestion

What Jarrod said.
Epoxy primer, fix the body work, 2K primer.
You might then lightly paint the car with some black paint over the buff colored 2K and sand it back off. This will show low and high spots you might have missed. 2K again and sand.
The more sanding and priming you do until you think it's perfect the better off you will end up.
Sealer when ready to paint.
Just make sure to get compatible primer, paint, and clear along with the hardner and reducer at the paint vendor.
Red takes a lot to cover. Make sure to get plenty of paint.
If doing the entire car including door jambs etc you need enough paint to be able to wet sand all the nibs, dust, bugs, and orange peel off to a slick finish and then run a high speed buffer to get it back like a mirror.
Steve, I'm not a painter by any imagination but I like it and am learning. My situation is much like yours. A friend helped me all through the process of doing my 67 torch red here at the house.
We did the BC/CC as that's what I wanted. My friend really likes single stage for solid color.
I believe we used 1 1/2 gallons of base and the same or more for the clear. this was before reducer/harner added. With base coat you have to use enough to cover well and uniform color. You need enough clear to be able to cut it smooth when finished and then buff.
People can't believe that my car was painted by myself and a friend.
It looks very good if I do say so myself. I'm amazed we did it.
We just finished an '02 Dodge 2500 diesel 4 door 4x4 truck.
Painted it Viper Red. We used 3 gallons of SS paint and 1 gallon of bed liner for the bed.
Cut and buffed it also. Looks better than new.
Did that here at the house also. The customer loves it.
I hope this helps. Hang in there and be very very patient.
Great things come to those that wait.
Like I said, I don't have a paint shop but your situation sounds just like what I did.

I would bring somebody in that paints on a regular basis, thats what we did on my sons chevelle.

The guy you bring in will bring his own paint gun and respirator. I would let him decide what paint and primer he is comfortable with.

he might be able to get a discount on the materials, which will off set what he charges you.

Try and hire him by the hour, it will be a lot cheaper, trust me on this one, been there did that.

I would discuss with who ever paints it what air pressure he needs and if you can deliver it for several hours.

I would go over shop and metal temperatures you will need prior to start and during the painting process.

I would be his runner and right in the vincinity to help mix paint, whatever he wants you need to be there for him.

I would make sure he is comfortable with your garage or shop, like how much air flow going through the area or will you rent a booth.

In other words, you need to find a painter and set down and plan this out, a good runner and having things right before you get started is a very important part of it.

Things like taking lacquer thinner to the outside of the paint gun hose, keeping the floor wet inside the area your painting and keeping the area at the entrance to that wet, all of the mixing equipment tack ragged down, I even tack rag the painters paper suit.

I forgot to mention you need to clean your shop really good before you get setup to paint.

In my home made booth I have very little air flow and we have very little dirt, almost non existent in the paint.

Anyway, I know you will hear paint it yourself but thats your call, just giving you some ideas of whats worked for me, and the last two paint jobs that were important came out perfect or as perfect as they could be, but its all prep and planning.

Last tip, put a sign on the outside door so if somebody comes when your getting ready to paint or painting they don't slam it and raise any dust in the area, it will probably wind up in the paint. Oh, what about the cooling fan on your compressor, will that be blowing air around, they are a source of major dirt in the paint.

Anyway everything in kind of slow motion so you don't stir up any dust.

:thumbsup:

Steve:

I think you can do this yourself. I'm no pro but have painted quite a few cars as well as bits and pieces for repairables, usually with great results. Base coat clear coat systems are very forgiving and you'll probably be rubbing it out after anyway so a little dust or nubs will be taken care of. Do not sand the base coat unless you re-spray the area before applying clear. Your finishline gun should work fine. A great source for information is your paint supplier. Ask at the counter to talk to someone there who has had some experience. Follow the mixing instructions, don't wait too long before sanding and rubbing (not over 2 days or it gets harder to do). A gallon and a half sounds like a lot of paint (prior to mixing) but again ask your supplier. I think anyone's product is fine (major brands, of course) but stick with their entire line and instructions. I use BASF Diamont with great success and it may be a bit cheaper than Dupont. Please buy a decent breathing mask! Allow proper flash time between clear coats. Spray three clear coats if you plan to rub it out, otherwise two. I usually carefully pull any masking tape before it's completely hard as you might avoid a lifting problem this way. A great system for buffing is using a D-A sander starting with 1000 grit, move to 1200, then to 1500 (dry). Use a foam pad with 3M or other good rubbing compound. Be careful on the edges. Switch to another foam pad and use swirl mark remover. Occasionally clean your sanding discs by spinning them on a white Scotchbrite pad (available from your paint supplier). This will "unclog" the paper.
In my opinion the actual application of the paint is fairly forgiving as you can rub out and buff almost anything to look good. Good luck! Post some pictures when you're done!

Thanks for all the good info guys. Ill be saving this thread for a reference. Right now its just hard for me to find time to do much on the car due to work and family. But I work in construction so Im usually laid off some during the winters. This is when I plan on hitting my car pretty hard. I have some of the 3M half mask respirators that I use at work for dust and such. I know I will have to change to a different type of filter, but are these types of respirators sufficient for a paint job. I know lots of guys that use these for painting. If I were exposed to paint fumes everyday I would invest in a supplied air system, but after this car is done I wont be doing anymore of this type work for a while.

Whats the best way to get the inside and bottom of the car ready for paint. There are lots of ridges and grooves that make sanding very difficult. What do you guys do? There has to be an easier way.

Whats the best way to get the inside and bottom of the car ready for paint. There are lots of ridges and grooves that make sanding very difficult. What do you guys do? There has to be an easier way.

I sandblast it, once initially, make any repairs then hit it lightly one more time just to clean it up.

After I sandblast it I will blow it off really good, epoxy paint will stick to that freshly sandblasted metal like its welded on there.

But I use silica sand and supplied air and a 500 watt hand held light to do a thorough job.

Anyway thats what works for me, I really believe silica sand is probably the best stuff out there to get the rust out and really clean it.

Before I sandblast it I will spend a few hours getting all of the seam sealer out, and it will take a while to find all of it especially around the cowl.

You can blast seam sealer out, but it takes a little bit to do it, and you will thin the metal around it, and on occasion blow a hole right through it, so you need to get it out before you start.

Heres what I use.



http://www.1969supersport.com/sb01.jpg


Some are made out of #9 wire.

Thanks for all the good info guys. Ill be saving this thread for a reference. Right now its just hard for me to find time to do much on the car due to work and family. But I work in construction so Im usually laid off some during the winters. This is when I plan on hitting my car pretty hard. I have some of the 3M half mask respirators that I use at work for dust and such. I know I will have to change to a different type of filter, but are these types of respirators sufficient for a paint job. I know lots of guys that use these for painting. If I were exposed to paint fumes everyday I would invest in a supplied air system, but after this car is done I wont be doing anymore of this type work for a while.

Heres this if you haven't read it, it wouldn't hurt to take the time and read it. http://www.1969supersport.com/respirators.html

About the only thing you can be sure of for protection is a supplied air hood, not a regular respirator or a supplied air respirator, only a supplied air hood.

But, if you want to use a respirator.

Get a clean shave before you go looking for one.

You can go to a good body supply, paint etc. and talk to them about what type of respirator and filter on that particular respirator would be best for the paint and primers you will be spraying.

If they can't give you knowledgeable answers, or seem like they don't know whats going on, spend the money on gas and find another one.

When you find the right place, ask them if they have different size respirators, like small, medium and large and if they have a couple different brands, doubtfull they will, but you may get lucky.

Depending on your facial features, you may find one that you can cover the air intake on it and suck in and have it seal tight to your face, like partially collaspe the respirator. (Thats called the seal).

Keep trying them on until you find one that will get a (seal).

Once you find it get the correct filters and question the person at the counter on how to take care of the respirator filters, like keep them in an airtight baggie when not in use, and how long will they last in some heavy paint fumes.

This also depends on if you have a downdraft booth or just a straight through booth or curtain. A lot less fumes in a down draft, so your filters won't get saturated with fumes as quick.

Now you have the respirator and filters and it fits good.

This is one of the most important parts here in wearing a respirator, knowing how to use it, yes, theres more to it then just putting it on.

Before you put it on, make sure you have shaved in the last couple of hours, don't just put it on after work from your regular job, you want a clean shave.

No beards, have some body help you put it on, and have them look to see if you have any hair from your head showing inside, a common mistake thats made.

Okay now you have a full face respirator on, not half face, you want your eyes and skin protected, get the full face.

Get a paper suit, just a cheap one maybe $5 or $8. It should have a hood, so put it on, and have some body take duct tape and tape the hood to the top of your respirator and around the sides of the face piece.

While there taping bend your head sideways up and down and back and forth a little bit so you have some freedom with it and you won't tear the hood loose.

Also tape the neck, you don't want any heavy fumes getting to your skin anymore then you have to.

You don't want to make any fast movements, just take your time, a respirator can tire you out, you won't realize it but it will, and you can get heat stress in one if your in a pretty warm area.

Don't turn your head very far to the side or up and down or whatever, don't squint with it on, don't try and talk to clearly, don't holler, in other words you don't want to break this seal you have where the skin on your face is wet and so is the respirator, and you will also notice after a while your chin cup on your respirator will get some water in it from sweat.

If you break the seal or your filters get saturated with paint fumes, you will smell the fumes.

So its slow and easy with one on.

Also use rubber or vinyl gloves taped to your paper suit, I usually tape the front zipper on the paper suit all the way up, they like to tear out.

I guess I should mention the runner here, the person in the area outside where your painting that will help you if you need something.

This is not very likely, but I have seen it on several occasions where a person will get heat stress from wearing a respirator and paper suit.

As a runner, when the guy doing the spraying comes out of the paint area look him over, see if his hands are shaky, thats the first sign to get him out of the respirator and paper suit. Just something to be aware of, I have seen this and ask them if there okay, and they would say there fine, then a few minutes later there ready to tip over, if there hands are shaky get them out asap.

Anyway, hope some of this helps.

Rob

Thanks for the advice Rob. I get fit tested for a half mask respirator yearly at work. They test with moving your head, neck, and mouth in all directions. they use a smoke that will make you cough if you have a leak. Also have access to hooded tyvek suits from work. I may try to come up with a good full face respirator from work as well. They have em, but are pretty stingy with them unless the environment we are working in requires it and I havent had to have one yet. I am an industrial electrician and work in all types of plants from oil refineries, power plants, and chemical plants. All plants that mandate respirator use also require us to be clean shaven as well.

I may end up paying to have the bottom and insides of the car sandblasted. Theres a guy that restores cars about 1/2 mile from me that does blasting but is a little expensive. I just hope my rust free car doesnt look like a swiss cheese car after the blasting. I know the sand will find any thin spots that I may not be able to see or feel.

Thanks for the advice Rob. I get fit tested for a half mask respirator yearly at work. They test with moving your head, neck, and mouth in all directions. they use a smoke that will make you cough if you have a leak. Also have access to hooded tyvek suits from work. I may try to come up with a good full face respirator from work as well. They have em, but are pretty stingy with them unless the environment we are working in requires it and I havent had to have one yet. I am an industrial electrician and work in all types of plants from oil refineries, power plants, and chemical plants. All plants that mandate respirator use also require us to be clean shaven as well.

I may end up paying to have the bottom and insides of the car sandblasted. Theres a guy that restores cars about 1/2 mile from me that does blasting but is a little expensive. I just hope my rust free car doesnt look like a swiss cheese car after the blasting. I know the sand will find any thin spots that I may not be able to see or feel.

Make sure the guy doing the blasting understands that different types of blasting media will warp fenders, hoods, quarters, doors, deck lids etc.

We used smoke years ago to fit test, then we went to a full booth where you got right in it and used corn oil, then we went to the computerized model with the tube going into it.

Anyway, it sounds like you know the deal pretty good.

Good luck

Rob

I would bring somebody in that paints on a regular basis, thats what we did on my sons chevelle.

I would be his runner and right in the vincinity to help mix paint, whatever he wants you need to be there for him.

I would make sure he is comfortable with your garage or shop, like how much air flow going through the area or will you rent a booth.

In other words, you need to find a painter and set down and plan this out, a good runner and having things right before you get started is a very important part of it.

Things like taking lacquer thinner to the outside of the paint gun hose, keeping the floor wet inside the area your painting and keeping the area at the entrance to that wet, all of the mixing equipment tack ragged down, I even tack rag the painters paper suit.
:thumbsup:

I do NOT want anyone around me when I am painting. Absolutely, positively. I have no idea how 2 people can paint a car. I tried that 25 years ago at someone's insistance. It ended there with 2 words from me: GET OUT.
I could not even imagine painting the 3-5 cars a day I had to in the shop while tripping over someone. But to each his own, right?

I do NOT want anyone around me when I am painting. Absolutely, positively. I have no idea how 2 people can paint a car. I tried that 25 years ago at someone's insistance. It ended there with 2 words from me: GET OUT.
I could not even imagine painting the 3-5 cars a day I had to in the shop while tripping over someone. But to each his own, right?

You obviously misunderstood what I was putting out, I was talking about somebody out side the area helping mix your paint, keeping you taped up if you need it, just a runner for you the painter.

You obviously misunderstood what I was putting out, I was talking about somebody out side the area helping mix your paint, keeping you taped up if you need it, just a runner for you the painter.

Nope. I did not misunderstand you Rob. I'm methodical and don't want anyone around. Mixing paint is no big deal and I mix enough to go around the whole car once and then some. And if short it's no biggie to mix more. While hobby painting may be a little different, imagine how a shop could justify having to pay a helper for the painter while he is shooting. Although some have a prep assistant but that is different because he is multitasking and the expense can be justified. I don't know any painters who can't do it all alone. I've seen others who tag team jobs outside a professional setting. But even when I was not in one it's still the same...leave me alone. My comments are based on my preferences and your help and advice for others here is commendable.