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Live and learn… then learn some more… [painting]

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My car was sand blasting then 80 grit sanded, then body soldered. I sealed all the seams to my car with POR-15. After the POR-15 cured I scuffed the POR-15, with 180 grit sand paper. Then I primed the entire car in Spies 4500 epoxy primer. When that was well cured I seam sealed every nook and cranny with 3M’s seam sealer before Spies 5310 build primer was applied. I have no issues of any paint separation, blistering, or paint contamination. Plan to go with 040 Spies base/clear for the final finish on the entire car.

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BlueMax said:
My car was sand blasting then 80 grit sanded, then body soldered. I sealed all the seams to my car with POR-15. After the POR-15 cured I scuffed the POR-15, with 180 grit sand paper. Then I primed the entire car in Spies 4500 epoxy primer. When that was well cured I seam sealed every nook and cranny with 3M’s seam sealer before Spies 5310 build primer was applied. I have no issues of any paint separation, blistering, or paint contamination. Plan to go with 040 Spies base/clear for the final finish on the entire car.

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It'll be a momentous day when Mimi's trailer next leaves Point-o-View.
That will be the day BlueMax's uber Sprite goes to paint.
BlueMax has a good bit of labor and history in that Mk1.
Paint is tough to do. Artsy work. I leave it to a professional.
You guys who paint are brave.
 
Well and members of the "We Tight" Club.
 
I spent ~$200 on paint (not counting tools) for my Midget and I'm quite happy.

I wanted a modern urethane paint job for the protection/preservation of the car (I'm not headed to any car shows), so I got some decent paint and painted in my garage. I picked up a cheap Central Pneumatic HVLP spray gun (a kit that came with small and large guns) at Harbor Freight. Use a cheap air/water separater downstream of your air compressor; the air coming out of the compressor is very humid and you don't want water in the paint. The paint I used was a urethane system (base and clear coats) made by Kirker, ordered/shipped over the internet. About 6 years ago I got enough to make 1 gallon of epoxy primer, 1 gallon of high build (sandable) primer, 1 gallon of paint and 1 gallon of clear coat for ~$200. It looks like their kits are still available today for less than $300. I painted everything (inside and out) minus the underbody and probably only used a half gallon of each. From what I read, it was important to keep all layers of paint from the same manufacturer so they didn't have bad chemical interactions. I think you can choose hardeners which are tailored to specific temperatures, so if it's a hot summer you can still get it done. And the paint is made for professionals; the hardening and recoat times are much faster than I can mix paint (15min?), so if you weren't sanding you could do it all in the same day. Urethane paint has bad organic compounds and requires specific masks or a fresh air system to keep you healthy. As for painting in your garage, you are likely to get some dust (and in my case, an eyelash) in the paint. There are tricks to limit these imperfections: wear a paint suit to keep hair and sweat away from the car, start with a clean garage, use a hose to lightly mist the entire garage to keep dust from getting airborne. Keep air circulating so that your water heater or furnace doesn't ignite the solvent cloud. With the HVLP, there was zero overspray except for the tarp directly beneath the car on the garage floor; any other airborne paint particle will dry and harden before it adheres to anything. Also, I was very scared of drips and I ended up putting the clear coat on a little thin in places and it looks like orange peel. I plan to buff it out with a rubbing compound and cutting pad. Unlike many of my restoration challenges, I enjoyed painting it myself and would do it again. :smile: It is not a professional job, but I'm very surprised at the quality and it is protected for decades to come.

Mark
 
Trevor,
I used Eastwood (rumored to be re-labeled Kirker) on my Sprite. The guy to shot the final coat has been using DuPont and the like for years..He was skeptical when I dropped it off, but he was impressed with how the paint sprayed and he was impressed with it.
I have wet sanded a bit (dust, etc) and it looks good after polish.
The one unknown..how long does it last with UV exposure..Maybe I should have cleared it, but I like the non-cleared look better, seems more original to me.
 
I am finally painting. Started today with the inside of the boot and bonnet and the edges around them on the body. Using Eastwood 2-part urethane base and clear. For the gun I am using their new HVLP Concourse gun, 4cfm at 10psi at the gun. Very little over spray as you can see on the paper.
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Tom, 1.2 mm for base and clear?
 
Hi Trevor, I used a 1.4 mm for both. I held the gun about 5-6 inches off the surface and had no fish-eyes and no orange peal. Next will be the door jambs then a high fill primer which will get a final block sanding then the exterior will finally be painted. This car has been on jack-stands since before our visit 2 years ago. Maybe drive it down for a visit some day.
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