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Randy Forbes
Yoda
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I used an acrylic enamel, with a polyurethane hardener. Not the way they did it in the 50s, but I intend to drive the car well into the twenty-first century.
Randy Forbes
Yoda
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No, I don't meet my own <<minimum>> standards when it comes to finish body & paintwork.
Paul Tsikuris did the bulk of the panel alignment work (I had already done all the sheetmetal replacement/rust repair, etc.) and he contracted out the final spraying to a shop in Lakeland, Florida.
Approximately nine (9+) years later, the paintwork still looks quite good. So good in fact, that my car was <span style="font-style: italic">invited</span> to this year's Eyes on Design car show at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford Estate in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan.
Check out the links, for a <span style="font-style: italic">different</span> kind of judging :wink:
https://www.eyesondesigncarshow.com/ & https://www.eyeson.org/index.php/eyeson/auto-show
Paul Tsikuris did the bulk of the panel alignment work (I had already done all the sheetmetal replacement/rust repair, etc.) and he contracted out the final spraying to a shop in Lakeland, Florida.
Approximately nine (9+) years later, the paintwork still looks quite good. So good in fact, that my car was <span style="font-style: italic">invited</span> to this year's Eyes on Design car show at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford Estate in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan.
Check out the links, for a <span style="font-style: italic">different</span> kind of judging :wink:
https://www.eyesondesigncarshow.com/ & https://www.eyeson.org/index.php/eyeson/auto-show
RAC68
Darth Vader
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Hi All,
I often hear Healey owners profess the originality of their cars. These same cars are usually finished in the most brilliant of colors with the deepest of clear coats. Back in the day, you could easily see Red change by the second year and the glorious Healey Blue would silver out while you watched. My choice of Old English White for my BJ8P1 was based upon a preference for the color and the fact that it was one of very few Healey colors that held (to some extent) its shade over time.
Today‘s paints allow you to pick the color you like and there is a good chance it will stay that color over time. Unless you are painting the car yourself, I would ask the advice of the person selected to paint the car. Usually the painter will have a preference for the product they have had best results with and will have the best chance of surviving within your local environment (Phoenix vs. NYC).
Good luck,
Ray (64BJ8P1)
I often hear Healey owners profess the originality of their cars. These same cars are usually finished in the most brilliant of colors with the deepest of clear coats. Back in the day, you could easily see Red change by the second year and the glorious Healey Blue would silver out while you watched. My choice of Old English White for my BJ8P1 was based upon a preference for the color and the fact that it was one of very few Healey colors that held (to some extent) its shade over time.
Today‘s paints allow you to pick the color you like and there is a good chance it will stay that color over time. Unless you are painting the car yourself, I would ask the advice of the person selected to paint the car. Usually the painter will have a preference for the product they have had best results with and will have the best chance of surviving within your local environment (Phoenix vs. NYC).
Good luck,
Ray (64BJ8P1)
Good comments, all. Healey Z, that is a beautiful finish. RAC68, My bride is pushing for OE white. I've never been big on it, but it is starting to make good sense and looking better to me. Did you do your own paint? Randy, you guys are out of my league. Your cars are exceptional. The budget thing is daunting when I think about paying someone to bring the car up to those high standards. I want the car to be nice but I'm going the do-it-yourself route. With that in mind, any more advice from anybody would be appreciated.
dougie
Luke Skywalker
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Rossco -
I work in the coatings industry and though both my Healeys are finished professionally with a modern 2K acrylic urethane coating system, If I were in you place (I'm thinking limited budget and experience) I would explore using this line of products: https://www.duplicolor.com/products/psFinishSystem/
It might be the easiest and most cost effective way to accomplish your goal. I think you can even purchase these from O'Reileys or Pep Boys. From what I've heard the quality of the coatings are pretty good and there is a lot of application information on the web on how to use them.
https://youtu.be/ZwkFgPyCQic
I work in the coatings industry and though both my Healeys are finished professionally with a modern 2K acrylic urethane coating system, If I were in you place (I'm thinking limited budget and experience) I would explore using this line of products: https://www.duplicolor.com/products/psFinishSystem/
It might be the easiest and most cost effective way to accomplish your goal. I think you can even purchase these from O'Reileys or Pep Boys. From what I've heard the quality of the coatings are pretty good and there is a lot of application information on the web on how to use them.
https://youtu.be/ZwkFgPyCQic
richberman
Jedi Warrior
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Randy Forbes said:
:lol: Looks like fun!!!
Brinkerhoff
Jedi Knight
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Nason has a single stage urethane ( solid color mixed with catalyst) That is easy to spray and not expensive. Right around $225 a sprayable gallon . The painter you choose will have a preference I'm sure but I don't know as you can be any less money for a catalysed finish. Anything catalysed will last much , much longer than the original lacquer they were sprayed in. If you are limited in experience consider taking a night class to learn. Its far more involved than most people think, and the consequences of doing it wrong are severe both in terms of safety and work to redo .
RAC68
Darth Vader
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Hi Russco,
I suggest you NOT do the paint yourself unless you have a place, the correct equipment, and experience. I would do all the panel work (panel installation, rust correction, etc.) but leave the final prep and paint to the professional. Remember, the final coat is what will be seen and present the quality to be expected below the surface. Shop for the best price and work locally and wait till you have sufficient funds for the job. Don’t rush.
There are many ways to keep the cost of a Healey refurbishment down and the forum members will help toward that objective. The quality of your final product is something you must determine for yourself and there are few areas of the car that a DIY can’t be done.
Good luck and if you run into something you can’t figure out remember, we can help.
Ray (64BJ8P1)
I suggest you NOT do the paint yourself unless you have a place, the correct equipment, and experience. I would do all the panel work (panel installation, rust correction, etc.) but leave the final prep and paint to the professional. Remember, the final coat is what will be seen and present the quality to be expected below the surface. Shop for the best price and work locally and wait till you have sufficient funds for the job. Don’t rush.
There are many ways to keep the cost of a Healey refurbishment down and the forum members will help toward that objective. The quality of your final product is something you must determine for yourself and there are few areas of the car that a DIY can’t be done.
Good luck and if you run into something you can’t figure out remember, we can help.
Ray (64BJ8P1)
If you do paint it yoursrlf be sure to apply plenty of paint, beacause you WILL spend countless hours wet sanding everything smooth before polish. I just painted my TR4A myself, and it will be the first and last car I ever paint. it looks very good , but my lack of experience cost me about 40 hours i'll never get back. good luck.
In my situation the hours spent are more available than the money to pay someone. It is difficult to think in terms of not doing a high quality job. The standards set here more than bear that out. I'm not afraid to do my research. I'm not afraid to ask ?'s. I have a facility that is equal to some I've seen online. I'll most likely wade in and do the best I can. I'll also be picking brains from folks who have already been super helpful. Thanks to all and don't give up on me just because I choose to think I can do this. Rossco
ahealey1004
Senior Member
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You can paint a car yourself...you'll find it's 99% preparation, 1% paint time. I just sprayed single-stage urethane on my Datsun 510 and it's looking really good...I'm in the final color sanding stages now. It's been fun learning as I go. I suggest you visit your local autopaint shop and speak to them about what you're trying to accomplish...they can recommend a paint line to suit your budget and expectations. I'd spent more time figuring out how to get your panels absolutely straight- learn how to block sand/ guide coat and it's a self-correcting process which takes a lot of patience but will leave you with good results if done correctly. I'd suggest asking the paint shop for some mis-mixed paint (usually $5 a pint at my local shop) to practice your techniques. Also head to a wrecking yard and buy a used panel- tailgate, door, etc to practice on. Preferably one where you can get access to the backside to practice your body-hammer technique (on-dolly/ off-dolly, etc). Get it as straight as possible, shoot your epoxy primer (you could skip that step on a practice panel), use a skim coat of filler, block sand, primer-surfacer, guide coat, block sand, repeat, finish coat, color sand, buff. Write down your gun settings. If the panel doesn't look right- take it to the paint store and they can help you diagnose the problem (too little pressure, too little/much reducer etc.) Get comfortable with one panel and see if it's what you really want to try with your Healey. Unless you already own an hvlp gun, compressor, solid and flexible block sanders, orbitals, paper, etc. you'll be shocked how much you'll spend on materials alone, even going the budget route. But again- I find the process fun and challenging to learn. That said, I haven't yet attempted to paint a Healey, but will in the future.
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good information here, if you do want to paint the car yourself there is lots of information here on the forum if you search the archives. Not just Healey, but other makes as well, metal is metal and paint it paint, also lots of great stuff elsewhere on the net. Only thing I wish I would have done, a little more final primer filler and sanding work, but I wanted to get paint done before summer heat and bugs, painting it as I did in my garage.
I would paint one myself again, but not in the garage, would rent a clean ventilated both, both for paint quality and so as not to get paint dust all over the garage, tried to cover up it still got all over.
If you do it the most important thing is to be patient, unfortunately, unless you have a lot more inborn skill than me, as amatuers we spend a lot more preptime getting everything smooth than a pro.
I would paint one myself again, but not in the garage, would rent a clean ventilated both, both for paint quality and so as not to get paint dust all over the garage, tried to cover up it still got all over.
If you do it the most important thing is to be patient, unfortunately, unless you have a lot more inborn skill than me, as amatuers we spend a lot more preptime getting everything smooth than a pro.
It's my understanding that a lot of states and Canadian provinces have now outlawed a lot of the paints we used to be able to get and use easily. The environmentalists are clamping dowm hard and for example trying to do Healey Blue in a waterborne paint with its slower flash off time is a problem.