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Painting the B

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Spinal_Tap

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Hi all,

I'm in the middle of disassembly and body work on the '74 roadster. I'm having fun doing it, and I've still got a bit to go before I finish all the bodywork, like fix dents and dings, sand down old paint runs etc..

My plan is to do the respray in the garage. I'm not looking for a concourse car, I'm looking for a good 5-footer. Maybe better. We drive the car a lot in the summer so no matter how hard we try to get it "perfect", she most likely won't stay that way for very long.

This is my first time doing body work, and painting. A friend and his Dad are going to help me with the actual painting, as the Dad is a retired mechanic, and retired mechanics teacher. He also has a compressor and paint guns.

Also, I'm <span style="font-weight: bold">not</span> taking it back to bare metal. There's a fair bit of filler in some spots that I don't want to redo. Plus it's a PITA, makes a huge mess, and takes forever. I want the B on the road soon!

So a couple of questions: What paint system would be good for this situation (type, brand, etc.)?

Any tips and tricks would be handy!

Thanks!

D
 
Hi: My favorite is single stage urethane. Almost as good as base coat/clear coat and simpler to apply. Actually I think a monkey could spray it. I've used it on my last three "driveway" paint jobs and have another one slated in the next week or so. I have used Kirker (sp?) and love it. For decent selection and good price go here --

www.smartshoppersinc.com

Good luck, Bob
 
I agree with Bob! Single stage is what you want for a quick home workshop job.
 
I'll pap up for single-stage urethane too. I use Valspar products but that's neither here nor there. As Bob alludes, it's baby-poop simple when ya have limited space/tools/facilities. Herself's MGB was a literal "driveway" paint job and looks like it went for a $3K booth shoot. The "secret" is in the stuff UNDER the paint. That's what takes the time and effort. I'd further say use a high-build epoxy primer between the old paint, patches, etc. and the top coat... seals all the stuff underneath and can be blocked down to give you really good results.
 
Thanks guys! That's exactly what I'm looking for! Great link!

Our B started life sporting a Harvest Gold color. Some enterprising PO resprayed her in a light BRG...with no primer/sealer between colors! So where there are thin spots in the green paint, there's a subtle yellow-ness to it! And there are about a bazillion runs in places that were painted with a brush!

D
 
Remember to open the tach rag all the way. Keep it fluffed because the heat from your hand will transfer tach rag material to the job if you are not careful. Give the paint the recommended time between coats. Good luck on the respray! Bob
 
just sprayed my bugeye and did wifes mg last year.. look into spi(southern polyurethane) products..they don't sell paint but primers and clears epoxies etc..i primed mine with their turbo primer and you can roll it on with a small foam roller..saved a ton of booth setup time and blocks like butter. you can talk to the owner with any newbie questions( he has his cell on their forum) and customer service is top-notch. they also have a universal clear i mixed in my last 2 coats of single stage and it looks great..
 
If you need an extra set of hands, let me know....we're neighbors! :smile:
 
Here she is all masked up and ready to paint.
 

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And, last but not least, the B wearing new paint!

Something important I learned: Don't take the doors off when you paint. They are so fiddly, and it's really really easy to ding up the new paint when trying to get the doors to hang nicely. Ask me how I know.... Now where did I put that touch-up paint? :smile:

I'm taking her to an auto-cross this weekend. I hope to get some pics of her in action!

D
 

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Will you be at BCU in September?
 
Excellent! If I'm there I'll either have a little blue and white boat attached to it or there will be crowd around the open bonnet roasting marshmallows and weiners!! :laugh:
 
Silverghost said:
Will you be at BCU in September?
Click to expand...

Peter,

Due to a change in plans, we won't be at BCU this year. It sucks but something came up. We'll be there next year!

I also try to make the Natter-n-Noggin's with the Chicagoland MG club. I may even make it to a club meeting this year. And the Misses and I try to always make the Beer, Wine, and Cheese run. We'll be there this year.

D
 
Ok, cool! Sorry to hear about the BCU, but I'll look forward to seeing you at an N&N! I'm hoping to do the Beer, Wine & Cheese run, we'll need a baby sitter.
 
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