Question about priming chassis?

[1960AH_Pops]

Hello all,

I am currently sandblasting the chassis on my BT7, I plan on priming the car myself but having it professionally painted. As I am blasting I keep thinking to myself "how am I going to get the primer in all of these hard to get to crevices?"

The only part that looks like it is going to be hard is the engine bay, or better yet everything under the front shroud.
Does anybody have any sugestions? I was thinking I may need a air brush type kit for the hard to reach places, I wasnt sure if it is a good idea though.

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[JodyFKerr]

Chris,

I'm going to assume you're using a paint gun to do the rest of the surfaces. If you come across an area that the big gun won't reach/fit into you can try the detail air brush, but watch your nozzle size/type. Detail guns generally have very fine nozzles, not the same dispersal pattern you'll have on a larger gun.

Another option is that many paint shops (in theory where you would have acquired the primer) can also fill rattle cans with whatver paint you want (err. spray paint cans).

Yet another option. I picked up fillable spray paint cans from Harbor Freight a while back. I normally use them as air cans for cleaning out computers. You can put paint in the can, charge it from your air compressor, and it's just like a spray paint can.

But, before you get too far into any of these options, just try your regular paint sprayer, it'll penetrate better than you think it will.

 

[nevets]

We have a DeVilbiss spray gun in our spraybooth (used for models not cars). There are 3 variables that you can control...pressure (compressor regulator), paint volume (how much paint the gun is pushing thru the nozzle), and spray pattern (from a wide swath to a narrow 'beam'). You can also adjust the orientation of the spray pattern (horizontal to vertical). Using these controls, it should be possible to get paint in all the small places. As JodyFKerr said, try your sprayer first, it will probably work...a good idea to experiment a bit to get to know your equipment.

One method I use is to thin down the paint, adjust the nozzle to a very focused, narrow spray pattern, lower the paint volume, and then hit only the small hard to reach places. Allow that to dry, then go back and spray the whole thing (with thicker paint and broader gun settings). Of course, we use lacquer primer so the dry time between coats is minimal.

I'm sure there are plenty of other techniques and tricks others can share with you.

 

[1960AH_Pops]

Thanks for the tips. I will be spraying it with a paint gun, I like the other ideas also, I go to Harbor Freight fairly often so next time I am there I will look for the fillable cans.

I will definitly get the most out of the regular gun before I try any of these options. Maybe you are right and it just looks harder than it will be, it was just a thought that went through my mind, and had me a little worried about the ammount of paint it would take to get in the tight sopts, I dont want a lot of build up, a run here or there is fine.

Thanks!

 

[Cottontop]

"how am I going to get the primer in all of these hard to get to crevices?"

I used a narrow brush to get paint into the "shadows" that the spray gun wouldn't reach after I blasted my frame.

If your "holidays" are around a corner or in a place that is keeping your spray out, it is probably keeping vision out too.

A brush makes it simple and you will NEVER see the difference once it dries and you paint color over it. Use a brush for the color too.

Tim

 

[Randy Forbes]

I did all this with a "big" Binks #7. If I was to do it again, I would use a "detail" gun for some of the areas, (would require frequent refilling, which can be a pita too). It can certainly be done with a big gun though.

Once you prime it, you should reconsider and paint it yourself too. It is just the underbody. You may surprise yourself and do quite a good job; if not, it can always be repainted (no need to re-blast though).

 

[Cutlass]

Any chance of borrowing or making a rotisserie? Makes a huge difference.