DIY respray

hi guys…im a student and you guessed it i need a respray. All my welding will be done at a local garage (dont have a foggiest)

Im considering spraying my car myself…sounds a bad idea but my dads had some experience of spraying but not a whole lot.

I just need some decent info where to start..i have the compressor and gun (friends grandad) so if anyone has any info where to start etc prepping anything.

I think spray shops are seeing pound signs when the see a young lad, so ive taken the approach of ''why not give it a go'' the worst that can happen is it looks rubbish and i end up rubbing it down.

Any help at all would be great

thanks before hand Mitch

No advice but I like your thinking!  

I really want to know how you get on as i have some touch up jobs and I don't like to think what some cowboy will try to charge!  :cry:

Good Luck Buddy! :mrgreen:

Loads of tips on this site:

http://www.carsprays.com/

The main reason why people often let others do a respray (even if doing everything else, eg welding and prep, themselves) is that the best paint to use is 2 pack, which has severe safety issues. Another reason is that you'd need to control dust effectively. And the other one, is that a proper bodyshop will have access to a low bake oven.

But, you could do it yourself and get a good finish, with care!

I dont mine myself and if the prep work was better I would be chuffed with the finish

get yourself the Haynes Techbook - Body Repair & Painting manual.. well worth it (available from amazon)

ref prepping, take your time to get it perfectly flat with around 800grit sand paper

get a good 3-4 coats of primer on it.. then spray some pretty patterns with a black spray can all over, then sand this back until all the black has gone

once you've done that, clean the car with thinners then apply thin top coats, leaving for around 15-20 minutes each coat

I put about 5 coats on.. then leave it a day or two, and with some cutting compound (G3 for example) or VERY fine sandpaper (2000 grit) and soapy water start rubbing back for that nice smooth finish

probably loads I've missed as it's a quick post  :wink:

thanks for the advice, whats the safety precautions with the 2pak..does it just make you high or is it more serious than that?
I agree with youngdavey…i realise theres a fair old bit of work involved but as far as materials are concerned its not too expensive…?2400 is a bit of a micky take.
I think im going to invest in a manual and give it a try

so am i right to break it down into these steps
800 grit down to the metal
3 coats of primer
spray pretty black patterns
rub down so black paint dissapears
apply top coat
rub down with 2000 grit
laqcuer

where would the filling step fit in?

many thanks again guys
mitch

The filling is incorporated in the priming, you'd use an etch primer for the first coat then some coats of high build filler primer. This would take out the scratches/roughness of the metal (which is essential for proper paint adhesion).

For safety with 2 packs, try this link:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg388.pdf

Basically, you need to be able to put the car into an airtight and filtered 'booth' and wear an air-fed mask and all-enclosing, disposable, overalls.

Haha so the guys on pimp my ride don't just have poor taste in clothes then!!!!  

Just to stress Mitch, 2 pack can be LETHAL!!! Basically if you inhale a whole load it can kill you, hence the need for sealed room, breathing kit etc. Can be done DIY but do you home work and dont cut corners on safety.

Ref the 'spray black patters' - Phil is right, it's called a guide coat. Doesn't have to be black - I've seen red used often. It's a very thin coat of paint, to show up any imperfections before you top coat as the primer can make the finish look a lot better than it really is being matt, will hide tiny scratches etc.

Good luck with it and keep us posted how you get on

Cheers
Andy

All i can say is its not rocket science it just takes patientce!!

Sand all flaky paint etc off with 2-400 grit wet and dry

Do any filler work that is needed (take your time reshaping youll be happier in the long run)

1 -2 coats of etch primer to kill that nasty tinworm dead!

Apply a coat of high build primer to the whole car, once this is dry you need to flat this back with 800 w/d using either spray paint (a fine mist) or you can buy guide coat to show up the low spots. Flat back just enough to lose all the guide coat (if you flat through the primer apply some more and do this step again!)

Once shes flatted down and your happy with it you can apply a basecoat in your chosen colour (if its a dark colour you may benefit from using a coat of black primer first)

If the finish is a bit like orange peel you can flat it back again Make sure you wet sand it take your time and wipe it dry you will be able to see any texture thats left!

Apply 2nd colour coat then you are ready to clear coat apply this medium wet allowing plenty of time between coats for it to go tacky (stops runs and colour drag)

Apply as many coats of clear as you want

Leave in the garage more 3-4 days with some form of heat in there not too hot just to help it cure and moisture etc

Go back andwet sand the clearcoat carefully until the "orange peel "effect has gone. (keep wiping it dry you will see the texture when its dry)Making sure you keep the panel wet while sanding using plenty of CLEAN water.

When you have a nice smooth but dull finish its time to polish

If you can get use of a polisher it would be a good idea (takes forever by hand)

Use plenty of Farecla G3 or similar from your motor factors they wil advise you what to use from what they stock.

Keep polishing until you have a really nice finish (be careful on edges and contours the mop can cut through if not careful)

Apply a coat of glaze or polish and shes done

Hope this is useful it took me bloody ages to type    :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

Rob

yeah thanks alot rob, nicely worded and didnt get all techy on me…rob would you advise using 2 pack…or are there other alternatives

any ideas of how i can breath clean air then? i like my mk1 but i wouldnt fancy dieing for it lol

ill get some pictures up im going to get the first grade paper and rub it down maybe tuesday!

Mitch said

any ideas of how i can breath clean air then? i like my mk1 but i wouldnt fancy dieing for it lol

You need a positive pressure, sealed, air-fed respirator. For example:

http://www.supremevisors.com/air-fed-visors.htm

To supply this, you'd need a compressor, sited outside the spray booth area, with enough capacity to supply both the respirator and the spray equipment at the same time.

You can get Isocyanate free 2k paint you will have to go to a large motor factors to get it though some one like brown brothers

You will still need a face mask though as the fumes will "catch" the back of your throat and make you feel a bit ill.

Another tip to stop you from getting loads of dust and crap in your paint is to damp the garage floor down with water

Rob

I would use cellulose, it's cheaper and gives a better finish on a classic car, 2 pack gives that over glossy plastic finish. Another plus point is it won't kill you if you happen to breathe in a little. Cheers.

hi guys…

just been flicking through the HSS hire book and ive managed to get a mini turbine compressor and gun for ?35 + ?18 per day there after….

so…few more questions

does the cellulose based paint work in the same way as the 2 pack?

Am i right in thinking i should use an angle grinder with relevant discs to sand the body?

And the one biggy i have is….the windows and seals, what should i do about them without giving myself too much of a hard time?

cheers Mitch

Mitch said

And the one biggy i have is….the windows and seals, what should i do about them without giving myself too much of a hard time?

cheers Mitch

No biggy…

Been covered here a couple of times. Use the search and look for windscreen seal or removal or something. All windows are easy to take out and easy to put back! I even managed all of mine on my own.

hi just bought the orbital sander today..with some 240 grit to get it back down to the metal...i still cant find anything on removing the window...any one know where i can purchase paint?

Was it a DA (Random orbit sander?) If not and you are flatting back old paint to paint over you may not get a perfect finish as you'll get scratches left in 8O

Andy

yeah sorry was a random! so any hints on getting the windows out and just some general tips when sanding down?

There is no real trouble with getting the windows out, its getting them back in that the problem. What condition are your rubbers in? If they are going to be replaced, you might as well cut them to get the glass out. Its a 2 person job, you need someone to be able to 'catch' and hold the glass/pull it away, as you work the rubber off the body.

For sanding down, I'd use a wide variety of wire brushes as fitted to a power drill, for getting into the nooks, etc of the body. And there will be some areas which you still cannot reach, so you'll need to do some by hand, getting your fingers in. If your fingers are too thick for edges, you can wrap sandpaper around pens, pencils, the tip of screwdriver, etc etc.

Are you sanding all the paint off for a bare metal respray, or are you just 'keying' it to allow new paint to go over the top of the existing stuff?

I managed the windows on mine out myself, couple of screwdrivers working from the inside lever the rubber over the metal lip, work from the top, when you get almost half way, you should be able to carefully pull the window out

the hardest one I found was the rear hatch, VERY snug fit!