First time resto question.

Right just a quicky question.

After cleaning, degreasing wire brushing my gearbox I set about painting it with hammerite smooth silver paint. I've given it 2 coats now but the finish is a bit ropey to be honest! the paint doesn't feel very attached to the box so to speak!

I'm new to this and this is my first attempt at restoring parts of my beloved golf so I want to get it right first time

is It time to break out the nitromors and start again? or have I done something else wrong along the line.

Hammerite says you can paint it straight on with no primer but after this lot I'm not so convinced.

Anyone have suggestion on what the best products are to etch prime, paint and lacquer this thing…. will the same stuff work for the engine as well?

Cheers for any help.

hammerite isnt the best of stuff to be honest. have a look at frosts website for car resto, should be some stuff in there i dont like hammerite myself, but remember your gearbox does get hot so does your engine, so most probably wont an enamel paint
hope this helps

Not done myself but don't know if you need a bespoke, high temp. engine paint?

Sure someone here will know! :wink:

make sure it is well cleaned to begin with - preferably a degrease and then hot water power wash - take it to your local car valeter - those coin/token ones aren't powerful or hot enough.

then buff it to remove any excess oxidisation - and look for a decent primer and some auto body paint - it sticks better and then you can laquer it for a good long lasting job.

I think Hairyarse is right and you need some high temp paint for a start. You also need to thoroughly degrease the housing with something like Gunk as carbsforever describe.

Hammerite's good stuff in the right places, as painter and decorator I use it for iron gates, garage doors etc all the time. It isn't just top coat, it also includes primer and rust convertors so you can just paint it on to roughly prepped surfaces and it holds back rust well. As an experiment I painted up a rusty old disc brake with no prep. It's sat in the back yard in all elements for over a year now and the rust still hasn't come through the paint.

The main thing I've found with Hammeritre is it takes ages to properly cure… and I mean ages, which it doesn't mention on the tin. I've painted up suspension components and brackets with it and left at least week between coats. Ideally to dry rock hard the stuff needs to be left for a month or two so it isn't ideal when working on a car.

Cheers

Cheers for that.

I degreased it with gunk to start but found that swafega Jizer did a cracking job! It also got the rub down of its life with a wire wheel on the end of the drill!

It's been on a week now, maybe I should let it cure for longer and see before I rip it to bits!! I used brush on so I may still flatten it with a bit of wet and dry and spray a coat on instead.

Have to see regards the engine, I was looking at that frost site… a truely bewildering array of goodies!!

Anyone recommend anything from Halfrauds? (My other half works there so I get a good discount! )

I think GUNK has been changed in recent years (probably for health and safety/environmental reasons) sure it used to be thicker, more toxic and more effective.

You could try flatting back with wet and dry and giving it another slightly thinned coat. Hammerite usually ok to flat after about a week of drying.

Halfrauds engine temp paint isn't to bad. Used it on a rocker cover about year or so ago and still looks good.

Good luck

I would take it back to metal and start again.

Can I recommend degrease, wire brush, wet and dry, etch primer, Eastwood's Aluma Blast (from Frosts) and clear coat?

pffff. shabby job there dubboy  :roll:  8O

marsredgti said

pffff. shabby job there dubboy  :roll:  8O

Yes i was thinking that as well he has paint all over the newpaper , ruined it  8O

It is aluminium therefore you have to use etch primer before your hammerite. You will get etch primer in Halcrap. Can't rememember how much.

thehoax said

It is aluminium therefore you have to use etch primer before your hammerite. You will get etch primer in Halcrap. Can't rememember how much.

Cheers, exactly what I needed to know. your a star!

My other half on the other is a little ticked at her work being called halcrap!  hehe! :wink:

Just avoid her if we ever meet!