What A Beeeatch

[Paul Schooley]

Holy crap. 6 lousy bolts to remove the 'glass rs front bumper from my 71T. The first two on the mid brackets came out rather grudgingly, the third one snapped off, the fourth stripped inside the 'glass bumper and the two on the ends were seized solid as a rock. I started this last weekend and just got the &*$#ing thing off this afternoon. Had to use a cutoff tool to remove the end ones from the bracket. Unfortunately, the PO must have used some really crappy hardware because threads were broken off and bolt heads snapped way to easily.

So here I am with my bumper on the floor. The great news is that the entire front end of the car is 100% rust free. It appears to have a new front pan in it as the undercoating is very thin compared to that thick pvc stuff usually found elsewhere. The front bulkhead requires only minor scraping and cleaning and then fresh coating with undercoat.

My question is this...and I ask that the purists move on to another thread now please. The car has a 10 yr old laquer paint job on it (black) and I'm not financially ready to strip and repaint yet. What kind of primer/paint can I work with from an HLVP gun that doesn't break the bank like all those epoxies, hardeners and stuff? Do they still make like enamel based paints and primers that will work OK for street use? I just want to make it look good for next summer.

[lkadams]

Paul - I painted my VW Westfalia in my garage with PPG Omni. It's available from the local jobber place, and isn't terribly expensive (which likely means it isn't terribly good quality either). I sprayed a sealer, primer and single stage topcoat. It came out fairly well even though I had my trials and tribulations. But if you're just looking for something to buy you some time for a couple of years it may be a way to go. Or the Dupli-Color available at your local Canadian Tire

[Paul Schooley]

Baaaahahahahaaaaa....yes, Cdn Tire paint, of course. What the H was I thinking?

Thanks for the advice. I'll begin looking into this stuff.

[Matt3185]

I would go with Centari. it is a VERY easy to work with paint. Super high gloss and great durability. You can spray it from an HVLP (with or without catalyst) or your local paint shop can actually mix the paint in whatever color you want, and then package it in spray cans for you. ...just prime and paint. Without the catalyst, you will still be able to sand/buff....it will just have to sit for a few weeks (in warm temps).

A word of caution: when you use single stage paint without a catalyst, you have one chance to do it right. if you goof it up, (orange peely or dry) you can't scuff sand it, and then re-apply paint. you have to go all the way back down to the substrate or primer. if you reapply over sanded catalyst-free paint, it will immediately lift and bubble.

matt

[Paul Schooley]

Matt, what kinda primer works with Centari? I'll be only painting the front and rear bumpers and the engine lid.

[Matt3185]

hi Paul,

if you're on a budget, you can pretty much use any primer. I've done some *very budget* jobs for guys that turned out very nice, using stuff as cheap as spray can Duplicolor Primer Surfacer.


You can use either enamel or lacquer primer. (you can put enamel on top of lacquer, but you can't put lacquer on enamel)

at our shop, we use Standox primers/paints ($$$$$$$) this is a bit overkill if you're just panel painting.

the main thing is once you use a system on a project, stay consistent. example:

don't use Standox paint with Dupont reducer, and a PPG catalyst. Use Dupont paint, reducer, and catalyst (you get the idea...)

If you're going with some small panel painting, and want to simplify, just use a primer that is convenient for you. Martin Senour works nice, and is pretty reasonable (you can buy that at Napa....if you ask nicely, maybe you can get a "preferred customer" discount there)

Once you spray it, block your panels with 320 grit dry. (use a guide coat so that you can see you're high/low spots) if you need to add more primer, shoot another coat or two. block it again with 320 (with guide coat) WET and depending on your color, step it out to either 600 or 800 grit WET. (if it's a solid color, you can get away with 600 grit, but metallics (especially silver) need to be taken out to 800 grit.

I usually do the 320-800 grit all of the time.

when you are done with your blocking, the primer should look shiny (like shiny grey paint).

give it a good clean with a solvent-based pre-cleaner, tack it off, and start shooting color.

always check your MSDS sheets on the paint, and check the spec sheets too. there is tons of information on there.

also, i can't stress enough safety equipment. if you're not using hardener you can get away with a good painting mask. if you're using hardener in your paints, i would only recommend a fresh air system. Isocyanates=instant nerve damage, cancer, etc. they can be absorbed through your eyes, skin, mucuous membranes, etc.


remember, painting is 90% prep work, and 10% actually spraying it.

if you have any other Q's feel free to PM me or ask away.......

Matt

[Paul Schooley]

Thanks a million for the info Matt. I used to custom paint Harleys but only in laquer, so I've never had any experience with anything else...thus my queries. Your info will be very valuable. Thanks again.

[Zeke]

Just don't buy Centari 5000. That's urethane. Expensive and hard to use. The original Centari is really easy to use. Dupont owns Nason paint and thier acrylic enamel is also very easy to use. It's less money yet. There are a couple of grades of Nasson, so buy the best grade if you buy Nason.

[Paul Schooley]

Thanks for the heads up Zeke. I gotta remember to post a couple pics of the front end progress.

[Matt3185]

definitely!!