PUNISHER VETTE

Hello! How long does it take to climb to the top of the mountain?
I'll be in and out of here for the next few months trying to learn as much as my head can hold related to paint jobs.

I'm in the stripping process on my '69 so it won't be long before I have to do some body work. As of right now it feels like I could spend weeks researching in here and not get any definitive answers about stuff... too many variables....guess that's why most suggest to pay a pro.

I'm dead set on attempting this paint job myself with ZERO experience painting but don't waste your breath trying to convince me not to do it...if it sucks... then I'll know for next time.

What I have to work with... 2 car garage, 15g compressor 5.5cfm@90

and the car lol....which needs a LOT of body work to get the chips/cracks/rips out of the fiberglass the PO really messed up.

Need to first research body repair stuff, then prep, then painting guns and so on...
Am I crazy or is it always this scary your first time lol?

929nitro

You are not crazy at all. Just take your time and pay attention to details. Get the car stripped down to the glass and then see what repairs if any are needed, Good luck.

markids77

You've a good start on things... how do you intend to finish removing the paint on the car now?

Your next step is going to require some tools. Do you own a 4 inch diameter air grinder, a set of sanding blocks, a long and short Surform file for shaping fillers and a spray gun of some sort to apply primer/sealer? A Dremel or similar tool with an assortment of cutting bits and sanding drums can be a helpful thing as well. And a NIOSH approved organic vapors and mists respirator and a good supply of nitrile gloves.

Actual materials purchase can wait until you are closer to starting the body repair but then you will need to make a very important choice... what manufacturer will supply your paints. Like all of them so you can ensure chemical compatibility throughout the job. That needs to be the first decision made because after you neutralize the strippers (if used) the first thing I would do to a bare glass body would be to seal it against bad things touching the car, and possible problems within the glass matrix itself.

Already we get to pick from the myriad options available and choose a sealer. I won't insist, but my choice is a catalysed epoxy. In fact, I use only epoxies on my jobs since it is my belief that if a couple double coats of that won't allow you to block the car level and straight you should have done more work before you primed the thing. But that is just my opinion and others here turn out fabulous results using other materials and methods.

PUNISHER VETTE

I plan to use stripper on the car. Just too many different previous layers for the razor blade method to work and I'm not skilled enough to use orbital sanders without worry of going too deep.

No tools or material purchased yet...other than a Dremel. Where do you all suggest picking up a lot of the tools? Amazon/Eastwood/Local...
I'm dreading buying the paint gun as it seems to be a big area of conflict... I'd like to stay budget friendly but I also know you usually get what you pay for...

I work for a Dupont Company I was thinking maybe I should support them...??

I found this link that seemed to simplify things a bit for me to understand.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/techti...=111&TopicID=3

any other similar sites/links will go a lot further than me searching and finding stuff on my own and doubting if it's right or not.

markids77

Dupont paints will be fine. I get my tools all over so the answer is yes, all of the above. I like Durablock brand sanding blocks and bought my kit from Eastwood on sale. I find I use the long round, short thin flat and long narrow (2"wide?) square blocks most often on curvy cars like ours. You could get away with a Harbor Freight grinder... it is not a precision instrument. Ditto one of their "purple" spray guns for primer since it is tough to clean after.

For a finish gun I would buy the best gun you can afford from a major manufacturer after you sort through all the personal opinions presented about which one fits best for each individual. Spray guns are like stereo speakers... everyone's ears hear differently and a "rock" speaker set is not well suited to classical, etcetera. Ditto spray guns... the only way to find the "right one" is to actually use a bunch of them to get a feel for the thing. For your single job a high end "hobby" or a midrange "pro" gun will make the probability of a good result better than an econo POS. But buying a $700 whizbang custom jobbie will not guarantee a better job than a $150 gun... it's really the guy holding the thing which makes or breaks the result.

VinceP

all great information I started my car last year.I hand sanded at first then realized that I need to get all the old paint off I used a finsher sander.It was not the sander it was the grid of the sand paper that I used.course enough but not to bad to damage the glass.After most of the paint was off went back and block sanded by hand you could use 80 to hand sand.You will think that it is looking good but you will not be able to tell unless you have some color on it.I used some SPI expoxy black.it shows all problem areas.I was surprise it was very easy to sand.As everyone will tell you the prep is important.I had a lot off redos.This spring I will put color on it again (a story in its self)The one thing that I never readed was mositure in your air.Look into a drier for your compresser.They are pretty expenive I found one that was a Arrow brand 1 Quart it is about $150. Good luck that your timeI can be done
Vince

DUB

PUNISHER VETTE...(and others)

You are not alone. You will be able to get the support and suggestions you will need in order to get this project to completion.

You are correct...you do get what you pay for...but I also know guys who paint with really crappy guns and they turn out really good paint jobs. BUT...they have also spent time PRACTICING with the gun(s) and the product that they plan on using to work out the "bugs". If this is ONE TIME project...I can understand your concern on spending big $$$$ on a gun. Because with the decades I have spent painting...I know after a bit of time testing and adjusting a crappy gravity feed gun...I would be able to get it to a point of being able to lay down the paint the best that it could do...and would have to deal with wet-sanding and re-applying or buffing the paint....or playing with the "mix ratios" of the paint to get it and the gun to "work together".

DUB

rogman16

PV--

Mark and DUB laid out some pretty good suggestions... Only other thing I would offer is that you also need to look at your compressor cfm output when buying a gun... There are some that are top-line guns that definitely use less air... When I did my research, Iwata was one that required less cfm than the SATA 4000 HVLP (requires 15.2 cfm) that I ended up purchasing... Kept watching ebay and ended up getting a new, digital gun for $500 including shipping... Once done, I will probably re-list on ebay or CL and try to get $350-400 for a "slightly" used SATA 4000 digital... So, in the end, think I'm just renting the SATA for a couple of hundred $$s... I have read where folks "really" like the Iwatas... I was extremely impressed on how well the SATA put down the clear when I sprayed, especially since its been 25+ years since I have done any painting (BTW--I used PPG products for priming, bc and cc)...

I used a couple of cheapo HFs ($10-15) and TCP Global ($30-40) guns for priming, sealing and spraying POR15... At those prices, I've gotten great use out of those guns...

Can't wait to follow along as you tackle your project...

Rogman

PUNISHER VETTE

Thanks guys. Looks like I'll have plenty of help if I need it!

Here's another question.
I know being a first time painter will be incredibly hard already but how much harder will it be to do a two tone paint job?(Baldwin style?)

I was thinking most of the car black and the rear end and strip red. I know that's probably the opposite combo most would chose but that's kinda why I like the idea. But... Just curious what you all think about that?

markids77

The hard part will be masking the stripes off and having it all look uniform when done. Getting it all centered on the car, and having the curves at an equal radius and spacing requires some practice. Get a roll of "fine line" tape in whatever size you think your stripe should be and practice laying out some curves on your DD. After you perfect the art, laying the paint on is just the last step.

Dave Tracy

The SPI website has a ton of information including a section "What new painters should know.

John S 1961

you need some friends you can pay with pizza and beer or some low priced labor you can supervise and train to sand. There is alot of sanding in your future, I mean a staggering amount of labor is involved.

Have you considered taking the auto body class at the local community college? Lots of advantage mostly professional instruction! You could do the whole job there and probably find some kids to work cheap and help you.

PUNISHER VETTE

I don't mind doing the work.. I think with the stripper it should be pretty quick unless you were thinking about sanding the primer once I paint it?

I'd love to take a class...just not sure where to look and sign up for them. There's tons of community colleges around this area. Doubt I'd be up for taking an 8week class though lol.

markids77

Got news for ya... I have over 200 man hours in stripping, repair and refinishing my 77. That's 5 40 hour weeks and I used to do this for a living...it might take you all summer to get it completely finished.

PUNISHER VETTE

That was kinda my goal. Have it stripped by the end of May. Repaired and starting to prime/paint by the end of June.

Put it all back together all July.

929nitro

I found an auto body class at a local Vocational High School under adult continuing ed. Take your time and pay attention to the detail and the end results will give you great satisfaction.

DUB

Be cautious of the conditions that the exposed stripped fiberglass are subjected to. If I could add anything...Do the hood and then prime it. So it is protected. Do a door and then get it fit to your liking and then prime it...remove it and the do the rear clip or front clip. which ever clip you do ...prime it.

If the space you are doing this is is really good...then do not worry about it...but if the shop you are doing this in is "questionable"...then I would do it piece by piece...or at least get a few pieces together and then prime them.

WORST thing is a fried chicken greasy hand touching open fiberglass...or someone spraying WD-40.

DUB

markids77

I agree strongly with DUB. Protect each part as it gets ready for sealer, and make sure that sealer is impermeable to things like fried chicken fat.... do a search of Dupont's offerings and choose a "first coat" sealer which can be cleaned later and not allow the neighbor kids greasy fingerprints to show through your paint in August or September.

PUNISHER VETTE

It's planting season for me so I'm super busy the next week or two at work but I was home today and made some progress tearing the thing apart. About ready to lift the body off the frame.

It's just me at my house...no fat greasy finger kids(other than me) so I should be okay just priming it all not long after stripping it.

So... strip, repair fiberglass, put body back on frame and get door/hood gaps set?

What should I do about the underbody/engine bay area for paint? Would like to paint those while I'm at this. Didn't know if I can spray my own underbody truck bed lining or something... I'm guessing I should spray them first before doing the exterior paint...

markids77

Actually I would do the underhood and underside after paint. Easier to mask the lower body and fender surround once rather than have to mask the engine bay and underside repeatedly while you do the bodywork. Clean both up now as part of your pre-bodywork prep, so they'll be ready to go after.

You have much work to do before you grind the first crack out... concentrate on one task at a time and right now that's getting it off the frame, then cleaning the underside and underhood, then getting it naked.