Mr D.

Dennis’s Plan for Body Repair, Preparation, Paint and Finish.

Well I’m about 30 days out from having the chassis all complete and ready for the body on my 65 Corvette, 427 / 425hp project. So it’s time to get busy with a plan to have this body painted or least ready for paint by the New Year.

Some background on me, the only painting I have done to date was the top of my 66 Corvette in the garage a few years ago in a make shift paint booth using an industrial paint gun. On a scale of 1-10 I would give it a 7-8 as I had a couple of spots that didn’t turn out as planned due to operator error, bugs and too thick on the clear coat to name a few but I learned a lot. Overall I was pleased as it looked 100% better than it did before I started; basically the clear coat was cooked off the top of the car.

Next on my paint skill resume was a red 69 Corvette I picked up that had been painted with single stage and looked like a big orange. I sanded this whole car with 3M Trizact finishing film using both 1500/3000 grit discs and after a polishing this car looked fantastic considering what I started with.

So I’m not a complete idiot when it comes to paint and body, I feel I have at least 20% talent. The paint equipment I have is a SATAjet 3000 HVLP Digital for BC/CC, SATAjet NR2000 for primer, Sata Mini-Jet and a Sata 200 series air filter setup. In addition to that I have just about any air operated or hand operated sanding and buffing tool out there so I’m pretty good to go for equipment (I’m a tool *****). An inexpensive or used masking machine is on my list of things I want to add to the above.

This painting endeavor will not be in a garage this time as I don’t have the room nor do I want to create a mess with overspray. I have access to a heated paint boot I can rent for $50 per day (MWR Auto Hobby Shop) so I will be using that option for this part of the project. Down side, no sanding or body work on site so you spray than you go, period…. Although I can rent the booth for 2-3 days if needed just can’t do anything in there or on-site other than spray product.

So here’s a few of the question I still have to sort out;

1) Are the below steps and material choices sound, do they make sense?

2) Its 20 miles round trip to the paint booth, body is on a rolling stand on a trailer, hood off, doors off etc. My paint plan has about 4 trips to the paint booth that involve unloading and loading not to mention where to put the doors, hood, rear deck lid, headlight buckets etc. Can some of this primer work be shot outdoors at the house or would I be better off to just suck it up and use the paint booth?

3) DPLF time between coats is 10-15 mins with 60-90 mins to topcoat, can I spray the DPLF, wait the 60-90 mins than spray 2 coats of K36??? This would save me one trip to the paint booth.

Sorry for this being so long and wordy but I hope to help others as I help myself work through all this. At the end of the day when someone asks me who painted your car I want the satisfaction of saying I did.

Thanks, Dennis


Stripping
Car is currently about 80% stripped of paint to bare fiberglass and I will strip the remaining areas using Captain Lee's Spra' Strip. Have used this product in the past with great results and trust the product.

Fiberglass Repair
Overall the body is in good condition with a few repairs required, 4 small holes (dime size) at the rear where a fin was removed, passenger side front wheel well lip missing a 3” section (have repair piece), prior repair to driver side nose area that was repaired using fiberglass cloth that needs attention, small repair to the parking light housing lip and small hole (dime size) to fill from alarm switch at driver front fender. My plan was to use 1 ½ oz fiberglass mat and Evercoat polyester resin for these repairs.

Filling and Smoothing
Once the repairs are complete I will have some filling and smoothing to do, mainly the rear deck where I removed a fin using a 36 grit wheel. I was careful as could be during this removal but I did get into the fiberglass a little during the removal. My thoughts were to use EVERGLASS Short Strand Fiber Reinforced Filler to fill the low spots and once I sanded that down I would follow it up with RAGE® GOLD PREMIUM LIGHTWEIGHT BODY FILLER for the final smoothing. All the other small fiberglass repairs could be smooth with the RAGE if needed.


First Primer Coat
At this point I will sand the whole car using 320 grit paper in preparation for applying 2 coats of PPG DP50LF. I know everyone has a difference of opinion for this step Epoxy Primer vs. Gel Coat vs. Slick Sand but I think the DPLF will do just fine for sealing everything up.

Second Primer Coat
Next up will be 2 coats of PPG K36 Primer/Surfacer that will get a guide coat applied and sand that using 220 grit paper.

Third Primer Coat
The final primer will be 1 coat of PPG K36 Primer/Surfacer that will get another very light guide coat applied and then I will wet sand that with 600 grit paper.

Base Coat
The base coat will be 3 coats of PPG Deltron 2000 Basecoat (DBC). I will wipe the whole car down with DX330 wax and grease remover before shooting and then do 1 light tack coat followed up with 2 final coats of color.

Clear Coat
The clear coat will be 3 coats of PPG Deltron DC4000 Clearcoat.

Color Sanding
I have a couple different options here and have used both in the past. First option is 1500 grit paper, warm water, soap bucket and elbow grease or second option is to use a 6" orbital sander with a 3/32" throw and 3M Trizact finishing film in the 1500/3000/5000 grit range. This will be followed up with a buffing using Perfect-It finishing compound or similar product. My guess is I will use a combination of both.

zwede

Just my experience (not a pro at all):

• I don't see the need for the DP50LF. K36 can be sprayed directly onto fiberglass and adheres well.
• 320 grit sounds very fine for primer adhesion. We sanded my '71 with 80 grit before K36. It was sanded 220 wet between K36 coats.
• Yes, you can shoot K36 in your garage or even outdoors. You don't need a booth.
• You don't mention what your plans are for your bonding seams. The factory filler needs to be removed and new filler applied (or resin & mat if you have OCD like me)
• What about panel gaps? If you plan to make them perfect (tighter), the body needs to be on the frame. Way to much flex in these to do body work on a dolly.

DUB

I am not attacking what you know...so PLEASE do not take offense. Just offering an opinion on what has worked for me for years.

320 grit is too fine for primer....in my opinion. 320 grit or even finer is acceptable in some circumstances...but I would not prep to 320 grit in this situation and then prime.

For what it is worth:
This is how I look at what grit to use for prepping a surface for an undercoat or whatever and explain it to customers or those I have trained.. I compare it to a side view of a saw blade. The teeth on a two-man buck saw is like 24 grit. A hand saw for ripping a 2 X 4 is 80 grit ...and a fine tooth hacksaw blade is 400 grit. Just as examples for a visual side view of the blade and the depth and spacing of the teeth and how much or little material it would take to make these high and lows in the teeth all become level. And the side view of the blade is the side view of what you have sanded and if you magnified it...how it might look. When you have a very fine hatch...depending on what material you are shooting and its viscosity...the product can cover over your hatch marks and NOT fill them in...which can and most likely will cause for an issue in the future due to trapped air in the hatch marks. A product that is too "runny" or watery would not work well in a very deep hatch mark...due to taking numerous coats to finally fill it in....which is fine because you are filling it in...but it could take forever to achieve a flat surface...as I have found out in the past. Now I can type for hours on the contradictions I can list to what I have written...because...it all depends on what you are shooting. When I shoot gelcoat or polyester primer...I can stop my prep at 180 grit and shoot 3 coats and you can not find a scratch mark because I have buried them. This is also knowing how to thin/reduce the product for my situation.

The is a BIG difference ( as you might know)between epoxy primer---gelcoat---Slicksand or polyester primer. You can use epoxy primer if you want to...many do just that...but I prefer to use gelcoat or polyester primer. I do use DP90LF on all steel parts of the car....and for what it is worth I use the DP401 activator and NOT the 402. I was using the DP epoxy primer when they first came out and there was no 402. It came out because people could not wait or did not like waiting the 30 minutes induction period...so PPG came out with the "instant" mix and go stuff...and I never liked it.

For my body filler I would NOTHING BUT Fiberglass/ Evercoat's Vette Panel Adhesive. NO glazing putties, or anything else. ALL work is done in VPA ..enough said. I just do not like soft fillers on a Corvette. Steel car...YES. Corvette....NO

Holes I would laminate over with matte and resin like you wrote.

If your neighbor(s) or neighborhood does not have an issue with it...along with any Government agencies that could get pissed off....I would do as much as possible at home. Even if you have to drape traps or plastic and create a quick paint booth to do work in so you do not get caught in bad weather. The LAST THING you want is to allow your bare fiberglass to get wet....or get sweaty hand prints on it...or get oil on it...etc.

Zwede made some good comments....because doing body work on a dolly is something I would not do if I were trying to achieve excellent gaps and panel fit. Way too many things can go wrong.

The basecoat application "thing" that you mentioned...starting with a light tack coat and then 2 more coats. Do as you wish.. but when I paint a car...I paint it. Applying a tack coat is great for acrylic enamel. I do not shoot basecoat that way. To each his/her own. I can offer you this: You better shoot a color evaluation card to make sure that a tack coat and two full coats will give you full paint color coverage...instead of having it still be transparent when light hits hit. Many colors today are using weak strength toners and are hard to get to true color in 2 1/2 coats...especially PPG DBC. I know this..because I shot it for years and years until I switched and now shoot paint that in 90% of the time covers very fast...in most cases in 2 coats. One again it depends on the color/toners.

DUB

Mr D.

Zwede / DUB

Thanks for the feedback,

I agree that DP50LF is really not required I was going on the advice of some others that have used either Gelcoat or Epoxy Primer as a first coat. This was mosty to seal up the fiberglass to prevent any paint finish problem that might or might not present itself down the road. More of an insurance thing than anything else I guess.

I misread the P-Sheet for the DPLF it says to sand the bare “metal” areas completely with 80–180 grit abrasive, the Slick Sand P-Sheet doesn’t really say one way or the other for bare metal other than all bare metals must be treated with a high quality epoxy primer prior to the application of Slick Sand. Seems there has been a lot of talk on the internet about this change to the P-Sheet and pretty much everyone is questioning this new requirement. I guess I need to rethink the whole Evercoat Slick Sand thing as a couple of other people have also recommended I use Slick Sand as a first coat.

As for the bonding seams or factory filler needing to be removed not sure I agree with this as there is nothing wrong with my existing seams. I guess I’m of the if it’s not broke don’t fix crowd on this one.

I understand what you are saying about panel gaps and my thoughts on this are twofold, I have spent a lot of time and money on the chassis and do not want to see it trashed out with primer dust and overspray, however, it is a little tight in the garage from a space standpoint with the car split in two and I could really use the additional room to sand and prep for paint if the body was on the frame. That being said I could cover the chassis in plastic drop the body back and cut the plastic sheet out after the paint is complete.

Thanks for the tip on the Evercoat's Vette Panel Adhesive I will look into that product. As for the neighborhood and/or EPA I live out in the sticks on 5 AC so that silly nonsense will not be a problem. I think the way forward is to do all my primmer work here at the house and just make one trip to the paint booth.

I do have a spare hood and a RH & LH upper surround panels that I plan to practice on for both repairs and painting. This will also give me a pre-trip to the paint booth I will be renting to see how that whole thing works out. I have a gal of Ecklers Gelcoat from a past project that never got used (not sure of the shelf life) I can use on a test panel. Shoot one surround with half Gelcoat and half DPLF and the other with Slick Sand. I have plenty of time to figure all this out and get comfortable with the products I’m going to use.

Dennis

DUB

Dennis,

For what it is worth:

With all the work you have done to the chassis. I would have to write that you would have to be insane to NOT rework your bonding seams. They can and more likely will come back and show themselves if you do not address this issue. Trusting in the epoxy, gelcoat, polyester primer having the ability to keep this common transition area from coming back is dangerous....unless...your are SUPER LUCKY...and have won the last 5 Powerball Lottery's.

As for worrying about your frame. They do sell products that can be sprayed on the frame...be allowed to dry...and will not allow anything to stick to it... and will wash off with warm water. I do it often on the off-frame cars I do. OR....you can wrap the frame in Saran Wrap...and when done...peel it off. I have done that also. Sometimes I do both. I like the part of the job going over everything and making sure it is clean and RIGHT. For me...there would be NO WAY I would do the bodywork on your car when it is off the frame. I have seen too many that have and are.....lacking in the fine details....much like what you have put into your chassis...that most people will not see easily. As always...the choice is yours.

One tip:....again for what it is worth. You might want to think about installing splash/debris shields in your front wheelhouse areas so rocks and stuff coming off your tires do not "starburst" crack your top hood surround areas above your tires. I do this on ALL the Corvettes I do that are pre 1984. They can be made to be removable for "picky" show judges...or permanent and really hard to detect. One your have to go back in on your paint job and fix a starburst from a rock...you will wish you had done something to prevent it...because the repair is a royal NIGHTMARE.

DUB

Mr D.

OK now I'm confused, someone asked about redoing seams in another thread and you stated "if there is NO damage to the seams...and it is for cosmetic issues in the future...then as I wrote I WOULD NOT".

There is nothing wrong with the seams on my car, they are as flat and smooth as the day it was painted at the factory.

DUB

You need to carefully re-read the other post. it was in regards to LAMINATING seams with matte and resin. If the seams are not damaged...spending the time to laminate them is excessive ...versus that of the time it takes to use Vette Panel Adhesive to re-work them.

All I can write is this. There are inherent issues with the way the factory adhesive used by GM to build the car in regards to the fiberglass panels. The adhesive can shrink and often times show a definitive line where the panel edge stops. Simply blocking sanding the seam does not change a thing...in my opinion. You still have the surfaces of both the fiberglass panel and the adhesive at the same level....along with a clean straight line from the edge of both panels bonded together. This is what can show in the future...even if the car is in the garage all the time.

Now I bake the seams on the earlier Corvettes BEFORE I re-work them with my infra-red heater. But there would be no way I would do a Corvette WITHOUT re-working ALL the seams. I do this for a living and all I am trying to do is advise you of the potential issues you can have if you choose not to do this. If you choose NOT to do it and nothing happens...GREAT. But if something happens...TRUST ME...the time and expense to re-work the car again will be really painful. DO NOT ASK ME HOW I KNOW THIS!!! UHHH..."woulda-coulda-shoulda".

There are numerous "tricks" to the body (depending on year of the Corvette) that I do to EVERY Corvette that is getting a paint job . Many of these "tricks" are fixing issues that can occur during re-assembly due to the way GM made the parts and what have you. In the past...when an "issue" showed itself. I employed a repair fix/modification...and EVERY Corvette after it had this fix/modification done to it so the issue would not happen EVER AGAIN. Just tighten one of your outer rear bumper bolts and you will see what I mean when the body cracks/splits around the bumper bolt hole...and can be seen. I have a "fix" for that. But it is a bit late AFTER the car has been painted.

If you feel that the primers that you have chosen to apply will keep the seams hidden. Then do it. I do not have a crystal ball...but I have seen enough Corvettes where this step in body prep was omitted from someone else and it came back to haunt them and then they come to me to fix it.

PROFESSIONAL TIP: Do a re-assembly of ALL attachable parts prior to priming. This is especially true if the body has been off the chassis. ESPECIALLY BUMPERS!!! You might find that when you go to attach some parts that "something: is off and some work may be required to get the part to fit perfectly. I have offered this advice to numerous people over the years and when they are doing their own Corvette and when the car comes by my shop they say. "I know you told me to test fit everything...but I just did not want to because it would take too long and I want to get it painted....and now, how can I fix this problem?" I let out an audible chuckle and say "Often times the best advice given is free and falls on deaf ears".

Best of luck in your endeavor,
DUB

Mr D.

Thanks DUB, my ears are wide open.

DUB

awesome!!!

Dub

Bannytyncity

You can shoot K36 in your garage or even outdoors.



________________________________
Harley's harlequin sexy ladybug & bees costumes played in perfectly to the style.