Emeightch

As you see in the pics below, I have a 77 down to bare fiberglass. Seams and misc areas have been glassed in. I still have smaller areas to fix (glass & fill) and the surface itself is pretty rough.

So... I have limited time (1 week of vacation - 5/16 to 5/23), limited finances (wife & kids) and limited space (our garage). I've also included a few pics of what left-over materials I have in stock but they are all a few years old and I'm not sure of the shelf life.

I'm looking to get my game plan together over the next week and perhaps develop a day-by-day to do list. I've been researching this topic and frankly I am a bit confused on what to do and use. Many good opinions, but I need something simple and manageable with the labor I have (me).

WHERE DO I START?

DUB

I have a few questions.

How nice do you want this when completed????

Are you also willing to live with 'problems' that show up later when it has been painted???

DUB

Emeightch

Dub, thank you for replying. I'm absolutely not looking to have a perfect show car. Im looking for something fun. Ideally, I'd like paint this with a flat black finish.

I think I'll need some type of high build primer because of all the surface Pitts. Wondering I i need to skim coat the whole thing?

DUB

I would highly advise skim coating over ALL of your laminated areas.....this will take out the possibility that you have pinholes and the primer will cover them.

I can not says to skim coat over the entire body....I am not there to see it.

I would use a polyester primer....which will require a gun with a large tip...2.0mm+. This is due to the thick viscosity of the material.

DUB

Emeightch

I have a half gallon of the Rage Extreme left. Not sure if this has a shelf life or not? I'll get another gallon ($56). The general surface of the body has significant pits. I may just do the entire thing with a light coat.

As for the polyester primer, looking at the datasheet it appears that I do not need to have anything under it like a gelcoat or anything else. Apparently I can spray directly on the fiberglass & filler. Do you think 1-gallon will be enough (@ $100 ea)?

As for the spray gun itself, the largest tip I have is 1.8. Datasheet says 1.7 (or larger). I'll need to find a 2.2 because I think I'll need a hefty coating! What do you recommend for cleaning - Acetone or lacquer thinner?

Sanding/Prep - after the skim coat, should I start with 80 grit and then 180/220 grit? Do you use air-tools or manual labor when sanding the skim coat? Same question for the primer? I have a variety of the dura-blocks.

Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to make sure I have everything in order before I begin.

DUB

Depends if you let the RAGE freeze and if you kept the lid tightly sealed when not in use. I personally do not use that type of filler...but seeing you have used it...it is pointless in advising using what I use.

A gallon may work...but it depends on how much you apply and how much you are using the polyester primer to fill bad areas. In some cases...I prime it with the polyester primer...block it and ten re-apply to get the body straight.

I use acetone.

Yes..depending on how well you can apply a filler..you can start with 80 grit and then follow with 180. That is where I stop if I am applying a polyester prime.

I do it manually....and I can use air tools but I have been doing this for 30 years so going by what I say is unfair because I know what I am doing and how to feel the body.

An air tool can do more damage in 5 seconds than you can believe.

The primer is sanded manually....I never use air tools.

DUB

Emeightch

Found some more tools to use for the skim coat. Small roll of 80, 120 & a larger roll 180 grit sandpaper. Also some spreaders & blocks. Is it OK for me to end up at the 180 grit finish?

Also - the 2.0/2.2mm tip is about $50 for my paint gun. I have 1.3, 1.5 & 1.8mm tips. Am I able to thin the slick sand down any to use the 1.8 tip I have? Data sheet say 1.7mm min. but I don't want to keep clogging the gun.

csherman

I agree with DUB
Sand your filler with 80
For filler I use Rage Ultra - it sands so nicely
finish with 180
I also always use blocks, paint sticks, PVC, etc....
I do not use air tools to use body work -
Also I increase my sandpaper by 100 grit increments - meaning do go from 80 grit to 320

csherman

the 2.0 / 2.2 gun tip will shoot slick sand just fine .

DUB

YES...180 grit when applying 'slick sand' or another polyester primer is fine.

One again...if you have doubts.....do a TEST....sand something that you do not care about to 180 grit and apply some primer and see what it does.....then possibly sand another part to 80 grit and prime it also and see what it does....YOU might be amazed in what you see. Then...when the primer is cured...sand it.

If this is your maiden voyage doing this.....I hate to write it but you might need to possibly buy more primer so you have it figured out BEFORE you go and prime your car.

The gun use has a 2.5 tip...but the 2.0 or 2.2mm tip will work.

AND if you have ANY worries....TEST a small mixed amount and see what it does or what you may need to adjust to get the primer to go on correctly.

DUB

Emeightch

OK. I'm off to a bad start. Ordered my shtuff early last week and it just came in today at 6:42pm.

So... I was ready to do the closures today. I have the doors pulled off, sanded to 180 as well as the hood & tops. The temp was almost 60 today (yes, I live in Michigan) and same for tomorrow. Wondering if I should wait until Thursday which is supposed to be a 70 deg day?

Also, the pic shows excessive "staining" in many areas. Is this normal?

Lastly, I'm starting to wonder if I should just keep going and paint the car. What materials would I need. I'm going for a flat black look.

porchdog

dx 330 is a very harsh cleaner. let it flash off well .
remember to remove the filter inside the cup . i would also rinse between reloads .
lacquer thinner is not a cleaning solvent for fiberglass .

DUB

I AGREE...I personally do not use ANY 'wax and grease' remover on bare fiberglass or SMC. And this also means NOT wiping it on any body fillers. I will wipe the panel....if needed....with acetone. I WILL use 'wax and grease' remover on my primers.

I thought you were going to use 'slicksand'.

Also..I have seen this dark band at the bottom of many SMC doors...and when I look inside...often times I can see how crud has built up and thus allowed for moisture and 'whatever' to linger on the panel and then migrate into the panel itself. With such a definitive line where the dark area stops...I would look inside the door and see what is going on there.

Often times when I am removing the paint...and I begin to see the panel getting darker...I pay careful attention to how the paint is coming off the panel over the dark areas and that will allow me to determine if I need to grind it down and laminate more resin and mat in there or let it go after a good cleaning.

DUB

porchdog

between refills i use reducer to rinse the nozzle. stops solids from collecting and shutting down flow .

Emeightch

OK, had a few set backs. I was sidetracked my first week off with my honey-do list. I took another week off the end of June to finish the list and start to primer. So... with that said, here's where I'm at.

- Car is re-disassembled
- Final sanding & body work complete. This ended up taking ALOT more time than I thought.
- 3mil plastic bought and hung in my new paint booth (garage).
- Sprayed slicksand on hood , T-tops, Doors & headlamp bezels first.

Issues:
1.)Slicksand was bought online and not agitated. I mixed it with the stick but did not dig down into the bottom to bring-up all the (later-discovered) sludge packed in. I essentially sprayed the slick sand without the sand and my part came out slick! Go figure...
2.)Attempt #2, after mixing the slicksand it was too thick and would not spray out of my gun correctly. I barely got 1 coat on and left the gun sitting for 10 minutes before the next coat. Guess what happens... The slicksand solidifies in my paint gun.
3.)Bought a new agitated can of slicksand ($84) and a new reservoir for my paint gun ($68). Disassembled the gun, soaked, scrubbed and cleaned everything.
4.)Re-sprayed everything and now parts seem to have a rough/primer finish.
5.)Planning to primer the body in the next couple weeks.

Questions:
1.)Now it seems to be leaking out of the orifice (tip) where the paint comes out. Do I just need to lubricate the pin and re-clean it?
2.)What grit (or process) do I sand the primer with?
3.)I still have about half of the thick slicksand in the original can and ¾ in the second can. Can I combine these and reduce?

DUB

YES...you can pout these two together and make sure they are mixed well. And ...like I do....I add acetone to my mixes ( a little bit more for each coat...up to 3 coats in one priming session) to get it to lay down a bit slicker so the orange peel is minor and when I go to sand...I am not fighting the peel effect.

IF you do use acetone to thin it...make sure you add the acetone FIRST and get it THOROUGHLY mixed into your batch....THEN add the MEKP hardener.

So you SHOULD have several paint mixing buckets. So when you mix up the first batch to be applied...STOP and try to mix up what you NEED for that COAT. If you have some left over...pour the contents of your gun cup into your FIRST mixing bucket...then rinse out the cup with acetone to get it clean. THIS ACETONE can go into another bucket...so when you go and MIX UP the second batch in the LAST mixing bucket...you can USE the acetone from when you cleaned out the cup to thin it...then add the MEKP hardener....THEN add the mix from your first batch and stir well. If you are noticing that the first batch or whatever batch that is in the bucket is getting really thick...just add some more acetone....just do not go crazy with the acetone. It is much like mixing up concrete or mortar. If you add too much water to them...the mix gets to soupy that it is not usable...and you have to add more mix to thicken it. The slicksand is 'kinda' like that. SO...just do not go dumping in acetone all '*****-nilly' and expect a favorable result. Depending on the time of year and the air temps...in a quart of mix...this time of year...I would add 3-5 cap fulls from the gallon can cap of acetone....then.....slightly increase the amount of acetone added....BUT...this is also a gauge and may be adjusted due to other variables.

DUB