sluggballz

Hi all,
I will be re painting my 95 convertible shortly. I know there are a lot of variables in doing a paint job. My questions are , approx how much base paint and how much clear should I purchase. I've painted accessories and motorcycles but never anything as large as a car. Any general help would be appreciated.

DUB

Can not answer this question due to several variables....and YES...they make a difference.

What color is the car??? Actual paint code and not just the name of it.

Are you planning on spraying a sealer OVER the current paint? OR are you planning on prepping the paint and going over the current paint????

And most importantly....because NOT all paint manufacturer's are the same...what manufacturer do you plan to use??? The reason is...some paint manufactures have strong pigments in their paint and they cover really fast....while others do not cover worth a crap.

ALSO...how much of the car are you planning on painting??? Just the exterior ...or are you including all of the jambs????

I would HIGHLY advise this....and if you do not take this advice...then you have only yourself to blame. When you figure out what you are using and the process you plan on taking. Do yourself a big FAVOR and get a 'spray-out card' or color evaluation card' and buy a little of the paint you plan on suing for a test. SO if you can get a 1/2 pint. Buy a 1/2 pint and mix/reduce it and shoot the spray out card which is a black and white checkered card that you shoot on and see how many coats of paint it takes to make it so you can not see the checkers any longer THROUGH the paint. What this will do is let you know how many coats you MAY need.....and this depends on if you are planning on shooting sealer or going over the existing color.....which OBVIOUSLY would not need that much paint because you are already close to the color you want.

DUB

sluggballz

Thank you for a great response. As I said, a 1995 corvette convertible. Polo green metallic, oem paint code 45 , ppg is 4301.
I will be sanding down to the color. The clear is peeling and coming of in flakes on the top side of the car. I was going to seal and then prime after taking the clear off. The jambs are in great shape , as are the sides of the car, I didn't plan on doing the jambs. The body is solid and there are no cracks or anything like that. I've had a couple of loose quotes on someone shooting the color and clear after I do the prep and disassembly. As far as the brand , the store I deal with specializes in PPG and they have their own brand , Wanda. Hope this answers some of the questions. Again, thank you for the nice reply.

DUB

Actually you PRIME and then SEAL....and NOT seal and then prime. And in many cases...depending on how you are prepping it...you can get by with just applying a good 2K sealer. But without knowing your process...it is hard to confirm or advise any further on this.

Once again...depending on the paint you choose will dictate on how much you need.,...which is why I mentioned shooting out a spray out card.

I use NEXA that uses really strong pigments....so coverage is often time really quick...but this also depends on the color. NEXA is sold where PPG is sold.

The dark polo green should cover rather quickly and not have a lot of pearl in it. I will need to look a the formula and confirm this in my system...but what I would mix for your car and what you need to buy...once again are two totally different issues.

And...not to make it more confusing on your getting a 'guestimate' on how much paint....A LOT of it has to do with your painter...the gun he/she uses and how they apply paint.

I know there would be no way I would mix a gallon in NEXA. That would be too much paint. But in other paint systems...that may be correct and of may need more because the pigments are so weak. I can write this...I have been painting for over 30 years..and 25+years of them I have used nothing but the NEXA paint....so I know the paint really well and I can look at a formula and tell basically right away if it is going to cover easy or be a transparent color...because I KNOW what the pigments (toners) do in regards to strength. I can not comment on or about you and/or your painter....so that is why I advised you shooting a test panel so you do not get through half of the paint job and CUSS ME ...and that is only because the painter did not do a test using their equipment...PROPERLY SET-UP and shooting it on a spray out card.

DUB

sluggballz

Thank you dub. I appreciate your input and knowledge. After all that you've said, I more than likely will farm out the color and clear portions. I'm handy enough to shoot smaller things, but adding in what variables you've given me I think it would be best to leave the color and clear to a pro. I've been a jeweler for 25 years and understand when you know what you know from years of experience. Again, thank you for your advice and input, I do really appreciate it and the fact that you didn't talk down to me!

DUB

Just a bit of advice.

If you have already chosen the painter...you may want to make sure that you prep it to his/her requirements. Each painter may do things differently...so you prepping it to a specific grit....may be different than what they may be used to. The reason being...from time to time people bring me Corvettes that they prepped themselves and say they are ready for paint...but in reality...they are far from it.

DUB