I just sanded, and primed my front and rear spoilers and don't know what to do about the basecoat and clearcoat... The paint is the #10 white but it's really hard to find alot of it at part stores.. do i have to get an auto body place to mix me some so i'll have enough.. and for the clear coat, what kind should i use.. i was looking at this motomaster stuff at canadian tire but it says it can't be used on enamal basecoats?!?! what type of paint is the gm #10 white? Is that all i need to finish the paint job?? i've been hearing alot about color sanding and have no idea what to do after the primer coat

 

Find an auto parts store that sells body shop supplies. Tell them what you are looking to do and they will mix the color per your code and set you up with clear/reducers/catalysts, etc. When in doubt, best to stick with one company's products for the whole system.

Good Luck...

 

Justin - there are a lot of paint manufacturers that are going to make the color you need. It sounds like you just have a local supply problem. #10 White is just a color, and does not specify any particular type or brand of paint. For your topcoats, the most important thing, as stated above, is to use products from one manufacturer. They make their products to work with each other, not with other brands - no matter what your local paint shop guy may tell you! Choose a major manufacturer - Sherwin-Williams, PPG, DuPont, etc - as they tend to stand behind their products if there is a problem. What brand is your primer? What type of material is it? Start there. For the finish coats, if you are going with a base coat / clear coat system, you will be surprised at how easy it can be. There generally is no sanding between color coats, as you need to do with most lacquers and enamels, and the fast drying makes the job almost fun. The clear coats you apply do not get sanded until they are all applied and dry. My best suggestion - visit several paint dealers, tell them what you have, what you expect from a quality paint finish (good looks, deep gloss, long lasting, etc.) and ask what they recommend. Ask them to walk you through the process of mixing, applying and finishing. They should have printed information you can take with you. Compare several brands, the effort required to apply each, and the costs involved. Also judge the help at the dealer! Go with whatever one makes you the most comfortable, and choose a system that you know you can work with. I'm confident you will surprise yourselfwith the results!

 

Sounds good, i found a few places here that mix spray bombs and carry duPont so i'm going to go check it out tomorrow and see what i come up with. thanks for the advice :)

 

O.k. i talked to some guys at some paint supply stores and they said that acrilic enamal that can be made into spray bombs is not very durable, and said to go with acrilic ureathane i think it was which i would need to apply with a spray gun.. which i don't have... but he said both would work... which would you guys reccomend for painting my spoilers?????????? would the acrilic enamal be fine for my application?


[Modified by Justin79-L-82, 6:02 PM 5/6/2002]

 

Some parts/paint stores used to carry a bottle and a compressed air sprayer setup for under $10 that would allow you to spray some paint you mixed up. That way you could get the urethane, reducer and hardener and spray it from your own bottles. If you can find what I'm describing, you may need to reduce the paint a little further to get it to spray well. And going with that type of application, I'd recommened only shooting the white and not jacking with clear. Put 3-4 coats of white on the spoiler and after it has cured out well, 72 hours or longer. Wet sand with 600, then 800, then 1200 and finally 1500. You'll then have to use a 3M rubbing and polishing compound the polish the finish to a gloss. And trust me, polishing to a gloss by hand is a lot of work . . . after you've finished wet sanding, you might take them to a body shop and ask them if they can polish them for you.

Or actually, possibly the best idea, call a bodyshop and tell them you have a couple of spoilers primered and ready for paint and ask them how much to spray them if you bring them the paint, reducer and hardener.

 

This is a great way to spray paint small jobs. http://www.prevalspraygun.com/

 

Really good suggestion. You might have to find a shop that uses the particular paint that you have, but a few phone calls will solve that. Having just refinished the exhaust valance on my '71 with an acrylic enamel (it's under the car - who will notice ;) ) and rubbing the peewaddin' out of it after sanding, I wish I had paid someone $50 to put a shine on it for me. Shooting the color was no problem since I have the equipment, but finishing is a bear...

 

I think i'm just gonna paint the acrilic enanal on it and polish it by hand.. i'm done school for the summer and have ALOT of time on my hands.. what kind of polish should i use? any suggestions.. and would a hand drill with a polishing bonnet work for that?


[Modified by Justin79-L-82, 12:07 AM 5/7/2002]

 

Justin; Acrylic enamel is not really meant to be compounded to shine. If applied properly it will have a pretty good shine on it's own. For lower spoilers it may look quite acceptable without polishing. I would not use a drill and pad to polish it, you will probably tear it up. If you are using a spray bomb try to apply it very evenly and fairly wet so you get a shiny and smooth finish. Good Luck , Craig

 

hhmm so no polishing on the spoilers.. well we'll see how it turns out without it...

 

I shot the paint about 10 hours ago.. it's dried kinda on the rough side.. is there anything i should be doing now?? like a light sand and polish? (can i use just a normal polish like turtle wax)? can anyone suggest how i can fix my paint problem


[Modified by Justin79-L-82, 2:06 AM 5/11/2002]

 

If it turned out on the rough side, you can sand away. Start with 1000 grit wet or dry sandpaper (use it wet) using a sanding block if you can. You don't have to press too hard, the paper will do the work. Make sure you keep fresh water flowing onto the surface as often as possible, and turn the paper frequently. After a few minutes, you should have a good idea of how well you are doing. Rinse the piece and dry it - you should be able to see the high and low spots easily (dull and shiny areas). If you find you have very few shiny areas left, move to a higher grit - 1500 or 2000. Go over the entire surface again. When you have a completely smooth, completely dull surface, you are ready to compound it. Apply the rubbing compound per the instructions (some say circular motion, some say back and forth). You should start to see the shine appearing. Once you have a nicely compounded surface, finish with polishing compound in the same manner. You will end up with a beautiful piece.

 

Good directions above!

All I'd add is if the surface is real rough and/or the paint fairly thick, you may need to start with 600, then 800, then 1000 or 1200, 1500 and 2000. Add a little dish soap to the bucket of water you kepp dipping the sandpaper into. And If for some reason you sand through the paint a little, finish smothing the whole spoiler, wash with soap and water, wipe it with a tack rag and spray some more color and do it all over again. Good luck!

Under no circumstances apply any wax to it for a least a week . . . should wait a month. :nono:

 

That's exactly what I was trying to describe. Did you find these and use them? Or how did you apply the paint?