Looking for guidance on how to handle the following:
All the horizontal surface paint was spider webbed, pin holed or badly scratched. I removed all the paint by razor blade. Caused a few gouges.

What is the best way to smooth out the gouges?

Glazing putty or filler? Expoxy type?

The vertical surfaces all appear to be sound, can I get away with sanding them with 220 and 600 or should I remove all the paint?

I am not a professional so am getting it basically ready before it goes to the paint shop, just trying to keep the cost reasonable by me doing the grunt work.

Any input greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Mike 1969 Convertible.

 

99 out of 100 will tell you to remove all the old paint...
But you can do an overpaint if that's all your budget allows.

 

Putty will be fine provided the gouges are not Grand Canyon deep. If you got too carried away, you may need a little filler.

 

Remove old paint. Your description of paint condition indicates it should be removed. I was spray a high fill primer/surfacer such as Featherfill on the bare glass and then smooth out from there. Then epoxy primer (DP 40, etc), as a primer/sealer, and then good Base coat/Clear coat.

Have fun. Ralph

 

Hope this helped, I am stopping here because I know there can be hours of typing for me to inform you on issues that you need to be aware of...or modification you can easily do to prevent a "problem" when you go and re-assemble the car. PM me if you want to hear about them and I can give you my phone number and you can call me.

DUB

 

Like you, I used a razor to remove most of the old paint.


Then, carefully used a DA to get it to this point.



The primer I used had a recipe for sealer that was basically adding thinner to the primer mix to allow it to penetrate into smaller cracks. (I am not a paint guy)

So sealed it.


Then filled visible gouges with a smooth glaze "icing". Then started to prime, guide coat, sand , repeat...



Ultimately, I had to make a choice, do I want perfect or finished? I knew it would never be perfect. However, if I aimed for perfect I stood a good chance of having good results.

I would recommend lining up your paint supply house and your painter and talking with both of them on these details also.

 

John365,

***JUST MY OPINION****
I do commend you on taking the initiative to do the work yourself. Really I do. I really hope when you get it done that you are happy with it and that all of your hard work and time pays off.

All I am doing here is clarifying some things in your post....because I know you wrote ("I am not a paint guy"). And I do not want "others" who may look and see what you have done "feel" that this is what they need to do to get it done for themselves.

I KNOW that you put a lot of time and hard work into your car...only because I do it for a living.

Photo 1: Right on! Very good and yeah...sometimes the paint comes off like we all hope it would with just a razor blade. Looks like you had an aftermarket L-88 hood on it in this photo.

Photo 2: Using a D/A sander is all well in good...if you are CAREFUL as you wrote. For some people...this can be the worst thing they can use. All I can write it that I prefer to remove all the paint and get down to a bare panel. Leaving factory material behind can often times come back and show up in time when sprayed materials settle. Leaving factory primer, paint and clear on newer Corvettes is one thing...but on the older Corvettes is something that I always remove. I can only assume that you were done sanding and had it taped off for priming when this photo was taken.

Using a primer/sealer to fill in smaller cracks...as you wrote...is something that I can not do. It can and usually will result in resurfacing and ruin a paint job.

Photo 3: I do not apply any type of filler on any sprayed product. I know it is done each and every day...and a long time ago...I would do it. But I also got "bit" by doing this due to the primer, sealer I was using at the time seemed "cured" but was not... and in time...the small areas re-surfaced and I could see where I applied the glazing putty. I do all my repair work and filling on the bare body before anything is sprayed.

Also...I would recommend to anyone with this era of Corvette that they should remove the back glass and re-install it when completed. The main reason is basically deals in prepping the edges well and this area is really hard to mask off and look good when completed. If that is even a concern. For my customers it is. And trying to remove the back glass and doing it after it was painted...you can run into paint chipping due to prep and the ability of the materials to bond and adhere correctly.

Photo 4: I would recommend to anyone to always remove the bumper covers and leave them off and after painting...re-install them at that time. Primer, paint and clear "bridging" can occur and also come back and delaminate and peel off at the seam.

DUB

 

Listen to DUB.

Anybody who does this work for a living works unbelievably hard and should be considered a cross between an artist and an engineer. I appreciate the clarification. I sure didn't intend to misguide.

I am happy with my results but worked very hard for them. I was quoted $9k-$12k for a color change. I worked for every dollar I saved. HARD work.

 

Thanks to all who responded. I will use info from each answer as reqd.
Thanks! Mike

 

Not to hi jack but I got a question for Dub, I am planning on repainting my 75. After I paint my 2 mustangs to get some more experience. I have some spider cracks in the body. Around the front bumper and on the rear window area. After it's all stripped I'll be able to see exactly the damage bit should I plan on laying down some new fiberglass?

 

John365,

I did not want to come off as you purposely "intending to misguide" people with your post. I never intended it to come off that way if I did.

I am HONESTLY GLAD that you took the time and worked on it yourself...really---I MEAN IT. Regardless of saving $$$$$...it was not a "picnic" by a long shot.

I actually enjoy guys and gals who do the work themselves...regardless if it is what I do for a living...and it could actually be considered a "conflict in interest" for me to help people do it themselves and actually reduce the chance to do work for them....not writing that I am soliciting for any work...I AM NOT!!!!!

If you LOVE IT...then that is all that matters....and knowing you DID IT...I know how that feels. The sense of accomplishment can be overwhelming at times.....don't you agree.

DUB

 

We can cross that bridge when you get to it.

Before you start on it...after getting the other cars completed...PM me or post it here in the "paint and body" section.

Where the stress/spider cracks are located will often times determine how they get repaired. Not all stress/spider cracks has to be laminated.

Photo's taken before you strip paint will be required.

DUB

 

I have gotten every single spot of paint off and where damaged , taken it down to the glass thru the gelcoats. Thus I repaired the fiberglass with fiberglass/resin and sand, then alot of hand sanding with contour sponges, use a DA on truly flat areas, then I sprayed the gelcoat, checked it for issues! Smooth those, and retouch gelcoat. Then I went with a high build primer and hand sanded the hell out of that, reprimered in areas, then another layer of primer wet sanding on that but try to keep a consistent color on the entire car. If I go too far, I keep primering till the base is there to lay the paint on first in a fog coating, building coats!

I have done less on my metal cars using all of the smoothing putties and such, but I went expoxy 2 part primers over the metal, then sandwich the putty smoothing coats on top of that primer layer, block sand the hell out of it, then I overlay all of the body smoothing putty layer with another expoxy primer coating, thus sandwiching all body putty between primer expoxy coats. Thus no body filler on metal!!!!!!!! Then same hand sand out to a consistent sanded primer coating and then spray on the color!

Hating every minute of it!

Maybe I am missing something?

 

A great write up...but you lost me at the end.

"Maybe I am missing something?" is what you wrote but I do not get what you feel you are missing.

I actually agree with ALL of what you wrote. No one bit of advice because that IS the way it should be done...on both metal cars and fiberglass cars...in my opinion.

Please clarify what it is that you feel your missing???

DUB

 

I have always thought fiberglass and GELCOAT go hand and hand!!!! Thus I was surprised that guys aren't using the gelcoat was all! My 1965 El Camino being metal was the last car I worked on, and I had some new products recommended that I tried for the first time and liked, but I was surprised that Corvette's were getting prepped without using it (Gelcoat was all)!

 

I am with Dub. The mans advice is sound. I have lurked in the body and paint section and he really goes out of his way to help people on this forum. And knows his stuff.
How would I know? I have been in the same business myself since 79.

 

YEAH...I know how you feel. But the one thing when it comes to paint and body work...you can get 100 different ways of doing something from 100 different people.

People will often "chime-in" with the bad things that gelcoat caused when they used it. And I often times usually count on product failure, improper mixing and application and prep is what caused a gelcoat issue. And not so much that the use of gelcoat was the problem. This also holds true to the "other" products people use in place of gelcoat on a fiberglass bodied Corvette...they can also fail if proper procedures of mixing, application and prep are not followed. When it comes to having to buy a special gun to shoot the gelcoat...this is where you hear the brakes squeal. "They" are usually looking at all costs and then faced the extra time and effort and what-have-you...along with other people writing that they had good results doing it WITHOUT gelcoat...this is when you read what you have read.

I just pass along my experiences and let those who read this and other information make a decision.

HONESTLY...it is much like how you do a metal car...like how you wrote it in you post. By sandwiching the filler in between primers and thus making it so no filler touches bare steel. That is the RIGHT WAY...but I can guarantee that 99% of people doing it...do not do it that way. I do it that way....because I have seen cars when I grind down the filler or get it to "pop-off" do to improper adhesion and or prep....the metal under the filler has small rust spots in it. All I can do is shake my head and scream out " F-ing IDIOTS".

I am TRULY GLAD that you posted what you did. I know very few guys out there that do it the RIGHT WAY....and YOU are another one I have had the pleasure in communicating with....who can get added to this very short list.

DUB

 

Photo 3: I do not apply any type of filler on any sprayed product. I know it is done each and every day...and a long time ago...I would do it. But I also got "bit" by doing this due to the primer, sealer I was using at the time seemed "cured" but was not... and in time...the small areas re-surfaced and I could see where I applied the glazing putty. I do all my repair work and filling on the bare body before anything is sprayed.


HONESTLY...it is much like how you do a metal car...like how you wrote it in you post. By sandwiching the filler in between primers and thus making it so no filler touches bare steel. That is the RIGHT WAY...but I can guarantee that 99% of people doing it...do not do it that way. I do it that way....because I have seen cars when I grind down the filler or get it to "pop-off" do to improper adhesion and or prep....the metal under the filler has small rust spots in it. All I can do is shake my head and scream out " F-ing IDIOTS".


DUB, these statements seem to contradict each other. Can you clarify that for me?

 

I was confused when I read that I should not do any work to the bare material? Does this only apply to metal? Which would be the right way. Please clarify DUB

EDIT: I forgot to ask. In your first post, you said 3 coats of the polyester primer will cover the 180 grit sand scratches, correct? Does that mean to just block sand the gel coat with 180 grit, spray the polyester primer (3 coats), then spray BC/CC? With no sanding on the polyester primer?

 

On a fiberglass car, you would want the heavy fillers and repair materials on the bare glass and I prefer fiberglass and gelcoat. But will try these new materials on one of my old surfboards or something! I have a few crunched corvette panels also laying around.

But the light putty blocking materials and such I would spread over the primers on both body types Glass and metal and then block it out and then remove the sanding dust and respray sandwiching that light weight non-structural material with primer.