.......and it would look like this: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sprayed base coat and clears this weekend. A few pics of the progress. Very slight orange peel, not really even orange peel (what is another fruit with a very minor smooth texture - perhaps mango??). Once cured I will get some 2000 on it to get to the mirror gloss level. Anyway, it is definitely red! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ok, looks great! I am a painting novice, and its been years since I painted any car parts... Seems like in the past, it was mostly: 1) Sand or sandblast to metal 2) Primer (epoxy), couple of layers...sand to desired finish 3) Skim coat with filler 4) Primer again 5) Base 6) Clear What exactly does the "sealer" stage do? What exactly does a primer "surfacer" do? Seems like since I last painted about 6 more new steps/products have arrived... Can someone explain to me in laymens terms how important these are, or aren't??? For example, if you have a bumper with some stone chips...can't you just spot sandblast/fill/epoxy prime the local area/sand/base/clear??? Do the new paints really require all of these steps??? I was going to reshoot some panels on my 914. Paint guy basically sold me the ppg epoxy primer, and a 1 stage paint (adequate for a 914 ). I was going to sand down the existing paint, fill in any small chips scratches, prime, sand, paint, wet sand... Am I over simplifying? Don't want to hijack the thread, but you were giving some nice input on painting technique, and would appreciate the input...
The sealer is critical between the older paint sytems and the new, it prevents chemicals migration between the two...that's the cause of the hazing 'alligator cracks' you see in older resprays.. The other is a high build primer, basically........
There are many great books on painting at your local book store that will answer all your paint questions.
Just a couple things regarding the painting issues. First of all the other guys are right there are a lot of good books out there on painting. And in my case I read all I could, and then took a class (very hands on with your own little project) through a community college and learned a ton, and then there is the good ole - just start doing it and you will learn even more! The nice things about the current paint process is you can fix about anything you screw up without a major redo. Also, I would reference a site called www.autobody101.com which has a forum on practically every painting question you could imagine. Good reference, real world stuff. Anyway, the new paints are a bit labor intensive but you can skip the sealer for example if you wanted to, and go directly over the primer surfacer. You just risk some of the old paint or old surface issues creeping up on you again. If the substrate was very good, probably not an issue. I just didn't want to put this much work in to find out I have to do it again because I wanted to save a bit of time and money (not a lot). Also, the primer surfacer is just a primer that is sandable and you can use it to really achieve a nice smooth surface. Think of it as a micro filler if you will. Again the more time and effort here will pay off. Necessary - again only to the extent that you desire. But like most things - lots of effort generally results in a better product. Lastly, read your tech sheets on your product. They are the bible, and are free at any jobber and generally online. Anyway, too much babble, it is hot here again, waiting for another cool window to move to the car proper and get a lot of red going!
+1 but can't help adding that I have seen Grigio Argento (a light gunmetal) on a 308 which looks absolutely stunning...
Nothing too exciting, but I did get the rest of the car sprayed with sealer finally. Hope to do base and clear this weekend if weather cooperates at all. Then on to sanding clear for any nibs, and peel, compound, and polish. I know every curve of a 308 pretty well at this point, and still a lot to go... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
It's looking good! Wanna do mine next? Seriously though, how do like that scissor lift? I've been thinking of getting one instead of a 4 post due to the low overhead of my garage. On the other hand a four post isn't much more money and I think would be better for working on the car. I just wouldn't be able to raise it all the way up. Either way it will probably be next year before I decide, just wondered about your experience.
I really like the scissor lift. The only down side I guess compared to the post types is an ability to drive under. But for working on a car it is perfect. It goes high enough that I can sit on a roller type chair and scoot around underneath with just a push of a button adjust it up and down to get at whatever level you need. I would think the posts would be in the way a lot of the time as well as the long drive planks. For me, I didn't need the storage space as much as I needed a mechanics lift with great access. When I paint I lower the thing to floor level to get the flat top areas and then go mid to do the sides and lift all the way up to get the lower doors/ wheel arches , etc. Pretty nice.... By the way, I would love to do yours next, but it seems to take me about a year to do one of these right.....and my day job is still paying better at this point. I actually own a small restoration company as a sideline (trying to be careful to not advertise here) but I just work on my own projects and sell a few things here and there, or do small piece work that is quick in and out, to help buy me some new Rossa Corsa paint! So, send me a fender at a time and in say 5 years you will have a new car!
Just a pic of the final color. Cleared late last night and not in a very good setting to take a nice photo. Will try to post a few more when I get my shop cleaned up a bit. Photo doesn't really do it justice - looks almost orange in foreground. But a very nice rich red - (as you all know). Now on to a bit of color sanding and buff and polish. But will let clear stand for a few days first. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Looks like a good 'flow' to me! Nice! You could put your info into your profile, no one will call that "advertising'! LOL!
Thanks for the info on the lift. 5 years to repaint? Well that's only a little more than twice what it's taken me to do the interior! I almost broke down and one point and started pulling the motor and stripping the paint. Then I looked at Paul Newman's thread and decided the paint looked good enough for now! Keep the pics coming, it's fun watching the progress!!
Looking FANTASTIC !!! Hope you get all the enjoyment you are wishing and hoping for. Make sure if you sell after the restore you start asking 150
It did flow pretty nice, thanks for noticing. A few little bobbles here and there, but very fixable in the colorsand,compound, and polish. And, oh yeah, my profile....I need to get to that someday when I'm not feeling up my Ferrari for the 1000th time. I bought a new digital camera and hopefully next week I will get some better pics. The car is currently all dulled up with my 1500 and 2000 colorsand. Looks like I won't have to add any clear though. Won't be photogenic again until compounding and polish is done. I'm using 3m's "Perfect It" and the new 3000 series swirl remover. Trial on the spoiler looks pretty spiffy, hoping for same result on the rest of the car.
Thanks for the great pics and write-ups, always nice to see people working on their cars, gives the rest of us something to look forward too if we ever redo our cars.
"Finesse It II" or the other one they have???? I have used them almost interchangably over the years and they have changed the part number....I need to check.....
Great stuff for parking lot dings...as I tell Valeria all the time "If this doesn't buff it out, you have a scratch!"
Actually the front face of the lower spoiler should be Spray Shurtz like the lower doors and rear 1/4 panels but a lot of folks have sanded it smooth.......you still have it on the lower door rails and behind rear wheels, to deter rock chipping????
I will take a pic and post the products I am using. I can't remember the exact 3M name - there are a lot of them, hard to keep track of. And of course there are hourdes of competing products in this category - Meguiars, etc... Not sure which is the best, but I have some previous experience with some of the 3m stuff with good results.
I like it smoooooooth. Understand the protection you get otherwise, but the smooth is actually easier to fix also (at least for me).
3m is real painter supply material........Meguiar's is just a polish, man......LOL! Agree about smotth I just wanted to share what was OEM on my cars.........although none of them is typical on the front lower valence! #20405 has shallow profile 'glass lower #22127 has shallow profile 'glass lower with intergral pipe nerf bar thru it to the frame rails #22641 has shallow profile 'steel lower consisting of three pieces, center, LH and RH ends! So there ya go! Two of them have the spray shurtz about halfway up the part, and I have found evidence #20405 had a little mishap at some point of life.....
