Paint and body questions go here..

[Goatman]

Any questions about paint and body mods or restoration questions ask here I have over 30 years doing paint and body with just about everything with wheels..
Thanks! Goatman

 

[vette6856]

Goatman, Hello, I am new here and I am looking for some information on how to best repair a front bumper on a 71 Firebird forumla 400. The bumper I have is cracked pretty badly and I want to repair it so the cracks do not return when I repaint it.

I have to think there is some sort of filler available that will do the job but don't know where to start looking. Can you give me some advise?

Please respond to my E-mail address at sldaron@verizon.net. Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.

Steve

 

[Goatman]

PM sent..

 

[maritimesbob]

Hello,

I have several years experience in detailing including wet sanding and buffing. I have removed some rust from the hood of my Sunfire using a wire wheel on a die grinder. All the rust has been removed and then gave it an acid treatment.

After cleaning up the area, I used bondo to fill in the imperfections, sanded down and smoothed her up. I gave the area several coats of black primer (my base is a dark blue) I figured this a closer match to the base.

I have little experience in painting and have no equipment or the funds to take it to a bodyshop. My local autoparts company can mix a good lacquer paint, I have used their paints before on an old Cirrus bumper.

I decided to use the spray bomb, but after shaking the can for a good couple of minutes I was getting constant splattering and it made a mess of course, in fact it looks awful. I`m going to have to sand it down and try again. Yesterday I went and purchased one of those trigger kits for spray bombs as my finger got really sore!

To avoid this splatter issue again, do you think the paint was not agitated enough? I tried another can and had the splatter issue again. Someone at work said I probably had not agitated the can enough.

I know spray bombs are not the ideal solution, but I cannot afford 500-900 that the shops around here would charge. I can wet sand and buff the hood after to help a little with the blend and shine. I was also told you can get different nozzles for the spray bombs which I wasn`t aware of.

What type of nozzle would you recommend for this, a wide one?
How long should I wait before I can wet sand and buff the spray bomb (lacquer)?
The spray bombs usually have a clear coat in the mix, should I still apply a separate clear?

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[melsg5]

I would think since the local store is proficient enough to have paint matching equipment and knows exactly what paint they are selling you, they should be able to answer your questions. Have your tried asking them? Typically a spray bomb is used for small areas but it sounds like you are doing a much larger spot.

 

[Goatman]

Hello,

I have several years experience in detailing including wet sanding and buffing. I have removed some rust from the hood of my Sunfire using a wire wheel on a die grinder. All the rust has been removed and then gave it an acid treatment.

After cleaning up the area, I used bondo to fill in the imperfections, sanded down and smoothed her up. I gave the area several coats of black primer (my base is a dark blue) I figured this a closer match to the base.

I have little experience in painting and have no equipment or the funds to take it to a bodyshop. My local autoparts company can mix a good lacquer paint, I have used their paints before on an old Cirrus bumper.

I decided to use the spray bomb, but after shaking the can for a good couple of minutes I was getting constant splattering and it made a mess of course, in fact it looks awful. I`m going to have to sand it down and try again. Yesterday I went and purchased one of those trigger kits for spray bombs as my finger got really sore!

To avoid this splatter issue again, do you think the paint was not agitated enough? I tried another can and had the splatter issue again. Someone at work said I probably had not agitated the can enough.

I know spray bombs are not the ideal solution, but I cannot afford 500-900 that the shops around here would charge. I can wet sand and buff the hood after to help a little with the blend and shine. I was also told you can get different nozzles for the spray bombs which I wasn`t aware of.

What type of nozzle would you recommend for this, a wide one?
How long should I wait before I can wet sand and buff the spray bomb (lacquer)?
The spray bombs usually have a clear coat in the mix, should I still apply a separate clear?

the issue you have is a spray can cannot provide enough pressure to properly apply the paint ..there is just NO way to get a decent job from a spray bomb ...
not even with multiple coats there is just not going to be enough paint applied to allow you to even try to buff it ..as the mils will still be alot less than a full paint job applied with a proper spray set up ..there is a reason the spray bombs are not recomended for anything but small spot repairs ..

 

[maritimesbob]

Yeah makes sense when you see how little paint mix is in one of those cans! Thanks for the info. I purchased a gravity fed gun this afternoon as they were on sale at the local hardware store. Going to get some practice using it before taking on the hood, a guy at work has previous bodyshop experience he`s going to help me out.

 

[Pyre]

I have a 1984 Pontiac Parisienne (base model) 4 door sedan. I would like to get the body cleaned up on and get the rust off / stop the rust from returning. This car is is basically my learning car for when I get my hands on something a little more deserving of my time and money. This is a daily driver and resides in the frozen state of Minnesota, USA

A large majority of it is minor or surface rust. There are a few panels where the rust looks to have eaten through the panels. The Trunk area of the rear quarter pannels are going to have to be cut and replaced with donor or new metal. I dont see saving them any other way.

What is my best solution for removing the surface rust? Grinding, wire wheel, etc. What is my best solution for removing the rust pockets that I think are through the panel but are smaller than 3 inch diameter? Will bondo fill these or do I need to weld in metal?

I am on a pretty tight financial budget so want to try to do as much as I can myself.

Also can you recomend a decent spray can primer until I can get the money togeather to actually get it painted propperly? Any suggestions to stop the rust from returning?
It was suggested that I use spray on undercoating or roll on bed liner for the backs of the pannels when they get cleaned up for preventive mainence. Your thoughts on this?

I can provide pictures of damage if required for better answer.

This will be my first venture into body work / painting & restoration. I am a somewhat mechanically inclinded and willing to learn as I go. Any help you can provide will be helpful.

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[rellik01]

painting my wheels

I was wondering what brand would you recommend for me to paint my wheels with...DupiColor or Rustoleum?...I have heard both positives and negatives about both the brands and am just kind of split on which kind to paint them with...

 

[melsg5]

In my case I used Rustoleum because of the better match. The main thing in any painting project is the preparation. A light sanding with very fine paper and degreasing are very important.

 

[the-talon-man]

painting a 72 grand prix

i recently have started working on my grand prix and i have to paint my car at some point and i was wondering if you could tell me about how much paint would i need to buy to paint my car?

 

[melsg5]

I believe the autobody supply store would be the best place to answer that question.

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[the-talon-man]

re.

thank you for your help

 

[92 Sunbird LE]

Long lasting wax for enamel

Painted a hood with Enamel ( PPG Omni ) use Mequiers cleaner wax on the whole vehicle but wax does not last a month on the hood .

Rest of vehicle beads of nice . ( basecoat /clear coat)

I heard Nu Finish lasts but has hazing/ clouding issues that dont come out.

Vehicle is in the sun most of the day. ( its my truck)

Doug in P.R.

 

[92 Sunbird LE]

Going to try Turtle Wax Ice, great reviews on long lasting , cant afford the real good stuff , Collinite.

Doug in P.R.

 

[Predator68]

any good painters in or near Sioux City, iowa? I need someone to paint my 68 bird! any help would be appreciated

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[melsg5]

contact local car clubs, they should point you in the right direction