Car Painters, I Need Your Expertise

[svtfocus2cobra]

Wow, you guys do some good work. How was the first paint job you ever did? Any mistakes to avoid?

Make sure you take into consideration the high temperatures outside right now if you are doing it in the next few days or weeks. Temperature plays a huge part and if I remember right you want the booth temp to be around 70 degrees? Someone can correct me of I'm wrong, it's been a while since I was around this stuff. I've put down base coats with success but never got to the point where I was proficient with clear coat and could do it without really messing up. I just know that when you work with a metallic flake you also want to make sure you are laying the flake down at the same angle uniformly across the body. This is especially important when painting with silver metallics

 

[lOOKnGO]

I know enough to look for projects that don't need much metal work. My son on the other hand is all in with his 78 250. I just supervise and advise, but he's done all this. Notice the imitation spot welds. 15 yo.

Sent from my SM-S506DL using the svtperformance.com mobile app

 

[wizbangdoodle]

Damn, that boy is all in. Good for him.

 

[SecondhandSnake]

Some of you guys mention good points that you don't even think of after awhile because they become second nature- i.e. the tack coat, following body lines, overlap

The couple pointers I'll give-
1.) Cleanliness is next to godliness. When it comes to your vehicle, tools, and air supply, you can't be too clean.
2.) Learn what different flaws look like and how to fix them. Fisheyes, milky haze, solvent pop, mottling, orange peel, etc... It's a whole lot easier to catch an issue with that first little spray than to do the whole car and go "oh shit."
3.) For supplies I personally like to find a good local supply house and stick with that. Note: even some NAPAs have a good paint supply setup. Not that I don't like Eastwood or other places- I use Eastwood products all the time. But you're way better off having a place you can run to if you need just a little more product rather than wait days for shipping. And you can talk to them and get to know the finer points of the product line. Not every product mixes the same or has the same temperature ranges. They can tell you every subtle little nuance, even ones that aren't printed in the manual. They will probably know a little more of the art side of things.
4.) More of a subsection to 3, but pick one product line and stick to that. Some guys mix and match what they like, but that's after a whole lot of testing. Sticking to one line lets you know they're compatible and prevents a lot of potential headaches.

 

[Black Gold 380R]

I sure am glad I started this thread. I'll be avoiding a lot of mistakes that otherwise I would have made.

How many of you have had to do patch panels and cut out rust?

I had to cut out a lot of metal on my 65. Not because of rust or patch panels, but because I wanted to remove the shock towers and convert to a Mustang II suspension. I wanted a cleaner engine bay and more room around the engine itself.

This was a ton of work. I took measurements and wrote everything down. I bought a laser level to make sure everything matched and lined up. I made sure everything was to spec when I put it back together. Before I painted it I installed my fenders and hood to make sure everything lined up and fit as it should. Needless to say that when it did I was VERY happy LOL.

I had never done this much metal work before, but took my time and learned as I moved forward. Welding is a GREAT skill to have and I'm glad I took the bull by the horns, so to speak. I'm also glad I did this myself instead of paying someone. I saved a ton of money and with the money I saved I was able to buy some tools that can help me with future projects or use on a daily basis (i.e. my compressor). I use my compressor all the time. It's great having air in your garage for tires, air tools, blowing off dust, blowing out your interior, all kinds of uses.

AND most of all when I'm asked who did this??? I can honestly say I did it ...

Where I started

Shock towers being cut out.

Removal of inner fender aprons to make room for Mustang II panels.

All metal replaced. Cross member and front frame rail support installed. Firewall smoothed out. Frame rails smoothed out as well. Any holes I didn't need or want got patched/filled in.

Engine bay body worked.

Engine bay paint completed.

Outside of Engine bay complete with color matched Raptor liner and additional bracing. The tube coming off the support bar is where my wiring goes through. The plate hanging off the tube is where I mounted my horns. I wanted everything hidden as much as possible.

Completed project. Took me 2 years from start to finish.

 

[floodstang]

It's amazing how much room is under the hood of an early Mustang with the shock towers out of the way!

 

[wizbangdoodle]

That was an awesome project. I've followed it on and off on svtp. Gorgeous!

 

[wizbangdoodle]

My newly acquired project has some paint issues.

Some dinkus repainted the white part of this two tone paint. He didn't bother to remove, or even mask off the chrome trim. So the question is, how do I remove paint from the chrome trim pieces. Scotch Brite? Acetone? Buy new?

 

[03cobra#694]

Should come off easy with some type of thinner/reducer if it wasn't sanded. Careful of the surrounding paint.

 

[svtfocus2cobra]

Should come off easy with some type of thinner/reducer if it wasn't sanded. Careful of the surrounding paint.

I've never had any issues with using thinner on a cured clearcoat and our painters always said it was fine. You would think it could remove it but I've always used it to remove unwanted things things on the paint and then just dilute and white it off with water. It works wonders on cleaning.

 

[03cobra#694]

I've never had any issues with using thinner on a cured clearcoat and our painters always said it was fine. You would think it could remove it but I've always used it to remove unwanted things things on the paint and then just dilute and white it off with water. It works wonders on cleaning.

I agree, but who knows what was done to the vehicle. I think he might be talking about that old truck he just got.

 

[Black Gold 380R]

That was an awesome project. I've followed it on and off on svtp. Gorgeous!

Thank you Wizbang.... I had no idea you knew about my build and followed it from time to time. VERY cool. Much appreciated brother!!!

 

[wizbangdoodle]

I agree, but who knows what was done to the vehicle. I think he might be talking about that old truck he just got.

Yes, it's the '73 SCS F350 I just got. Notice the wheel wells trim and the badges. How someone can be so lazy is beyond me.

 

[03cobra#694]

How someone can be so lazy is beyond me.

I know, but stupid is running rampant anymore.

 

[svtfocus2cobra]

I agree, but who knows what was done to the vehicle. I think he might be talking about that old truck he just got.

Good point.

 

[svtfocus2cobra]

Yes, it's the '73 SCS F350 I just got. Notice the wheel wells trim and the badges. How someone can be so lazy is beyond me.

Yeah, don't use thinner on that paint to do what I said lol.

 

[wizbangdoodle]

I'll be removing the trim anyway. This whole truck needs a respray.

 

[svtfocus2cobra]

I'll be removing the trim anyway. This whole truck needs a respray.

That's gonna be a sweet truck worth a pretty penny when you are done. What are your plans with it?

 

[wizbangdoodle]

That's gonna be a sweet truck worth a pretty penny when you are done. What are your plans with it?

Not really sure at this point, I just knew that I liked it. It's an F-350 Camper Special and I have reason to believe it's a Super Camper Special. I bought it from an old guy that bought it back in 1975. He wasn't positive he was 2nd owner, but I'm assuming I'm just the 3rd owner.

The engine has a miss in it, so I'm trying to track that down. Did a compression test and all cylinders were between 135 and 145 psi, so the engine is healthy. Carb is a 2100 and I may go through it for good measure and someone put a Pertronix ignition in it, so I need to verify that it's working right. The sad thing is, I gave away my timing light and old school stuff like that years ago. So now I'm on the lookout for a high quality timing light.

I think I may just throw a paint job on it and freshen the engine compartment and then sell it.

 

[svtfocus2cobra]

Not really sure at this point, I just knew that I liked it. It's an F-350 Camper Special and I have reason to believe it's a Super Camper Special. I bought it from an old guy that bought it back in 1975. He wasn't positive he was 2nd owner, but I'm assuming I'm just the 3rd owner.

The engine has a miss in it, so I'm trying to track that down. Did a compression test and all cylinders were between 135 and 145 psi, so the engine is healthy. Carb is a 2100 and I may go through it for good measure and someone put a Pertronix ignition in it, so I need to verify that it's working right. The sad thing is, I gave away my timing light and old school stuff like that years ago. So now I'm on the lookout for a high quality timing light.

I think I may just throw a paint job on it and freshen the engine compartment and then sell it.

I was gonna say, just a small lift and some wheels and tires with the paint can get you $40-50k offers. A friend of mine has one that we restored and painted and he couldn't go to the store without someone wanting to buy it. He was getting good offers for it.