clear coat cracking.......replace with enamel paint??

[rnch]

the factory clear coat paint on my '87 TC is starting to crack and peel off.

my intention is to sand off ALL the d***d clear coat, down to the base/color coat or below to the primer and paint the car with several (7, 8, 9) coats of acryllic enamel, then lightly sand with ultra-fine wet sandpaper and buff out the enamel to a smooth finish.

for a long lasting paint job, should ispray the entire car with primer or seal the entire car after sanding the clear coat off and before applying the acryllic enamel??? (i am going back with the factory color.) i don't want the new paint to crack or craze up in a year or so.......

[ May 30, 2004: Message edited by: rnch ]

[Jon90LSC]

If you are going through the trouble of painting the whole car, I would guess that you are planning on fixing whatever door dings and such. You can use a regular lacquer-based primer to cover the bodywork, and then come back with a good sealer and cover the entire car. Use 3 coats of an acrylic enamel paint, and it will look fine. I would caution against 7-9 coats of paint, or it will crack at the first rock chip, from being too thick. Spray the first coat lightly, ( I was taught for it to be thin enough to read a newspaper through, but just a nice tack coat), the second coat to cover, but not run, and the third coat to get the metallic where you want and get it smooth enough to flow out. That will be the key with the enamel, so you won't kill yourself rubbing it out. If you can keep the dirt down, just nibbing it may be fine. Depending on the color, I put the air pressure up on a metallic color to get the metallic up, and to keep it from tiger striping. Usually, I just spray every which way with a higher air pressure to get it not to stripe. The paint will flow slicker if there is a little extra material on the upper surfaces, such as the roof, hood and deck lid.

[rnch]

thanks for the excellent advice, jon! i have fixed a rust spot and painted a fender, but this will be my first entire car paint job.

i was planning on 7 or so coats so that i would have plenty of paint built up to sand and polish it with as my painting skills aren't the best in the world..... but perhaps i was going overboard on this number.

jon, you reccommend to "pot the air pressure up"....what air pressure number you reccommend setting the gun or compressor at?

also....do you recommend a gravity flow gun, with the canister on the top, or the usual gun, with the canister on the bottom? or does it make any difference?? harbor freight has a store here....i could drop some Big Bucks in that place!!!!!

[ May 31, 2004: Message edited by: rnch ]

[ May 31, 2004: Message edited by: rnch ]

[Jon90LSC]

When I actually had to work for a living, we just used a good siphon feed gun, with the can on the bottom. It seems like it needs to be ~35 psi, IIRC. When you raise the pressure, just bring it up 10 psi or so. This may not be the proper technique, but it has worked out Ok for me in the past. I was always watching to make sure I didn't run anything, and would tiger stripe in the process. If you are doing the last coat, and you are having problems with the stripes, that is whan you would need to boost the air pressure, and make the fan (spray pattern) as large as possible. Go ahead and lay down the final coat of paint, and see how it looks. If you don't like the color, up the air pressure and spread out the fan, than spray in all different directions. It will flow into the wet paint already on the car. I learned that trick from the old timers. ;)

I hope that made any sense at all. If you are unsure about how your spraying will be, buy some of the color of the car, and try it out on some old parts. I think you will be glad you did. BTW, what color is your car? If it is a solid color, you have nothing to worry about.

[rnch]

jon, what you have posted makes sense to me...perhaps we think alike!!

the color is ....well....hard to describe....a deep burgandy color, sorta like cordovan penny loafers, hahaha....have no idea what the factory name for it is.

this will be my first entire car paint job; so it will be a learning experience for me. well, gotta start somewhere!!!!

[Jon90LSC]

You will be fine. If you have any questions, we will try to help you out here. Just a little advice.... make sure the prep is right. that is 90% of your paint job right there. Take your time, and ask questions if you are not sure. Your paint jobber will be able to help you a lot here, also. Take off as much trim as possible. This will make for a better job, and you will not have to mask as much off. Seeing cars painted with the mirrors ans side trim on is one of my biggest peeves.

Note:- I asked my boss, who has been painting more years than I have been alive. He said on the acrylic enamel and a gravity fed gun, the air pressure will need to be about 50-60 psi, depending on the gun. When you bump the pressure, you will want it about 75-100 psi, depending on the pattern. Make the fan as large as possible, and keep it about 18"-24" above the surface. If it is starting to stripe, spray the opposite way the next time, like a cross hatch. Then boost the pressure if it does not come out. Holding the gun that far back will do two things: It will arrange the metallics, and evaporate some of the solvents, which lay down the flakes. Also, don't outline any of the panels. Just spray in a straight line.

The best teacher is experience, but in lieu of that, try to find a good book on painting at the library. It doesn't have to be custom painting or anything, just a good, basic book.

Another also, if you are going to go base/clear, then you will do just the opposite of what I hve outlined here. You will want to keep the pressure low, and use ight coats. The final flow will be in the clear.

With that all out of the way, get started!!

[rnch]

i am soured on base coat/clear coat paint jobs; have had 3 cars with peeling clear coats!!!! perhaps my memory is getty hazy (i am 51), but i don't recall so many peeling paint jobs in the 60's and 70's when the majority of cars had acryllic enamel paint jobs!!

the color i have picked out has ...some...metallic in it, not a whole lot. i will certainly follow your reccommendations to the letter!! hopefully the final coat will flow out enough that i won't suffer a heat stroke ultra fine sanding and milti stage buffing out the "stinkin' lincoln"! (my gf's not so pleasant nickna,e for my latest driveway project/obsession)

[Jon90LSC]

Does your car have a vinyl roof on it? If so, think of the area you've saved wet sanding and polishing on already. Now you can go have a beer!

If it doesn't have a roof, sorry..... :(

[rnch]

hahahaha.........it has a half vinyl top (a "carriage top", i believe the sales brochure called it)....perhaps a lite beer!!

the roof is always the hardest on my back to buff out!

[franco]

Just to add to what's been stated...

The gravity fed hvlp gun will also save you some money since it will use less paint. Just thought I'd mention that since you're buying red/burg paint which cost more than other colors.

Also be sure to use proper protective gear for respiratory and eyes, that stuff is guaranteed to shorten your life if you don't.

[ June 02, 2004: Message edited by: franco ]

[AceFrehley03]

Yeah, agreed. Wear grubby clothes, a respirator, not a cheap one, eye protection, gloves, some sort of cap if youre a freak about your hair, etc.

Be careful with that stuff, it shaves years off of your life like George W. Bush's wife shaves her butt.

[rnch]

yes indeed! i long time ago learned the importance of proper protective gear.

i plan on using 4 parts acryllic enamel to 1 part acryllic enamel reducer and also some hardener....will 1 gallon of paint be enough for 3 or 4 coats of paint over the entire car?

i have fixed rust spots and parking lots dents before, spoted painted a door or fender before, but this will be my first entire car paint job.

[Vince]

I was hoping to paint my M7 with 2 gallons total. I was going to use 1 gallon paint, 1/2 gallon hardener, and 1/2 gallon reducer. I will also keep some reducer handy just in case it seems to thick. I like to paint in light coats with metallic. If it is too thick the flakes stand up and can be difficult to buff out. Let us know how yours comes out.