# Need Paint Restoration 101



## Mcantw (Sep 7, 2008)

I'm waiting for the summer to roll on in and then I plan to personally re-paint the clone. I am retiring from the navy and was a boatswain's mate and know a little on preservaration and paint guns but I've never attempted to do a car. I intend on taking the paint down to bare metal and re-paint either a metallic verdoro green (car paint code is Q) or a solar/matador red (maybe matallic ?) the present color. The previous paint job looks good but the details suck with flaking in the hard spots/edges and I've tried to match the paint with no luck so I have no clue what was used the last time and I'm fairly sure it was done without concern. Any guidance from sanding to primers to top coats to include prefer guns (I own a Graco spray rig) and recommended dealers to buy paints and supplies would be SUPER appreciated. Mike


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

I painted my car myself in the garage. I picked up the paint, sanders, supplies from NAPA. When it was time to paint I used some huge rolls of paper to cover the garage walls, opened the big door just a bit and put box fans on each side blowing out, covered the center of the big door with the paper, covered a window on the opposite side with a couple of furnace filters, wetted the floor down with about 20 gals of water to keep the dust down, and went to town.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

I would not take it down to bare metal. I've done it twice on different cars, and even wit metal prep etch, a fast prime, and no moisture, I got rust back through the paint in 6 to 10 years. My take is, if it isn't rusty, it's not going to rust...that factory primer is tough, and put there to stay. That being said, it is a hell of a lot of work to strip the paint off and leave mostly primer, but, if you use longboards and blocks, and block as you go, it will really be straight and ripple free. Also, practive painting on sheets of hanging newsprint. I had an instructor (and pro) tell me that's how he se up his gun: too sparse/bumpy, too far away or too l ittle flow, runs, too close, too slow a pass or too much paint, etc. When you can do a pass on the newsprint and have it cover pretty well but NOT run, you're there. Also, I prefer single stage paints with no clear, as these cars had when new. I can not stand the Barrett Jackson, over-restored "glazed ham" look. These cars never looked like that. Single stage jobs are easy to color sand to get a perfect finish, and you don't have a clearcoat to peel like an orange, which they all seem to do. I painted my '67 in 1993 like Rukee did, and it stll shines. I had a friend spend a lot of money on a base/clear paintjob, and it was not good: there was no way to color sand the orange peel that was underneath the clearcoat. The car looked like crepe paper. Just my opinion, and I am NO expert on painting!!!


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## noluck (Aug 13, 2008)

heres an "old school" way that ive used on my 40 ford cp. and a friends 66 gto.i used a razor blade scraper like they use for windshield sticker removal, get it bent at the right angle with a new blade and you can strip off the paint in long sheets and leave the factory primer on, the tight spot and any nicks in the primer can be sanded smooth. after the car is striped and sanded i coated it all in epoxy primer"ppg dp90". any body filler can be put on over that then prime with a primer surfacer to block sand. any metalic paint should be appliedwith the car together or the parts positioned like they are attached to the car or you can get different shades. you can get away with painting the parts separately if its not a metalic paint but if it is paint them all at the same time. lastly not sure if a graco house painting rig would atomize automotive paint satisfactorily. id experiment first. hope this helps.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Good advice, No Luck. I had a friend who's metallic blue '65 was painted disassembled, and when together, it looked like several different shades. Too bad, 'cuz the paint job finish was excellent. It has to do with the way the flakes lay when sprayed. I love the razor idea, and next time I paint one, I'm gonna try it. Thanks


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## noluck (Aug 13, 2008)

once you get the hang of how to get the angle right with the razor the paint comes off pretty fast, lac. paint comes off in more a powder and enamel in sheets. it works when you have more time than money to have media blasting done.


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

I've painted over 20 cars and know getting a show quality paint job is really hard. Ask the guy at the show with the nice paint who painted it, and go to that guy. Body work is way harder than painting if you want it laser straight.


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

I agree with jetstang the body work is the hard part about painting-if you have more time than $ go for it but find someone with some experience to help/guide you. Taking the car down to bare metal is a LARGE job- all trim off, all weather stripping off,remove doors, trunk, hood, front fenders etc,etc. 
The Graco gun will not work for automotive paint- you need a HVLP(high volume low pressure) unit with interchangeable tips and needles- you have to use a primer tip/needle for priming and a finish tip/needle for the base/clear.
Auto paint is also VERY spendy- you really cant just go out and buy a gallon or 2 to practice with- that red paint is $155 a gallon for Restoration Shop brand paint and if you use PPG its $391 per gallon- not to mention reducers,activators, and solvents-
I am not trying to talk you out of doing it but do some research and make sure you are not biting off more than you can chew because it will cost you WAY more money to get half way into it and realize your over your head than just removing all the parts yourself and giving the job to a paint shop.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

I used a razor blade to remove my paint as well. Worked well. Pics in my sig.


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## topfuel67 (Dec 23, 2008)

Don't remove any paint that you don't need to! If the top coat is garbage, just wet sand it with 220 or maybe 150 around the edges. Once you have the flakey stuff off primer the entire car with PPG DL48 or one of their epoxy primers. That stuff dries like glue. After an hour or so of painting with the epoxy coat it with a sandable primer, like the 205 (I forget the letters). Then you can block sand that primer coat and use high quality filler to smooth out the layers (there is a specific filler called glazing putty or something). Coat with more primer, block sand and if required use filler to smooth out any layer areas. It is OK to use filler to smooth out nicks and scratches. It is NOT ok to use filler to fix dents. If you try to sand out the layers, nicks and scratches you'll have a wavey paint job that will take 100s of hours to correct. The way I did my body work was wet sand the entire car with 220. Epoxy primer then sandable primer. Wet sand the rough areas with 220 and and then fill all the nicks and scratches and sand those with 220. Primer again. Sand with 400. Primer again and sand with 400. Once the primer is nice and smooth then paint with a single stage Acrylic Urethane. After the final coat is dry Wet sand with 1200, 1500, and then 2000. Use a high quality McGuires orbital pad and McGuires Polishing compound and then use McGuires Finishing compound and the correct pad. I also use a little liquid tide in the water to wet sand. It keeps the paint grease free and helps the paper glide over it. Buy the quality stuff from a paint store. They'll also give you additional tips. I used the Devilbis Finish Line 3 HVLP gun and loved it. Very easy to use and shot great. Make sure you have plenty of air filters. I have 6 in line at least 20 feet of copper pipe away from the compressor to cool the air before it hits the filters.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Top Fuel: I agree. That's how I did my '67 in 1993. Used the same sandpaper grits, and I used a longboard on every panel that I could. Turned our great, except for some dirt in the paint because I forgot to clean the sanding dust out of the front windshield channel!!! Thing is, if I do it again someday, I'll have to remove the top coat at least: It's paint job number 4 on the car!!! Another coat, and it would look like it was made of clay!


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## topfuel67 (Dec 23, 2008)

geeteeohguy said:


> Top Fuel: I agree. That's how I did my '67 in 1993. Used the same sandpaper grits, and I used a longboard on every panel that I could. Turned our great, except for some dirt in the paint because I forgot to clean the sanding dust out of the front windshield channel!!! Thing is, if I do it again someday, I'll have to remove the top coat at least: It's paint job number 4 on the car!!! Another coat, and it would look like it was made of clay!


That reminds me of one other thing...DO THE JAMBS SEPARATELY when you paint the car. A day or two before you're going to do your top coat, do the jambs. I messed up and learned the hard way. I rented a booth, so I did the jambs and moved right on to the body. Had to resand the body and do it all over again!


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

I at least got THAT right. I did the jams before I did anything else...like a DAY before!!! Good point, though. OVerspray is a bi**h!!!


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

That's how I did it too, I painted the underside of the trunk, door jams, inside of the fenders and doors, edges of the hood one day. Then assembled the pieces and then painted the whole outside of the car another day.


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## Mcantw (Sep 7, 2008)

To All, Sorry for longer to respond but THANKS for the pointers/advice!!!!


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