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Need paint

Bill 77

Active member
Joined
Sep 4, 2004
Messages
39
Location
Beantown
Corvette
1977 bright red coupe
I know ive seen a post about someone painting there own car.Well ihave a friend will do it .My question is after sanding do you use some type of sealer or just prime and paint.
 
My understanding is the condition of the existing paint and/or body work determines the need for a sealer. A sealer protects the new paint job from any existing body work or fix that could bleed or stain. Unprotected areas that have been sanded or stripped down to the glass would need to be sealed. The real experts will chime in.

Personally, I don't know why you wouldn't always put a sealer on first knowing it's insurance and serves as a great base for primer and paint. Again, not an expert but I've learned when someone says it's not always necessary...I do it anyways because I don't want to regret it down the road.
 
I don't know if sanding is what you want to do to remove the old paint.

A paint job is only as good as the prep that is done before painting. It is preferable to strip off all the old paint then repair panels, sand them smooth, then apply a coat of primer before applying paint.

The surface must be clean, perfectly smooth, and properly prepared or it will show thru the final coats of paint.
 
red70vette is right. For Corvettes, stripping is almost mandatory for good results (close up). If you can answer some questions about your present paint you may be able to get good results with a respray (a 10 footer), but keep in mind, materials are expensive and even though you are doing the work yourself, there won't be that much difference in cost between a respray and stripping other than skill level.

How old is the present paint?
How many paint jobs are on the car right now?
Are there any cracks in the paint, long stress cracks or small checking?
Is any bodywork needed?
 
I've been painting cars for a hobby for quite some time, lawnmowers to Kenworths though I haven't done any Corvettes yet...mine will be the first.
Its about 99% labor, you will be very tired of body work by the time it is ready to spray but then you spray it in an hour or 2, and your all charged up to do it again because it looks so great!.

What I found works best is stripping the paint and starting from the base be it steel or fibreglass. I then do my block sanding and major bodywork.
Next I apply 2 coats of Epoxy Primer followed by 3 coats of Primer surfacer. I let that all cure for a while, spray a guide coat on and start block sanding. I repeat the primer surfacer, guide coat and block sanding until the panels are perfect. I pressure wash the car to get all the body work dust out of everywhere and let it dry overnight.
The next day I roll it in the booth, mask it off, Wipe the car down with wax and grease remover, blow gun then tack it off with a tack rag. Spray my paint allowing proper flash times between coats and voila!

I have never used a sealer and haven't had a problem but there are a few rules..
Always stick with the same manufactures products from start to finish to avoid chemical incompatabilities.
Always measure/mix the products using proper measuring cups or viscosity meters, I use to use coffee cans and the guess and by golly approach and it showed in the flowout, paint failure etc.
Always use paint strainers when filling the gun, it only takes 1 blob to screw your paint job up.
Follow the manufactures product sheet for air pressure, flash times and coats
Blow down the compressor, lines and filters to get any moisture out before you start, one drop of water can screw up your paint job.
No armourall or silicone products or rags any where near the place when doing your body job or you will be staring at fish eyes.
place a pressure gauge at the gun to acurately measure the air pressure. I found my orange peel went away when I found I was spray about 15lbs too low!.

Painting is rewarding to do, it takes a lot of patience, elbow grease and long hours but it is also very gratifying to know you painted your ride and you will save a pile of money.
Well sorry for rambling...just a passion I guess, here is some sample work..
http://www.piczo.com/CoopersGarage?g=5609519&cr=4
 
howard said:
I've been painting cars for a hobby for quite some time, lawnmowers to Kenworths though I haven't done any Corvettes yet...mine will be the first.
Its about 99% labor, you will be very tired of body work by the time it is ready to spray but then you spray it in an hour or 2, and your all charged up to do it again because it looks so great!.

What I found works best is stripping the paint and starting from the base be it steel or fibreglass. I then do my block sanding and major bodywork.
Next I apply 2 coats of Epoxy Primer followed by 3 coats of Primer surfacer. I let that all cure for a while, spray a guide coat on and start block sanding. I repeat the primer surfacer, guide coat and block sanding until the panels are perfect. I pressure wash the car to get all the body work dust out of everywhere and let it dry overnight.
The next day I roll it in the booth, mask it off, Wipe the car down with wax and grease remover, blow gun then tack it off with a tack rag. Spray my paint allowing proper flash times between coats and voila!

I have never used a sealer and haven't had a problem but there are a few rules..
Always stick with the same manufactures products from start to finish to avoid chemical incompatabilities.
Always measure/mix the products using proper measuring cups or viscosity meters, I use to use coffee cans and the guess and by golly approach and it showed in the flowout, paint failure etc.
Always use paint strainers when filling the gun, it only takes 1 blob to screw your paint job up.
Follow the manufactures product sheet for air pressure, flash times and coats
Blow down the compressor, lines and filters to get any moisture out before you start, one drop of water can screw up your paint job.
No armourall or silicone products or rags any where near the place when doing your body job or you will be staring at fish eyes.
place a pressure gauge at the gun to acurately measure the air pressure. I found my orange peel went away when I found I was spray about 15lbs too low!.

Painting is rewarding to do, it takes a lot of patience, elbow grease and long hours but it is also very gratifying to know you painted your ride and you will save a pile of money.
Well sorry for rambling...just a passion I guess, here is some sample work..
http://www.piczo.com/CoopersGarage?g=5609519&cr=4

Very interesting Mustang restoration, what a great job!!!
 

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