1968 Coronet 500 Project

[JimKueneman]

What a day. I almost pulled it out of the garage and pushed it over the bank. The week and weekend was planned out to get the color on the body this weekend. I spend the week nights blocking out the hood and filling some dents with glaze. Also the right front fender rolled in at the interface to the door and I had to build up a bit there and glaze it. I started out the morning removing all the plastic I had used for masking off the under body and engine compartment. Lessoned learned, Do not use plastic sheets to mask. As you build up layers of primer and you spray more the air pressure will blast the plastic and the primer will sheet off the plastic going everywhere. I spent the morning converting to paper.

After masking I was feeling good. There were two small dents that I wanted to fix but I was too lazy to go to town to get more glaze. I decided it was good enough and started to do the final sanding with 400 in the "unimportant" places. I about died when I thought I saw rust bubbles under the primer at the corner of the quarter panel right behind left rear wheel as I was sanding on my back laying on the ground. I sanded and looked and looked. I finally decided something was wrong and I could not figure out what because I knew I had put a patch panel in that corner… I pull out the sand blaster and starting eating away at my perfectly straight panel. Once cleaned it became obvious. I had a bear of a time welding upside down and I had a ton of pits and pinholes in the weld. I remembered I was going to come back to this and clean it up. Well I forgot and the welding flux has made the bond of the epoxy primer fail. ARRRRRGGGGG…… I blasted out what was needed and applied the fiberglass filler and while it was hardening I went to town to get glaze. I spent the afternoon applying the glaze and blocking it straight. I finally decided it was ready for the last 2 coats of SPI Epoxy Primer to seal it up ready for the orange.

The gun of epoxy went on okay the next one was way to dry and I could not figure out what was going on. This sucked as this was the final base for the base coat! As it was spraying the sail panel the damn lid "popped" off the cup and a pint of primer poured on to the sail panel…. ARRRGGGGGG… I blotted it up and put on a wet coat to try to blend and reactivate it to flow out….

After the next dry spray I finally put 2 and 2 together and noticed the bleed hole in the lid was plugged! ARRRGGGGG…. About 1/2 through the last panel a neighbor stopped by to chat, so now I have a dry transition in the middle of the front fender.. ARRRRGGGGG…

It started to sprinkle and looked like it might hail. He took off to get the horses in. I sprayed the rest of the fender and all of a sudden it started to HAIL and POUR. I ran to the garage door button but every time I hit it the hail would cause it reopen and the front of the freshly painted car was getting rained on… ARRRRGGGGG…. I pulled the emergency rip cord on the door and slammed to shut and tried to _carefully_ blot the water of the fresh primer…..

I read the "Perfect Paint Job" article in the SPI tech manual and read where the last coat should have a couple shot glasses of Reducer to help make it flow so it is a better surface for the final base coat. I mixed up the last coat with the Reducer and and started to shoot it. Just as I started to shoot it I realized the wind has blown the plastic I had hanging for the "paint booth' up and got dirt and crap all over the left side… ARRRRGGGGG… I stopped spraying just in time and wiped the side down.

I then proceeded to shoot the rest of the car and that coat flowed out nicely due to the vent hole not being plugged and the Reducer….

It was almost a disaster day but the last coat went of nicely. I do need to really rebuild my "paint booth" with new fresh plastic tomorrow before I shoot the base, there is still way too much crap in the air and paint….

The panels are dead straight though so it ended well I guess…

 

[jason79]

Wow what a crappy day. Funny thing, or maybe not so fun, I was going to ask you about masking with plastic. I had the same thing happen to me, luckily it just flaked and folded over onto the plastic. From then on I only mask with paper. Don't worry you are doing great work and it will turn out excellent.

 

[jason79]

Also when you paint wet the floor down. Not to the point where there are puddles, just to where the concrete looks wet. This will help keep the dust down.

 

[JimKueneman]

Also when you paint wet the floor down. Not to the point where there are puddles, just to where the concrete looks wet. This will help keep the dust down.

It was, and really was after the storm started

 

[showard]

I hate those days when it feels like nothing will go right and you feel like you are paddling backwards, but you stuck to it. Keep it up, It is looking great.

 

[JimKueneman]

I spent the day sanding with 500 grit. After I looked at it I convinced myself it was NOT ready for color and sucked it up. I sanded out every last bit of orange peal (which was horrible where I was struggling with the gun) and filled a few low spots and imperfections with glaze. I then spent the rest of the afternoon blowing, washing and sqeegeeing out the garage. The next coat of epoxy primer MUST go on perfect so I need prepare the garage like I was going to paint the color. That will take me the rest of the week after work.

 

[Pistol Pete]

Well Jim, as I'm sure that little voice in the back of your mind has been telling you, there's rarely a paint job that can not benefit from a little more sanding.

The patience at this stage is what sets a good paint job apart from a great one. And the funny thing is, all the attention to details like sanding every little bit of trash and orange peel out is only truly appreciated by those that have done it.

Don't get me wrong - many people can recognize a great paint job, they just don't know what it took to get there.

Keep up the good work, soon you'll be afraid to drive it.

 

[JimKueneman]

Keep up the good work, soon you'll be afraid to drive it.

That is going to be my gauge for when I am done. If I say "if it is any better I won't want to drive it" I am going to stop

That brings up a question that I think you indirectly told me the answer already. I now have a rare spotted Coronet with sand throughs of the dark high build primer showing through light gray epoxy primer. After I shoot it again I am assuming the goal is to

1. Do a good job and get as little orange peal as possible
2. Keep the dirt out of it so I don't have to sand out the trash
3. Sand it again to the dead smooth finish it now has but hope that I don't sand through to the high build again

At that point I am ready for the base. Once I shoot the base is it necessary to sand it out before the clear to get a great paint job?

 

[JimKueneman]

Also it feels wrong to spray on $500 worth of primer and sand off $450 of it to get a nice paint job

 

[Pistol Pete]

Also it feels wrong to spray on $500 worth of primer and sand off $450 of it to get a nice paint job

Ain't that the truth.
Same with sandpaper. If it feels like you're wasting it, you're doing it right.

Orange peel should not be an issue for you with the seal coat because it will be reduced. However, try to pratice a little because it will spray out differently than un-reduced epoxy and as you so noted, you really want the best finish you can get before your base.

Blocking the sealer with 500 or 600 shouldn't result in any breakthroughs as the goal is just trash removal. In a perfect world, you shouldn't have to sand it at all. But those of us without spray booths are not always so lucky.

Some bases you can sand, some it's recommended you don't. I've not used any of Barry's base so I can't comment on it specifically, but like the sealer, it's not necessary for adhesion, but might be for trash removal.

Most of the dirt in a paint job comes from the painter, the hose and the little nooks and crannies that you didn't get clean enough, where the crap blows out once you pass over it with the gun.

 

[JimKueneman]

Same with sandpaper. If it feels like you're wasting it, you're doing it right.

Especially the fine stuff. It takes almost no time at all before it is not "sandy" any more and the dust just balls up and leave trails. I was going through 2-3 per panel on my 18" block. It felt very wasteful so I must have been doing it right!

And yes you can sand Barry's base.

 

[jason79]

Shouldn't have to sand between color coats, as long as there isn't a large imperfection. Just get some tack clothes and wipe between color coats after the paint has flashed out.

 

[JimKueneman]

Shouldn't have to sand between color coats, as long as there isn't a large imperfection. Just get some tack clothes and wipe between color coats after the paint has flashed out.

Agreed, that was Barry's recommendation as well if I was using the slowest reducer possible. When I sprayed the underside with the base/clear/hardener mix it flowed out very nicely and was really easy to get to look good. I have always had a hard time trying to get the SPI epoxy primer to lay down nicely. It just does not like me or it just does not like the hot dry southwest. I have noticed it does seem to work better when it is not 100 degrees out.

 

[jason79]

It's not you it's the epoxy. It doesn't flow like paint. Remember it has glue in it! If you want to block the last coat maybe a primer surfacer would be better. Goes on thicker than epoxy, but not as thick as a high build, sands nice.

 

[JimKueneman]

It's not you it's the epoxy. It doesn't flow like paint. Remember it has glue in it! If you want to block the last coat maybe a primer surfacer would be better. Goes on thicker than epoxy, but not as thick as a high build, sands nice.

Barry recommends sealing up with the epoxy.

 

[JimKueneman]

What is this! A blister? Now I know I am doing it right!

 

[jason79]

You can use the epoxy. I would put down 2 coats and then wet sand with 400 followed by 600. Only to remove the orange peel. You are done with blocking before your last coat of primer or sealer. Only sanding with a small block to remove orange peel or dust nibs.

 

[jason79]

This is the bad part of painting it yourself, you will see every tiny imperfection that 99.9% of people would never notice.

 

[JimKueneman]

This is the bad part of painting it yourself, you will see every tiny imperfection that 99.9% of people would never notice.

Yup, I was just talking to the guy at the auto body supply shop about that yesterday .

Would it look too bad if I was blocking the orange peal and I said "I know I am about to break through, stop" so it ends up looking like the knockdown plaster board texture on my house walls.

Also I got a blister, I don't want to block anymore!

 

[jason79]

The best part is after you paint it, the sanding starts all over! This is it for me. They are ready for 2000 grit, then the buffer. Keep up the good work Jim.