I'm not a pro, nor have I done an overall paint job yet, but I have a couple of suggestions.
What I did with my LeBaron was to start with the engine bay and the outside of the inner fenders. It didn't matter in that area because it would all have been hidden by the fender and undercoating. I stripped them down to bare metal using both chemical stripper and sandpaper (depending on location) and made some necessary metal repairs. Not surprisingly, the metal repairs were initially pretty ugly. I was getting the hang of welding sheetmetal, but my improvement was rather impressive between start and finish. Though I'm not much of a welder, I'm a hell of a grinder. :icon_biggrin:
The idea of spraying jams, engine bays, etc, work if you're piecing it in and want a rolling restoration. No way is the wrong way when it comes to how you do it. Personally, though, I'm a big fan of just ripping the car apart and carrying it from start to finish. As a result I usually paint the restoration the same way the factory did it. Since we're concentrating on Mopars here, that means hood on, fenders on, decklid on, doors
off. Each panel sprayed top and bottom, inside and out, all at once, including the engine bay. Of course, this means doing the "great body drop" for the engine/trans/front K installed as a sub-assembly, but it makes for a cleaner job in the long run.
I want to re-iterate, though, what's right for me, may not be right for you. I restored as a pro and as such I had the equipment and the garage to be able to do all this.
As far as welding, just like everything else, it takes practice. I'm great with the MiG from all my years of doing this. Not so great with a stick, though I'm getting better. A TiG? Still learning that, too, so I'm by no means a welder. I am, however a good panel welder.
NoCar said:
Using the same "won't be seen anyhow" logic, I figured it was also a good place to get the hang of my new spray guns especially since I was shooting Chrysler PEL/WEL Inferno Red, which is both a metallic and a pearl. Making sure you start with an immaculately clean gun is of utmost importance. If you're not sure, rip it apart and clean it thoroughly. I adjusted the guns to spray patterns that I liked as far as shape and coverage and went from there. Yes, I have very good guns but being a total beginner I got results that would make any painter proud: no runs, no sags or "dry" areas, and excellent dispersion of both the pearl and metallic. The clear was a cakewalk, and the result was gorgeous as-sprayed. I felt ready to take on the world after that; the outside of an inner fender is a fairly tricky area. I had no qualms about my ability to do the overall when the time came, which it never did. I shot Akzo Nobel's U-Tech Polybase & covered with the discontinued P80 clear, both of which are miles ahead of PPG's Omni and DuPont's Nason lines in terms of quality and ease of spraying (yes, I did some non-automotive work with both later). These are all budget lines of paint that cost far less than Sikkens, PPG, or DuPont-branded products and for that reason are often used by home enthusiasts/DIY types.
Paint type doesn't bother me. We all have a preference. My preference is PPG's Concept system. DCU 2002 isn't for the feint of heart and should be tackled with a lot of practice and experience. When it first hit the shelves I was the only guys in the area to get it to lay in. The local paint jobber, all of them PPG certified, called me looking for advice on what to tell the guys out in the shops on how to get the results I was getting. My "secret" was knowing my paint conditions: temp, humidity, air flow and getting the paint RTS from there. The proper hardener, the proper reducer. Since I was laying down show car paint jobs, I wanted the maximum flow time I could get and would make my decisions on hardeners and reducers, and
how much to use of both from there.
Find a paint product and buy extra. Use the extra to practice with, even if it's on an old hood you have laying around. Prep it like you would if you were putting it on the car. And practice some more.
I've seen a damned nice looking Duster belonging to a guy in GA who sprayed the car with Rustoleum by the gallon.
As far as guns go, yes, it is important to keep the gun clean. One of the reasons I've so many guns at my disposal. Each for different purposes, each with a different set up (I'll mix and match needles and tips to get what I want). Each regulator is set where I want it. I'll flow thinner through each gun as a quick clean up after each stage of the job and then, once the job is done, I'll take it completely apart for a more thorough clean up. Once I start the sealer on a job, I'm not stopping.
NoCar said:
This area was where I made an important discovery, about which I'm sure ramenth will agree: Avoid "miracle paints" such as POR-15, Chassis Saver, or anything else that makes similar claims no matter who makes it. Those paints do not like smooth or lightly-sanded sheetmetal and will peel off in sheets after less time than you would expect. Those paints are designed to adhere to rust-pitted or heavily-etched metal, such as 80-grit sand scratches. If you want to go over a whole area like that, well, that's your call but keep in mind that missing an area half the size of a dime will result in the paint coming off in fairly short order. It happened to me and it happened to a friend of mine who is currently looking at redoing his entire car, including the rust that formed underneath the POR-15. I did not use POR-15, but a similar product. I was lucky because I'd not laid down color prior to the paint releasing from the metal. He brushed his, I used a cheap touch-up gun. Use a good automotive primer designed for direct-to-metal application where required; some like epoxies and others don't. Ask ramenth, or get familiar with a local body shop that's either owned/managed by someone who owns a classic himself or specializes in older cars and hot rods. Personally, I used U-Tech E350 and had very good results (can you tell I was an Akzo dealer at the time?).
I avoid "miracle" paints like the plague. Nothing, but nothing beats clean sheetmetal. If you're putting something like POR-15 on a rusty panel, ask yourself, why am I painting over rust?
That being said, NoCar is right. These paints are designed to go over rusty or very rough metals. They will not stick to clean metal unless it's been heavily etched. Even then, these paints resist sanding for any kind of top coat.
I'm a snob in the way I do things and the material I use. What I prefer is not cheap and gives what I have seen to be the best results. It's not for everyone, especially if you're working on a budget and/or doing it for the first time. It comes with years of honing my skills. The way I prefer to do things isn't necessarily what will work for you, your time constraints, your budget, and your space. I say this all as a caveat. I made my living doing this.