Paint, what is the best

[66_B_Body4ever]

BTW! watch out for static discharge and evaporating solvents...boom! Seen it happen before

 

[5.7 hemi]

Gee, now ya tell me! I think I'll stick to lacquer thinner, wiping it down outside---now you got me scared!!!!!

 

[66_B_Body4ever]

Lacquer thinner is not a good idea, to strong and can soften the substrate, me thinks you are trying to scare me into making a road trip! Be careful! W&G remover is milder and cleaner than lacquer.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Did I hear someone say ROAD TRIP? I'm stocking the fridge with adult soda's and tri tip! I'll look for the wax and grease remover, should not be too hard find. I did spray 1 piece with the Duplicolor stuff, looks ok, now I got to clear it to see what it actually looks like. Keep in mind that if it turns out sh!tty, I'll blast it back down to metal and save up for a proper paint job----unless you feel the need to save me.lol. Thanks again for your time and advice.

 

[66_B_Body4ever]

Are you a beer drinkin tri tip man? I thought I was the only one...lol. Not many people up here do a good tri tip...mmmm...

 

[5.7 hemi]

Damn straight, and I'll throw in some baked patatoes for sh*ts and giggles.Is my offer sound more tempting, er tasty?

 

[5.7 hemi]

Gee, I can't spell for crap tonight! Potatoes---much better.

 

[5.7 hemi]

On a base/clear coat system, should the color be flat or more shiny? If flat, I presume the clear will give it POP when cut and polished?

 

[66_B_Body4ever]

the base coat shouldn't be flat, but matte, kinda semi-gloss and smooth. yes, the clear makes it pop! BTW, I threw a couple tri tips on the barby last night...mmmm...and your offer is very tempting!

 

[5.7 hemi]

Great, I'm on the right track. Gonna get some clear on Sat. and with the Mopar Gods blessing, it should turn out good!!! Glad you enjoyed the tri-tip, I had hamburger helper---my sons autism therapy goes until 7 pm, so lately we have been eating late, our sacrifice to help him now and in the future. He is doing great with the extra help, but the funny thing is our daughter does not have it--hit and miss with autism.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Well the clear coat is on and it did make the color pop. Now I'm gonna wet sand the clear, 1500 grit, and apply a few more coats. Then wet sand again, and finally polish. Now I did read on some other forums that you CAN use a 2 part ureathane clear over the lacquer color coat. The reason for the ureathane is it's more durable, so I'm gonna look into this. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.

 

[66_B_Body4ever]

Hey 5.7, the problem with laquer is that it is a true thermoplastic paint and it does not chemically crosslink with other materials. Way back when we started using BC/CC lacquer was used as the base. This lead to peeling issues between the base and clear materials. Once the clear completely cures its bond to the clear will weaken and can delaminate.
The newer solvent borne or waterborne basecoat materials while not always catalysed before spraying, are formulated to chemically react with the clear urethane and for lack of a more complex explanation, cure the uncatalysed basecoat. The isocyanates in the clear help this process along. Lacquer is unaffected by the clear and will remain a sensitive uncured material. Catalysed materials cure, lacquer dries by solvent evaporation and remains sensitive!
As you have already sprayed, don't sweat it too much, just remember for the future its not a good substrate (lacquer). Don't ever intermix products if you want a gauranteed result. As for reclearing, P1500 is too fine and unecessary. P800 is plenty good! In fact I have used 600 with no issues. If you go too fine, the leveling effect (knocking orange peel flat) is reduced. Watch your edges when sanding! The paint is thinnest in these areas!
Good luck with your son.
-J

 

[5.7 hemi]

I have only done 1 piece and the mor I read online, and the more I talk with people that do painting all the time, I've come to the conclusion that I'd be better off using a quality brand, and I'm not having too much luck with the piece that's done---looks crappy. So I'm gonna blast off the Duplicolor stuff and start from scratch with a quality paint. Thanks for thinking of my son--he does well damn near 98% of the time, speech and language is his most challenging, but he never gives up--so my better half and I wont either. Did I mention my offer is still open? Had bbq chicken, baked patatoe, ranch beans and hot links for dinner--man I'm stuffed!

 

[5.7 hemi]

What do you think of single stage ureathane? Is it something a novice could do? Or single stage enamel?

 

[66_B_Body4ever]

Wow, dinner sounds great. All paint systems require some level of skill to apply, Single stage is fine if you want a solid colour. A little more maintenance as there is no clearcoat to protect it from UV rays...but we like to wax our toys anyway right. Another thing with single stage is cost, depending on the colour it can be about 2/3 the cost of BC/CC, and the urethane is very durable. Can a novice do it? Sure! The trick is gun control and application technique which comes with practice. If you have a chance stop by the local bodyshop and ask to watch the painter, alot is learned by watching a pro. Some shops may not allow this, but we have a couple local shops that actually have a viewing room for the customers!
Keep up the good work with your boy, it'll pay dividends later on!

 

[5.7 hemi]

I'm leaning towards red, it was red from the factory so that's what I'll stick with. I'll get a pint of single stage ureathane and practice on some small parts, that way if I mess it up it can be redone without alot of hassle. My son's tutor said he did really good tonight, but it's alot to ask a 5 year old not to get cranky for 4 hours and not have a dinner break, but other than that he's doing just fine. His speech and language has come so far since he was 3, and now he's in the first grade, smart as a whip, but some direction following is what needs help with---does not quite understand what the question is you are asking of him sometimes. But his teachers and staff at his school work their butts off with him and I can't thank them enough for the dedication they put forth.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Well I forgot to say that my dad just had his numbers matching 70 Challenger r/t go in for body and paint. The guy is chargin' him 7500 bones for this, he got quotes as high as 16000 bones. Even at the lower price, this is something that we cant afford, so thats why I gotta do it myself, and learn another skill in the process. Oh, the color-------PLUM CRAZY for dad's challenger.

 

[66_B_Body4ever]

Unfortunately, restoration is a crap shoot when it comes to estimating. A shop never knows what they are getting into until the dust literally settles. Glad to hear you are taking the proactive approach, nothing is learned by shying away. I believe your son has the same traits! I could never afford to have a shop do anything on my cars as money was tight growing up, my Dad taught me a ton of stuff mechanically and then I discovered bodywork. The rest is history. 20 years in industry and 10 years teaching collision repair and I still got the bug to do it all myself...Any time I can help ya out give me a holler, maybe the single stage red will be the right way to go. One note about red tho', it's the quickest oxidizing colour out there, 2-3 coats of wax a year isn't uncommon for SS red to keep it looking great! You could always wet sand and clear it later on, but thats another story for another day.

 

[69 Runner]

Depends on the shop I suppose. When I had my Challenger done, it was finished in about 4 months, and the final price was higher than the estimate.

a whopping $27.00 higher:grin:

 

[66_B_Body4ever]

The biggest issue is how much rust is hiding under the ol' paint usually, bodywork is bodywork and paint is usually straighforward, its the sheetmetal reconstruction that'll kill ya financially. Sweet deal on the $27.00 overage Runner, they probably needed beer for the boys on Friday! 27 bucks gets you 18 beer in Canada, probably a few cases in the US eh! Get it... US eh... C eh N eh D eh... Ok I'll shut up now.