280Z-LS3 Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 Forgot to mention that the paint vapors are heavier than air and will sink to the floor level so make sure you have good air movement along the floor. It looks like your air system will provide good air exchange along the floor but check. I used SPI epoxy primer and polyurethane clear. The owner of SPI is readily available to talk tech and I took advantage with a few phones call to him. He paints his cars in his garage with no plastic. His method is to lift garage door about 12" to allow the vapors to flow out and wets down floor, that's it. Looking forward to seeing the finished paint job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironhead Posted May 2, 2020 Author Share Posted May 2, 2020 7 hours ago, jsulse said: Forgot to mention that the paint vapors are heavier than air and will sink to the floor level so make sure you have good air movement along the floor. It looks like your air system will provide good air exchange along the floor but check. I used SPI epoxy primer and polyurethane clear. The owner of SPI is readily available to talk tech and I took advantage with a few phones call to him. He paints his cars in his garage with no plastic. His method is to lift garage door about 12" to allow the vapors to flow out and wets down floor, that's it. Looking forward to seeing the finished paint job! Good to hear. If my "paint booth" turns out to be too tight for the car chassis, I will have to do something very similar... I know many have done it that way. I plan to lay the clear on in multiple coats, then wet sand and polish. This would probably minimize problems caused by a few dust specs anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironhead Posted May 10, 2020 Author Share Posted May 10, 2020 (edited) I actually sprayed color on the storage bin covers....just to get an idea what it would look like....and because I could. This is the color the car will be. I have gone back and forth as to how much I liked it, but now I have bought paint...both single stage for the interior, engine compartment, underside, etc....and two stage for the exterior....so I am committed now. This IS the color.... I started bodywork on the passenger side door, because I thought it was pretty straight and would only need minor tweeks/sanding. The more I fiddled with it, the more high/low spots and flaws I saw....so I wound up skim coating the entire door with filler and block sanding the whole thing. This is the result. Let's just say it wasn't as straight as I thought/hoped. Either that or my blocking technique is screwed up. I consider it ready for primer now...so soon I should know. The pictures are a bit deceiving though...the thickest filler is perhaps .020"...maybe not even that....and most of the low spots could not even be seen or felt prior to the blocking. I am sure they would have been visible under a gloss coat of paint though... The driver's door is much worse...it will be interesting to see how it looks after this process. Edited May 10, 2020 by Ironhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZHoob2004 Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 19 hours ago, Ironhead said: Let's just say it wasn't as straight as I thought/hoped This was/is me with the bodywork on my own car. Once you start laying down guide coat and blocking, everything turns out a lot less flat than you had anticipated. In my case, I put down a layer of epoxy primer over the bare metal before any filler and I think that helped to level things out a bit before I started filling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironhead Posted May 12, 2020 Author Share Posted May 12, 2020 On 5/11/2020 at 7:58 AM, ZHoob2004 said: This was/is me with the bodywork on my own car. Once you start laying down guide coat and blocking, everything turns out a lot less flat than you had anticipated. In my case, I put down a layer of epoxy primer over the bare metal before any filler and I think that helped to level things out a bit before I started filling. Thanks for the input. I had epoxy down before the filler also....it all just sanded off the "high" spots as I was block sanding the door. Even with the epoxy primer on the door, I could tell very little about how straight it was, as the primer had a fairly flat finish and I couldn't get any reflection off of it. Lots of technique to this stuff. I think (hope) I am starting to get it down. One thing I learned today....unless your sanding block is absolutely rigid like a piece of wood, you don't want to apply any significant downward pressure on it while sanding....just use very light pressure letting the paper do the work. I found if I pressed down much, the block would deform around high/hard spots rather than sanding them flat. I kept filling places, then sanding them, only to find it wasn't sanding flat despite the block. Through trial and error I realized I was pressing down too hard.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZHoob2004 Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 I can't tell from the pictures, but if you're not using a purpose-built guide coat you should try it out. I'm using an aerosol guide coat (SEM I think) and it's amazing how much it improves the visibility while sanding. Supposedly powdered guide coats are even better, but I couldn't find any in the limited time frame I was working with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironhead Posted May 12, 2020 Author Share Posted May 12, 2020 (edited) 14 minutes ago, ZHoob2004 said: I can't tell from the pictures, but if you're not using a purpose-built guide coat you should try it out. I'm using an aerosol guide coat (SEM I think) and it's amazing how much it improves the visibility while sanding. Supposedly powdered guide coats are even better, but I couldn't find any in the limited time frame I was working with. Well, my plan is to skim coat/block the entire door (both), hopefully to correct all major discrepancies. Then I am going to put on several coats of high-build primer, switch from 80 grit to 220, and start using the guide coat at that point. I have the powdered guide coat, but I can't really use it at this point because it doesn't stick well to all the bare metal areas. We'll see how it goes.... Edited May 12, 2020 by Ironhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLave Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Looks really good. When you shoot epoxy on that and see it wet, I think you will be happy. Good tip on the pressure, I have experienced that as well. Light pressure is crucial. Also, used the longest block that fits the part. Great work. Inspirational Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironhead Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share Posted May 29, 2020 Doors after multiple coats of high-build primer and a lot more block sanding: Painted, clear coated, wet sanded, and polished: They certainly aren't "perfect"....but I am happy with the result. Thanks for looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooseRocks Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Those look great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EF Ian Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 Looks great in the photos. Nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLave Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 Looks great to me. I would be happy with those results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Z-LS3 Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 Looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooseRocks Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 Is that color more green like the pictures with the driver's/passenger's door? Or is it more aqua like the smuggler's door? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironhead Posted June 4, 2020 Author Share Posted June 4, 2020 2 hours ago, LooseRocks said: Is that color more green like the pictures with the driver's/passenger's door? Or is it more aqua like the smuggler's door? Good question...complex answer... The paint on the doors is a standard two stage base/clear color. My plan was to use a tough single stage commercial fleet paint (Delfleet Essential) for the underside, engine compartment, interior, etc. The specific color code I am using for the exterior is not available in the Delfleet, so I attempted to match using color chips. This failed...the chip appeared an exact match, but once I sprayed the Delfleet on the smuggler's door and compared it with the two stage on the doors, it was miles off. Weird how that works. So, "the" color is what I painted on the doors. The smuggler's doors are either going to be covered in Raptor Liner or re-painted. I have switched to a single stage (Deltron DCC) for the underside, etc of the car that is available in the exact same color code as the two stage for the exterior. I sincerely hope it is a better match. Since one is a base/clear and the other a single stage, I am sure they will not look exactly the same, but they need to be closer than with the Delfleet..which is much darker, bluer, and more saturated than what I painted on the doors. Hope that answers your question... Thanks for the comments guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironhead Posted June 14, 2020 Author Share Posted June 14, 2020 (edited) On 6/4/2020 at 12:50 PM, LooseRocks said: Is that color more green like the pictures with the driver's/passenger's door? Or is it more aqua like the smuggler's door? I tell ya, this painting crap can be frustrating. You asked which color was the "true" color. I have not yet repainted the smuggler's doors, but I put one of them next to the door in order to illustrate how different the two colors are. I mean, what the hell? In the photo they look pretty much identical. Again, the smuggler's doors are a different color and type of paint from the doors, which are a base/clear. I tried to match them with color chips. In the photos, it looks like I succeeded, certainly close enough considering that the two colors won't really be right up against each other. But actually looking at the two colors in person, they are freaking miles off....not even close. How is this possible? How can the camera lie so horribly? I got the cowl piece painted. This is the fiberglass version from ZTrix. It came out uuhhh.."OK", I'm not planning to repaint it or anything, but a part like this is a different painting experience from steel panels. First of all, it is nothing but compound concave/convex curves (which would be true of the OEM panel as well), so I could not figure out how to block out the flaws. You cannot really use a straight sanding block on much of this piece. I had to modify it quite a bit to make it line up with the fenders and hood, so there was a lot of bare fiberglass that I had to re-gel-coat. Then I sanded the crap out of it with flexible blocks, epoxied it, then high build primer, a bunch more sanding, then sealer/paint/clear. Fiberglass, basically being plastic, likes to build static so I wound up with a lot of dust specs in the finish. Wet sanded the clear with a flex-block, everything looking good. Then when I buffed it out I saw there were a couple of waves on the part that were invisible until I got it really shiny. F***!!!! I don't even know where they came from...a sag in the clear?...or just a flaw in the fiberglass that was invisible until the part was buffed and glossy? Like I said, I don't see myself repainting it...but with the right reflection you can definitely see it. I tried to capture the right reflection to photograph it, but couldn't....I guess that's good. Frustrating stuff though. Getting this piece fitted/prepped/painted took several days. If I ever want to have a running car I will have to live with some flaws I suppose. I guess if you want a SEMA quality paint job there is no substitute for experience. I got a bunch of assorted brackets and hinges yellow zinc plated. Edited June 14, 2020 by Ironhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 My best friend is a car guy of course but he paints corporate jets for a living. For his single stage automotive paint jobs he swears Acry Glow by Sherwin WIlliams is the best. It's what they use at his work and is a very tough paint able to hold up in the areas you've indicated. It can be cut & buffed to a high gloss but you're never going to get the depth of a base / clear so in various lighting there will likely be some color variations. They should be able to match your color code though so it might be worth a try. Here is the Sherwin Williams page: Acry Glo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooseRocks Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 In the pictures that's almost a dead on match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironhead Posted June 17, 2020 Author Share Posted June 17, 2020 2 hours ago, LooseRocks said: In the pictures that's almost a dead on match. Yeah, you wouldn't believe in person how far off they are. How if fails to show up in a photo is beyond me... Thanks for the suggestion Jeff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironhead Posted July 4, 2020 Author Share Posted July 4, 2020 (edited) I haven't updated in a while because I have been spinning my wheels a bit. The photos of the painted hood here represent the second time I painted it. Hopefully the pictures are of adequate quality that the problem is visible.... "Tiger Striping"....which I guess happens when noobs without painting skills (me IRL) try to paint large horizontal areas. You can see faint light/dark "stripes" consistent with the motion of the spray gun. In my first attempt at painting the hood, this problem was obvious after I sprayed the base coat so I never cleared it. The second time, I couldn't see the striping after spraying the base and it didn't really show up until I had two wet coats of clear over it. It is not "super" obvious, but it is bad enough that I cannot live with it. So I am going to have to strip the damn thing and try again. I have read a lot about "Tiger Striping", and the causes of it. Typically it only really is an issue with metallic paints, one of the reasons I chose a solid color for this car. The thinking is that to get the striping with a solid color, either your technique or spray gun setup has to be really horrendous. I mean, I have no painting skill, but I think my gun setup is at least a "B" and my technique is at least a "C-", so I'm in sort of a quandary as to what is causing this problem. Once I get the hood stripped down, I might try painting the base coat with the hood vertical instead of horizontal, then put it horizontal for the clear coat since I have no real problem with runs spraying base, and I am definitely "run-prone" with the clear coat. Any of you with painting experience have any insight? I am spraying with the gun perpendicular to the surface, with roughly 75% overlap. Spray gun fan is adjusted so that gun sprays an elongated "egg" pattern. Thanks for looking. Edited July 4, 2020 by Ironhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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