cheap paint dress up advice

[zero]

I recently got my first car, a 72 240. Now this car has a fairly new repaint on it, but it was a very cheap job. It has a run or two, what looks to be puddles, and generally not a good finish at all, that isnt even uniform throughout the car. I dont think that it is clearcoated. Now i really dont have the money to get a new paint job right now, and this is only my first car so im not looking to spend a great deal of money on the car on something that i cant transfer to my next z. basically, I am asking how i would go about bringing a nice shine to a cheap paint job. The things that come to mind are sanding and buffing, and clearcoating, but as i am not a paint specialist at all i dont quite know. Please help, any is appreciated. Thanks

-Will

[strotter]

Zero, I have limited experience painting (I've done three paint jobs now), but I did them poorly so I have *lots* of experience cleaning up bad work. Sanding and polishing are for sure going to be the way to clean up the runs and sags, but you have to use the right tools. When sanding out runs and sags, the most important thing to avoid is damaging the paint next to the problem - often it'll be thin right there, as if the run sucked up all the paint around it. I learned to mask off the areas adjacent to the problem - go to a car paint shop and get some good quality masking tape, the blue or green stuff. Mask off with two layers of tape about one inch all around the high spot. Then use some 400 wet-or-dry paper to knock down the high spot. Soak the paper for a few minutes before you start, to soften it and make it more pliable. To keep it wet, I found that a spray bottle (like a large 409 bottle or something) is the easiest way, that won't soak you like a hose would. You'll still get wet and dirty, but not as much. When you sand, you *must* use a backer-board of some kind. I have a couple of store-bought ones, but for runs and sag I just use a dead-flat piece of oak about 1" X 2" X 1/4", which I just wrap the paper around and hold carefully on the edges. When you're sanding, work primarily along a flat direction on the surface - try to avoid the temptation of sanding along the run or sag, there's a good chance you'll roll the backer-board sideways and tear up good paint. When you start tearing up the masking tape, you're getting fairly close. It doesn't have to be perfect, just "better".

 

Sags (where the paint has formed a "wave", more-or-less horizontal) take forever. Expect to spend the better part of a day fixing a sag. You likely won't be able to make the paint perfect: all you need to do is smooth the "curl" end of the wave, at the bottom, so it isn't as visible to the eye. It's ultra extra important not to cut through the paint below the wave - again, it's thin there compared to the paint above. Tape below it.

 

When you're satisfied with the area, remove the masking tape and clean thoroughly with soap and water. Then, get out some 600 wet-or-dry, put it onto a backer-board, and work the area(s) again, this time onto the good paint next to the work area. The idea is that the paint will feel "satiny" (if your fingers can feel anything at this point). Keep it quite wet. You only need to work it for a minute, light pressure. Again, be super-careful not to cut through good paint.

 

Finally polishing. You *need* a rotary polisher. Really. Not one of those "eccentric" things, a real rotary. You can get a cheap one for less that $50, it'll be useful later on for other jobs. They're kind of intimidating at first, spinnin' around like crazy and throwing stuff onto everything within a mile, but they work really well. For polishing compound, 3M makes this wonderful stuff called "Imperial Microfinishing Compound Liquid" (p/n 051131-06011). It's a liquidy material with silica (gritty particles) in it. You moisten the pad with the compound, kid of rub it onto the paint, and start polishing. You keep on working it 'till the compound has dried off. You have to be careful not to "burn" the paint, which is where you dig a trench into it, but other than that it's just good old gettin' dirty fun. It will probably take a couple or even three applications on a given spot. When you're done you'll need to take a shower, and wash the car again.

 

Fixing runs and sags is extremely time-consuming. I have spend days and days cleaning up errors that more careful painting wouldn't have created in the first place.

[zero]

wow strotter. Thanks alot. I really couldnt have asked for a more in depth response. People like you are why I love this board. Now im off to fix my paint. For a buffer, i dont suppose i could just get a buffer head for my drill could I, because im young....and cheap...and poor. Also, what would you suggest for an area near the base of the windshield where it looks as if paint has puddled, then dried, leaving a kinda cracked, raised spider web surface. Thanks.

[Guest Iceickle]

Nice post strotter =) But ill try and not do runs or sags thankyou very much heheh =D

 

Zero im young and poor too, take a trip down to your local hardware store, they should have buffing attachments for drills that fit right into the chuck. As for the spidery looking paint, i *think* i know what you mean, you will probably have to sand it right down and paint it again, as the spidery paint is a result of something on the metal that the paint has settled on (dont quote me on this!!!). Not a problem, that section in front of the windscreen comes off, so it wont be a big job.

[zero]

arg, im really getting tempted to sand the whole thing down and spray it black primer. but i will try to get this paint lookin good first. Thanks again.

[Guest Iceickle]

To sand the whole thing, that is a biiiiiig job... The previous owner of my Z made that mistake, he never finished it, and now ive only just got it looking semi-reasonable (black primer). Unless you have plenty of time and patience, try and just fix the errors on the current paint job before you redo the whole thing

[Guest bigjim240z]

DUDE, get yourself some 1500 and 200 grit sand paper. wet sand the whole car with 1500, dont get crazy esecially on the edges, try to work on the flat areas like the hood , roof and sides. on the areas where there are runs, get your self a sanding pad, a soft one, wrap the 1500 around the pad and wet sand the run until its flat with the other paint, (again dont go crazy or too fast), next re-wetsand the whole car with the 2000 till its smooth. next your gona need to buff it with a variable speed machine buffer. if you never used one find a freind who knows how to buff, you will need some good buffing /cutting compound. buff the whole car till its nice and shiny, then get some glazing compuond and a new pad for the buffer made for glazing...buff the whole car again with the glaze...it should come out like a mirror if you do it right...ive made some crappy paint jobs look like 5,000 paint jobs!...good luck!

[Guest bigjim240z]

and thats 1500 and 2000..not 200 sorry!