zeeboost Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I'm about to be spraying my '83 280zxt, but I have a problem: I don't have an air compressor in my garage - it's an apartment garage, so a) there's not much room, I don't think it will supply the voltage I need, and c) it will probably piss everyone off when it's on. I've been doing a ton of sanding so there's paint dust everywhere, but I don't think just wiping it off is removing everything. I want to use water, but I'm afraid to use it on bare metal and then spray it. How can I effectively clean off all the paint dust before I spray it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TeamNissan Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I have always used water, just totally dry after. It it bothers you that badly though you can use a auto body wax/grease remover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 I'm not afraid to use water - I just didn't know if I'd end up regretting it after I sprayed it. Or maybe there's a dry time I don't know about??? Just wanted to run it by you guys first... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TeamNissan Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Oh well if thats all, I have never had a prob. Just don't hose it down, a damp/wet cloth rub down then let air dry. Careful not to leave puddles esp in cracks and crevis' that may hide them is my main concern not really exposed metal as any oxidation would take time. Then 2 good wax/grease remover wipe downs. then prime,paint,clear goodness . You also want to make sure the entire environment is dry not just the car as humidity in the air causes the paint to actually begin drying before it hits the car. I use the old school wet ground routine but only when I'm forced to paint in a uncontrolled space or outside. Hope that all helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWRex Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Although it still may be loud,a good shop vac with a good filter works well for the inital first clean and the crevises.It won't blow everything around as much,just keep the filter clean.Pour a small amount of water in the bottom of the vac to collect some of the dust before in gets blown out of the exaust end.Another loud method that dosen't use the compressor is a leafblower.Works good for blowing out the entire garage and just about everything in it.Floor,shelving,toolbox,Z,etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantagon Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 This could be inexperience speaking here but. Arn't you going to get alot of overspray in a shed that size. May recomend some fans to push air toward the exit of the shed. Its a trick we used to spray a mates celica in a shed about that size. Cant you just dab some auto thinners on a rag and wipe it over? Has worked in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 How exactly were the fans positioned? I'd imagine that you had the fans setup at the entrance/exit of the shed (same door) to blow out, correct? I wouldn't think you had them placed all the way inside the shed, because then it would blow the spray around. I've never sprayed in an area this small, so I'm not sure what exactly is going to happen. I've prepared myself to get ready for a lot of sanding. The only other car I sprayed was with a friend of mine that did body work for a living, so he already had all the supplies and tools I needed, and it was in a large shop. Plus it was a while back, so I don't remember what all was used, but I think I do recall some sort of chemical I wiped the car down with. What exactly is the auto thinner labeled (what does it say on the can...just "auto thinner")? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TeamNissan Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Over spray is a valid point, just close the garage door on a fan or 2, box fans work well, and fill the gap with a piece of wood, card board etc. That should create neg pressure inside the garage and help with over spray. Your still going to have some though regardless of what you do. I don't like to use thinner because it leaves a residue as it flashes. Before you paint you have to wipe everything down with a grease/wax remover anyway too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zwannabe Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 when painting the whole car in a closed space such as in your situation your going to have clear coat over spray....from my point of view i would find it easier to start spraying clear on the front of the car first with fans obviously blowing outwards from the garage. clear coat over spray when baked into fresh paint is easily wet sanded out...no biggie edit: i too work at a body shop but can't remember for the life of me the exact name of the wax/grease remover we use, if it helps any methyl ethyl ketone is used on plane fabric before painting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy85 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Before I had an air compressor I used my little 5 gallon (or something like that) air tank that I use at the racetrack to fill tires. Just go to a gas station to fill it up. Granted it does not last forever before refill but at least you could hit the crevices with it. Cameron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 when painting the whole car in a closed space such as in your situation your going to have clear coat over spray....from my point of view i would find it easier to start spraying clear on the front of the car first with fans obviously blowing outwards from the garage. clear coat over spray when baked into fresh paint is easily wet sanded out...no biggie I was planning on using acrylic urethane, and from what I understand clearcoat is optional with that type of paint. Before I had an air compressor I used my little 5 gallon (or something like that) air tank that I use at the racetrack to fill tires. Just go to a gas station to fill it up. Granted it does not last forever before refill but at least you could hit the crevices with it. Cameron Yeah, I have a portable air tank, I just didn't think it would last that long. I'll probably use that before I wipe it down with the wax/grease (once I figure out what exactly it's called) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantagon Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Wet sanding is your best friend for over spray. After each coat let it dry and then wet sand it. We did ours in a small tin shed in the middle of summer, just dont sweat on the paint, lol. I cant remember what we started with. I think it was like 500 grit and then worked up to 2000. We did around about 5 or so coats and it came up awsome. We used acrylic paint, so just used acrylic thinners to clean as well. Asked a few automotive spraypainters before we started spraying and they said make sure that the bodywork is perfect. This will determine your paint jobs final result. PS: Neither of us are spraypainters or pannelbeaters so excuse our approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmaster Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 i'm working in my garage and it is just big enough for my 75 280z , and about 12 inches of room all around the car. it is a really small garage. it is in the middle of winter and the temp stays around 65 degrees would that be warm enough to paint my car in??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeatrpi Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Do not let water sit on your bondo; its porous! I usually use a 50/50 mix of water and rubbing alcohol, or aerosol glass cleaner, when prepping a panel. Right before the tack cloth. 65 is usually OK so spray in but check the p-sheet for your brand of paint. 12" around the sides of the car is not nearly enough though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemonZ Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Wax and grease remover all the way. Blast all crevices real good with portable air or vacuum it completely. If you don't get all the dust out of the nooks and crannies, it may come back to haunt you when you shoot it, as it will blow back out onto your fresh shiny coat. You haven't told us how you intend to paint it... airless? roller? Careful how you ventilate. Depending on what the volatiles are, you may be blowing yourself up! If in doubt, better to positively ventilate with some furnace filters taped onto box fans to keep out large dust balls/insects (and isolates to an extent the fumes from the electric motor), blow fresh air into the makeshift paint booth with screens inwards and a vent hole opposite with furnace filters venting out too. That way you don't draw volatiles through any electrical arcs which may ignite flammable fumes. Lastly, you may consider renting a paint booth altogether. Your results will be much better (visibility from over spray is greatly reduced!) less crap in the air, dry shop air... good lighting. etc. The many toxic chemicals in modern polyurethanes are meant to be used with expensive fresh air respirators, not the $40 Home Depot air purification kind. The health hazard is cumulative. That is, after a couple exposures many years ago, not much solvent makes me itch and break out and get dizzy now a days. (I know when you're young you don't think about stuff like that). I knew a auto body pro who had to find another profession because it was killing him, he was only 26 or so. Oh and most those vapors are transdermal too --You soak it up through your skin. Ok big brother rant over. Given the choice, painting by roller sounds very intriguing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 You haven't told us how you intend to paint it... airless? roller? Lastly, you may consider renting a paint booth altogether. Your results will be much better (visibility from over spray is greatly reduced!) less crap in the air, dry shop air... good lighting. etc. The many toxic chemicals in modern polyurethanes are meant to be used with expensive fresh air respirators, not the $40 Home Depot air purification kind. The health hazard is cumulative. That is, after a couple exposures many years ago, not much solvent makes me itch and break out and get dizzy now a days. (I know when you're young you don't think about stuff like that). I knew a auto body pro who had to find another profession because it was killing him, he was only 26 or so. Oh and most those vapors are transdermal too --You soak it up through your skin. Ok big brother rant over. Given the choice, painting by roller sounds very intriguing. Actually, I was going to try an *cough* electric HVLP *cough* and see how well it would turn out. I couldn't find any info on the net, so I figured I'd be the guinea pig. I figured it couldn't be worse than rolling it. But, I'm starting to think that rolling it may be my best option, with the limited space and tools that I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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