[mrennie]

Hello,

Starting to plan out how I will paint my body panels once the weather warms up and have several items I am not sure about.

I will be painting the panels and body separately and installing once they are all done. Paint is R-M single stage Cardinal Red. Body panels will be painted on stands keeping them in same orientation they will be on the car.

Prior to paint I will apply a coat of epoxy sealer then I want to apply 3 coats to the exterior surfaces so I have something extra to buff, and 2 coats everywhere else like jambs/interior sides of doors & trunk lid.

Questions:

-for the body, how do I handle the inevitable overspray on the jambs when I apply the third coat to the exterior but not the jambs? I am assuming it is better to paint all areas of the body for first and second coat, then just exterior for third coat?

-for the trunk lid, the only way I can see painting both sides at the same time is to hang it from the trunk hinge bolt holes, but then I wouldn't be painting it in the same position it will be on the car...I understand this is a no no when spraying metallic, but it is acceptable with a solid colour like Cardinal Red? Is there a better way to do this?

Any tips or advice is appreciated.

[Tim66]

I like to paint all of the jambs ( trunk,drs,hood,fenders and any small pieces first.Then put car together mask jambs with foam tape and paint.That way you won't have to worry about nicking anything while aligning and putting back together.Except for moldings handles locks and bumpers.Good luck.
Tim

[mrennie]

My original plan was to paint it all togther, but I don't trust my ability to walk the car without major screwups. I'm committed to painting the individual panels.

Thanks

[400 4spd.]

I've had similar situations where I wanted 2 coats (trunk, floor pan, engine bay) and 3 on the exterior panels. Here is how I do it.
I start out painting all of the "2 coat" panels, then roll right over to the "3 coat" panels. Next time I shoot only the 3 coat panels, minimizing overlap into the floor, jambs, etc.
The last coat I wet everything, starting with the 2 coat panels and then roll out to the 3 coat panels.
On the trunk lid I would sand the inside, then sand the outside. When dry, mask off the outside and spray the inside while it lays flat on a rack.
Several days later mask off the inside, remove the outside masking (be sure no glue remains) and shoot the outside along with your other parts. And with Regimental red it should not matter how the parts are oriented.

[Scott Stoneburg]

I painted the jambs first, I didnt have enough overspray in the jamb areas to worry about. Mine is a driver/weekend racer so not a show restoration. Depends on what your goals are. You could mask off the jamb areas before painting the car body. Just make sure the paint has ample time to cure before applying tape

[MUSLCAH]

Originally Posted by Tim66

I like to paint all of the jambs ( trunk,drs,hood,fenders and any small pieces first.Then put car together mask jambs with foam tape and paint.That way you won't have to worry about nicking anything while aligning and putting back together.Except for moldings handles locks and bumpers.Good luck.
Tim

^^^^^^^ Same here.....and I would go an extra 4th coat ...but that’s just me.

[MUSLCAH]

Originally Posted by 400 4spd.

I've had similar situations where I wanted 2 coats (trunk, floor pan, engine bay) and 3 on the exterior panels. Here is how I do it.
I start out painting all of the "2 coat" panels, then roll right over to the "3 coat" panels. Next time I shoot only the 3 coat panels, minimizing overlap into the floor, jambs, etc.
The last coat I wet everything, starting with the 2 coat panels and then roll out to the 3 coat panels.
On the trunk lid I would sand the inside, then sand the outside. When dry, mask off the outside and spray the inside while it lays flat on a rack.
Several days later mask off the inside, remove the outside masking (be sure no glue remains) and shoot the outside along with your other parts. And with Regimental red it should not matter how the parts are oriented.

Steve...do you actually paint at your age...lol....or just have the boys do it. Iam still spraying....lol

[400 4spd.]

On occasion I do some spraying. Here is one I sprayed and built in 2007.

https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Even...ERTIBLE-116182

[MUSLCAH]

Very nice ^^^^^^^^

[TAKerry]

Originally Posted by 400 4spd.

On occasion I do some spraying. Here is one I sprayed and built in 2007.

https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Even...ERTIBLE-116182

Beautiful car, and a great job with the paint.

[400 4spd.]

Thanks guys. Out of all the cars that I've done, that is one of my favorites.

[mrennie]

Originally Posted by 400 4spd.

I've had similar situations where I wanted 2 coats (trunk, floor pan, engine bay) and 3 on the exterior panels. Here is how I do it.
I start out painting all of the "2 coat" panels, then roll right over to the "3 coat" panels. Next time I shoot only the 3 coat panels, minimizing overlap into the floor, jambs, etc.
The last coat I wet everything, starting with the 2 coat panels and then roll out to the 3 coat panels.
On the trunk lid I would sand the inside, then sand the outside. When dry, mask off the outside and spray the inside while it lays flat on a rack.
Several days later mask off the inside, remove the outside masking (be sure no glue remains) and shoot the outside along with your other parts. And with Regimental red it should not matter how the parts are oriented.

So if I understand you correctly, if you were trying to get 3 coats on the quarter but 2 on the door jamb, you would spray coat #1 on everything, then coat #2 only on exterior (trying to minimize overspray), then coat #3 on everything? Is that correct?

Regarding the orientation of panels sprayed off the car when using a solid colour, do you normally orient them as-installed, or just lay flat on work stands and paint? Things would sure be easier to paint if I could just lay them down...

Thanks for your advice!

[mrennie]

Originally Posted by MUSLCAH

I would go an extra 4th coat ...but that’s just me.

Why do you suggest a 4th coat, to have extra material for colour sanding/buffing?

I am not sure if I will have enough paint to do a 4th coat. I bought extra just in case I screwed up, but don't have enough experience to know how much I will actually use.

I bought 6 quarts of paint, and with the mix being 3:1:1 I will have 2.5 gallons of sprayable material. Do you think that will be enough?

[jarretts70]

I've done a few garage paint jobs & have come up with a system that works for me - bear in mind I'm typically alone & have to do things differently than if I had help....

When assembling a car (especially alone) the worst thing to install is always the doors. Big, heavy & awkward. I've never installed a door without chipping paint somewhere. What I do now is paint the inside front of the door by the hinge area, the cowl area by the hinges, & the hinges themselves - this way I make sure I have paint behind the hinges for extra protection. Then I hang the doors permanently on the otherwise bare bodyshell, but don't install the latches. When painting the body shell you can open the doors to spray the jambs, swing them shut CAREFULLY so they don't contact the now wet jambs, & spray the outside. With the front fenders not in place you can get good coverage on the forward areas of the door jambs. Repeat for following coats. During this process I will have the other panels (fenders, hood, etc...)arranged on sawhorses or blocks or whatever as you've described.

Of course this only works if your dealing with a bare shell. Not very practical if painting a car that still has its interior in place...

To me this makes sense as it's the way most of our cars were done at the factory. Bodyshell, doors & trunk lid painted as as unit by Fisher Body. (pull a door off on original car & there is not paint behind the hinge, so the hinges must have been in place when the car was painted). Front sheet metal, etc. painted separately & installed by PMD @ final assembly

[MUSLCAH]

Originally Posted by mrennie

Why do you suggest a 4th coat, to have extra material for colour sanding/buffing?

I am not sure if I will have enough paint to do a 4th coat. I bought extra just in case I screwed up, but don't have enough experience to know how much I will actually use.

I bought 6 quarts of paint, and with the mix being 3:1:1 I will have 2.5 gallons of sprayable material. Do you think that will be enough?

Yup....your going to sand and buff correct ? With that 4th coat....it allows you to sand out any orange peel and boogers.....and still have a good mil thickness of paint.

[mrennie]

Originally Posted by MUSLCAH

Yup....your going to sand and buff correct ? With that 4th coat....it allows you to sand out any orange peel and boogers.....and still have a good mil thickness of paint.

To be honest, I'm expecting to make some mistakes and get some dirt in the paint, so I want the ability to sand and buff.

Having said that, the reality is that this will not be a show car and I intend to drive it, so in the unlikely event that the paint turns out really nice with minimal peel and no trash I would consider just buffing.

Would an extra layer of paint cause problems if I don't sand and buff? I've read that film build should be kept to a minimum where possible to avoid chipping or other problems

Thanks

[MUSLCAH]

In the highly unlikely event..... if it’s to your liking aftah 3 coats,clean your gun,and call it good.

[mrennie]

Originally Posted by MUSLCAH

In the highly unlikely event..... if it’s to your liking aftah 3 coats,clean your gun,and call it good.

LOL...good advice. Thanks!

[400 4spd.]

Originally Posted by 400 4spd.

I've had similar situations where I wanted 2 coats (trunk, floor pan, engine bay) and 3 on the exterior panels. Here is how I do it.
I start out painting all of the "2 coat" panels, then roll right over to the "3 coat" panels. Next time I shoot only the 3 coat panels, minimizing overlap into the floor, jambs, etc.
The last coat I wet everything, starting with the 2 coat panels and then roll out to the 3 coat panels.
On the trunk lid I would sand the inside, then sand the outside. When dry, mask off the outside and spray the inside while it lays flat on a rack.
Several days later mask off the inside, remove the outside masking (be sure no glue remains) and shoot the outside along with your other parts. And with Regimental red it should not matter how the parts are oriented.

While answering mrennie's question, my mind was on the use of clear coat, not single stage color as he is going to use. With clear you can get by with a lesser coat on some surfaces without compromising the color beneath. In Michael's case of using a single stage color, I would personally put the same number of color coats on all adjoining surfaces for color (and gloss) uniformity.

[mrennie]

Thanks Steve, and appreciate you sharing your knowledge!