Body work and paint compatability

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Doggggboy
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Body work and paint compatability

Post by Doggggboy »

So i'm getting ready to re-start the rebuild I started 20 years ago. Frame, engine, transmission and running gear were done 20 years ago and should still be ok, I think. It has been stored inside. The body was stripped down to bare metal and then another body was combined with it and I think I have a mostly complete 67 1600. There is surface rust on some of the body and some more serious rust in other spots but nothing catastrophic. A friend who was a journeyman body man advised me to sandblast it, fix the holes and then spray it with acrylic primer to prevent any further rust. Do the body work, prime and paint with acrylic. I am not in the mood to pay more for the paint than I have into the whole shebang so this will be a diy, which is fine as I think that is part of the fun. I live on a gravel road and am going to have to drive 10 km of gravel to get to the pavement so I don't want a paint job that makes me cry every time I get a chip in it. I'm not looking for a perfect restoration, just decent.
My question is this. Do some fillers and primers work better with some paint systems than others? Any preferences on brands or types of paint?
Thanks in advance.
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by jrusso07 »

I am not sure on all the compatability but I always cover the completed body work with an epoxy sealer before primer. Be sure primer is compatible with top coat Also, if your car is a metallic color, its really hard to get single stage acrylic paint to flow and balance out on large panels. You might consider a two stage paint (color and clear coat).

Paint shops will be helpful. I have had good rsults with PPG paints
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by eye »

I'd dustless blast or cobb/walnut blast the whole thing. Sandblasting can kill the whole car if not done properly. Epoxy primer it ASAP. Then you can take your time to do your body work and metal work. The epoxy primer will keep the rust off of it for a really long time. which usually happens with a DIY project. I like PPG products myself.
I'd recommend sticking with the same brand manufacturer of primer, filler,and paint. Follow their instructions and not some internet suggestion. You won't go wrong. Getting all the rust off, metal repaired, and coated is key.
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by Doggggboy »

jrusso07 wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 7:24 am I am not sure on all the compatability but I always cover the completed body work with an epoxy sealer before primer. Be sure primer is compatible with top coat Also, if your car is a metallic color, its really hard to get single stage acrylic paint to flow and balance out on large panels. You might consider a two stage paint (color and clear coat).

Paint shops will be helpful. I have had good rsults with PPG paints
Thanks.
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by Doggggboy »

eye wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 7:27 am I'd dustless blast or cobb/walnut blast the whole thing. Sandblasting can kill the whole car if not done properly. Epoxy primer it ASAP. Then you can take your time to do your body work and metal work. The epoxy primer will keep the rust off of it for a really long time. which usually happens with a DIY project. I like PPG products myself.
I'd recommend sticking with the same brand manufacturer of primer, filler,and paint. Follow their instructions and not some internet suggestion. You won't go wrong. Getting all the rust off, metal repaired, and coated is key.
Thanks.
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by Doggggboy »

eye wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 7:27 am I'd dustless blast or cobb/walnut blast the whole thing. Sandblasting can kill the whole car if not done properly. Epoxy primer it ASAP. Then you can take your time to do your body work and metal work. The epoxy primer will keep the rust off of it for a really long time. which usually happens with a DIY project. I like PPG products myself.
I'd recommend sticking with the same brand manufacturer of primer, filler,and paint. Follow their instructions and not some internet suggestion. You won't go wrong. Getting all the rust off, metal repaired, and coated is key.
I have always heard that sandblasting can destroy a car if not done properly but never really understood why. Is it the heat generated or the high pressure or a combination of the two? I have blasted parts in my blast cabinet and never felt even the slightest heat build up. I had a deck lid blasted by a friend who worked at a blasting company years ago and it came back completely warped and useless. I have done some wet blasting but it is super messy, goes through media insanely fast and I had a real problem with flash rusting. Honestly sometimes I'm tempted just to sink the whole car in plastidip :(
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by Jimmers74 »

Sand blasting eats away the material. There are other materials, I understand, that do a similar job, but don't eat the material. Others tell me that bead blasting, which I understand to be tiny glass beads, does a similar job, but does not eat away the material at the same rate. Costs more, of course.
Sand blasting can be done with coarse to very fine grit, and pressure is a factor. Wet blasting is just to keep the dust down, is my understanding.
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by Doggggboy »

Jimmers74 wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 10:33 pm Sand blasting eats away the material. There are other materials, I understand, that do a similar job, but don't eat the material. Others tell me that bead blasting, which I understand to be tiny glass beads, does a similar job, but does not eat away the material at the same rate. Costs more, of course.
Sand blasting can be done with coarse to very fine grit, and pressure is a factor. Wet blasting is just to keep the dust down, is my understanding.
I've bead blasted aluminum valve covers with nice results, a nice satin smooth finish but it is quite slow, at least in my rinky dink Princess Auto cabinet. I've used aluminum oxide to strip paint and rust from alternator mounts or some such. It is much quicker but leaves a much rougher texture, which is good for holding paint. Around here the glass beads are less than half the price of the more aggressive media. The problem with doing a car body is I don't think re-using the media is a viable option as it just goes all over hell and creation. Kind of a once and done kinda thing. In a cabinet the media is retained and reused but blasting a car body in the driveway negates that option I think.
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by redroadster »

Don't do it ...Dog man. Not at 57... or if you do splurge on a respirator.system
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by theunz »

“Around here the glass beads are less than half the price of the more aggressive media.”

That’s odd, around here I can get the aggressive media including cut glass for ten to fifteen dollars a bag, but glass beads run about thirty dollars.

“I've bead blasted aluminum valve covers with nice results, a nice satin smooth finish but it is quite slow, at least in my rinky dink Princess Auto cabinet.”

Glass beads are my medium of choice and I have found in most, but not all, circumstances it’s almost as fast as the aggressive media. Most parts come out nearly as smooth as finished bodywork and ready for paint. I had four different media’s and applied them to a long section of bare steel bar and you could readily see the difference between each of them. As per cheap cabinets, any enclosure will do the job. The better cabinets will contain the media better, have bigger better windows, better lighting, vacuum systems (extremely helpful), and last longer. All the work is done by the gun and the compressor. You really need at least a real, not peak, five horsepower compressor or better to do any sustained blasting. Even my commercial 7.5 hp compressor needs a rest every so often. The cheap cabinets can be upgraded with better guns, better sealing, and add vacuum systems. Of course by then you are approaching the price of something like the Scat-blast which I have.

I wholeheartedly agree with redroadster on the respirator for non cabinet blasting. I even wear a dust mask when using my cabinet, a respirator wouldn’t hurt there either!
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by pebbles »

Not all primers are compatible with topcoats.
I would not recommend blasting the whole car, just the hard to sand areas, and rust, as you work each panel.
Work one panel at a time. Trying to do the entire car all at once requires too much dedication lol.

Here is a link to a cheap paint job,
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=14185&hilit=Meet+andy
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by Doggggboy »

pebbles wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:20 pm Not all primers are compatible with topcoats.
I would not recommend blasting the whole car, just the hard to sand areas, and rust, as you work each panel.
Work one panel at a time. Trying to do the entire car all at once requires too much dedication lol.

Here is a link to a cheap paint job,
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=14185&hilit=Meet+andy
Thanks a lot!
Not sure if that thread will be inspirational or fear inducing, but super helpful either way :D
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by Doggggboy »

theunz wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 9:40 am “Around here the glass beads are less than half the price of the more aggressive media.”

That’s odd, around here I can get the aggressive media including cut glass for ten to fifteen dollars a bag, but glass beads run about thirty dollars.

“I've bead blasted aluminum valve covers with nice results, a nice satin smooth finish but it is quite slow, at least in my rinky dink Princess Auto cabinet.”

Glass beads are my medium of choice and I have found in most, but not all, circumstances it’s almost as fast as the aggressive media. Most parts come out nearly as smooth as finished bodywork and ready for paint. I had four different media’s and applied them to a long section of bare steel bar and you could readily see the difference between each of them. As per cheap cabinets, any enclosure will do the job. The better cabinets will contain the media better, have bigger better windows, better lighting, vacuum systems (extremely helpful), and last longer. All the work is done by the gun and the compressor. You really need at least a real, not peak, five horsepower compressor or better to do any sustained blasting. Even my commercial 7.5 hp compressor needs a rest every so often. The cheap cabinets can be upgraded with better guns, better sealing, and add vacuum systems. Of course by then you are approaching the price of something like the Scat-blast which I have.

I wholeheartedly agree with redroadster on the respirator for non cabinet blasting. I even wear a dust mask when using my cabinet, a respirator wouldn’t hurt there either!
Prices in my area for 50lbs at Princess Auto, the Canadian equivalent of Harbor Freight
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by theunz »

You will save a ton of money by buying your blasting supplies elsewhere. Google ”sand blastIng supplies near me“ or look for a foundry supply dealer.
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Re: Body work and paint compatability

Post by Datsun.David »

Doggggboy - If you can find a Consolidated Compressor in Saskatchewan you can buy blast media from them in bulk. The local one here in Calgary actually has a U Blast it area set up so you can take things over on a trailer and give them a once over. Patience is critical if you are doing roadster sheet metal. Stand as far away as possible and be patient or you will end up with a bunch of pretzel panels...
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