That's right, and I'm gonna paint it myself! I've got the car pretty well stripped down, but noticed that the gap between the fender and the cowl is about 3/16". This looks a little small to me, to be able to get any paint in there.
So I'm guessing I have to pull the fenders. What I'm not sure about, is where all the screws are. I'm wondering if there are any attachments along the cowl. There are screws every 4-6" along the top of the fender in the engine compartment, and then the cowl is there, but I don't see any way of securing the fender. Then I see the bolts inside the door jamb, but can't find any way to get to any screws or bolts along that 12" span of the cowl, if there are any.
Any other hints or pointers are always appreciated
Thanks,
Joe
Former owner of:
'68 2L
BLK SRL
sold 12-11-2012
I wish I could put paint on my car. On to your question, how are you painting it? What type of paint are you using (single stage or basecoat clearcoat 2 stage) Also what type of gun are you using (HVLP or something else?) And the most important question, where?
You can pull the fenders by removing both doors, and the 4 (I I think) screws that hide in the door post. The others are pretty obvious under the hood. Getting in the gap between the fender and the cowl is tough, but if you remove the fenders, you won't be able to match the paint as well (every time you mix paint, it is a little different, thats why when you paint a car, you mix it all together, and RUN. You have to work fast.) When you run out of paint in the gun, refill the cup quickly (better yet have a 2nd gun ready to go) and overlap the last pass. Work from the top down, and tip/tilt the gun so it is always even with the surface. Keep the tip about 8 inches away from the surface and with each pass use about 1/4 overlap per pass. If you get a run, no big deal, it can be shaved later, orange peel is a sign of being too dry (too much air, not enough paint, or being to far away from the surface) A little orange peel is ok, you can wet sand it out, big peel is bad news.
Before you start, make sure everything is sanded and dull, paint doesn't stick well to glossy surfaces. Also go over everything to be painted with a cleaning agent (PRECLEANO) is good stuff. Then wipe everything down with a tack cloth, dust is your worst enemy, as well as oil from your fingers. Make sure there is no water in the aircompressor or lines, it will ruin a paint job real quick. If you use a slower catilyst, the paint will flow better, but be more prone to runs (or waterfalls), multiple light coats are your friend, do a light coat and let it tack up, by the time you are done with the first coat, it will be ready for a 2nd. With the 2nd, you can go with a thicker coat and it wont run because the first one will hold it.
Read up on it, some of the stuff I just mentioned might not be correct, its been a few years since I did autopainting and I might be mistaken on couple of things.
Good luck,
Will
Sorry, I find modern engine swaps revolting. Keep your G, R, or U series in your Roadster!
Alvin, you ask why? Too many scratches. I wanted a car that good from 5 feet, not 15. Color is yet to be determined. And yes, all the trim is off. Now to find a good place to restore the side moldings. Take out those small dings.
Will, I believe I'll be using a 2 stage poly, followed by a clear coat or 2. Hard to tell at this point. I've spent countless hours sifting through the web, trying to find what's happenin' in the world of paint. Most info is for hard core paint shops. I asked the guys at my local commercial auto paint store and they looked at me like I was supposed to be telling them. It almost seems like some a well guarded secret.
I'll be using a HVLP gun. I'll be spraying in my dad's garage. No, we won't have pumped fresh air masks, but I feel confident in a good quality (and fresh out of the package) filter. We'll also be setting up a fan on one end and furnace screens on the other, to create a clean but moving air environment. All of this is just conjecture on my part, he's the man with the experience, but it's been a while for him as well.
If anybody has any links to good paint sites, let me know.
Thanks,
If anybody has some good recommendations for what the latest and greatest is, let me know. The only thing I really know is that I'll be going with a very small amount flake, which I understand can be hard because you have keep the flake from dropping in suspension.
Joe
Former owner of:
'68 2L
BLK SRL
sold 12-11-2012
I'd go with a good single stage paint. The trouble with 2 stage paint is that the clear coat has some serious bad stuff (isocyanates, I'd put $ on it that I spelled that wrong.) Isocyanates are absorbed through the skin and through the lungs, a secondary fresh air system is the only safe way to use clearcoats. Make sure you mop the garage, and be prepaired to have dust in your paint. I have done some beautiful paint jobs that used single stage paint.
Good luck,
Will
Sorry, I find modern engine swaps revolting. Keep your G, R, or U series in your Roadster!
Wet the floor. Keep it moist and damp. It will keep all the dust, hair, and overspray down.
Make it so that it won't splash either. One bad step or yank/shake of the air hose and water could splash up. Water bubbles suck.
Where only close nylon, everything else throws lint in the air.
Any clothing has to be pretty form fitting. Loose/Baggy sleeves, clothes, or pants will inadvertantly piss you off.
Have a water catcher between the compressor and the spray gun. Did I say water bubbles suck?
Don't doit by yourself. Have a reliable buddy who speaks your exact same shop vocabulary to help you with periferies and hoses. You need to focus 100% only on the spray, timing and application.
