Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Your's is looking awesome! I would love to take some auto body classes and one day do this to my car. Painted my friends del sol... with some rattle cans . Have you determined the final color/ design maybe? I remember the grey and black. It's going to be shiny right?

ACote wrote:Your's is looking awesome! I would love to take some auto body classes and one day do this to my car. Painted my friends del sol... with some rattle cans . Have you determined the final color/ design maybe? I remember the grey and black. It's going to be shiny right?

If you can paint a bicycle with rattle cans and make it look real nice...you can paint a car with a gun and make it look nice.
Shiny silver and black. Im waffling on single stage or base clear. no squares on the rear.

Linda wrote:I like that Jeep look...no doors LOL
Those are the kind of pics by the way that are perfectly appropriate for a calender IMHO.

Linda

I like this one. Seems in the last ten years my droplites have become much larger :

LOL. Light it up baby!

This was a lil more difficult than I had anticipated. The upside down stuff is a bit awkward.

Looks pretty flawless to me, nice work as usual.

So what is the debate on single stage vs 2 stage? Can you still get acrylic enamel in WA?
Perhaps you want a more original look?

Linda

pebbles wrote:This was a lil more difficult than I had anticipated. The upside down stuff is a bit awkward.

I hear that! That is the one place I wish I'd spent just a bit more time on my car this last time. Not bad, not perfect. After all the efforts it takes to get the rest of the car straight, you can sometimes burn out just a bit and get the "Ugh, it's good enough!" syndrome going. Can't do that with dark colors, especially black! ANY wave and it will show as you walk up to the car from a distance, or park next to a white stripe... The black mirror shows everything.

As usual, your work looks excellent, but if you're going black check it ten times! Ugh!

Linda wrote:So what is the debate on single stage vs 2 stage? Can you still get acrylic enamel in WA?
Perhaps you want a more original look?

Linda

Pain and fatigue in my case. Base clear is 7 or more trips around the car. Single 3.
Acrylic enamel is still available here. Some of the OG colors are available in enamel and not in the base clear. Single would look more OG as well.

Gregs672000 wrote: get the "Ugh, it's good enough!" syndrome

I struggle with that before I even get started.

Thanks for planting the 'more time on the rocker' seed Greg. The right rocker is so strait, and rust free on the outside. 1 ding, and the leaded seam.
Thanks to everyone for steering me down this road to paint.

Just amazing work. I'm so envious and now dreading the stripping/prepping process.

It is filthy work. Just have to pace yourself.
Think about the joy of pulling the hydraulic steering brake and mashing the turbo!

I havnt done this paint thing for some time. Here is an older pic of the last one. Spent 2 years on it.

pebbles wrote:It is filthy work. Just have to pace yourself.
Think about the joy of pulling the hydraulic steering brake and mashing the turbo!

I havnt done this paint thing for some time. Here is an older pic of the last one. Spent 2 years on it.

Filthy work indeed! Unless you have ever done similar work there is no way to understand and appreciate the whole process. Twenty-five years ago I thought it would take a day or so to get the old paint off, a couple days to wipe on some filler, sand and primer... Should be easy! The life-saver who taught me just shook his head, saying "And you want it black?"

Not to discourage anyone, but know that it is a huge undertaking that will challenge your love for the car. There will be times when you just want to quit, and times when you're working a spot over and over and over, thinking "it can't possibly still be low" (but it is, shit! ) Know also there will be times when you can sit back after a hard days work and say "Man that looks nice" and get that wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Like in any relationship, it is working through the difficult battles that make the fun times that much sweeter! For those just starting out, don't worry about it being perfect cause it's not gonna be! I've done mine three times and it is still far from perfect. But for owners who enjoy doing things themselves it is an adventure worth taking (again and again in my case!)

Linda wrote:So what is the debate on single stage vs 2 stage?

Linda

single stage metallic, spray it, you are done. Sanding and polishing will streak it. get dirt in it, or tiger stripe and there is not much you can do to fix it, (respray). It also has a 60s look to it. Certainly requires experience, technique and luck!
A clear coat vs a single stage solid wont show the spider web scratches from washing, dusting etc, as much, and has a 2k look that most people like. Clear is also like a magnifying glass , spray clear on black and you can fry an egg on it. Base clears today are easy to spray,,,spray base till its covered, spray the clear. If you mess up, sand it and polish it. It just takes twice (or more) as long to spray and clean the gun twice, unless you have two guns, but then your cleaning two guns. If you mess up the base, scuff it, fog it, clear it.
I think I just splained myself out of using single

311 day thanks Sid

finished the right rocker, bolted a few things on to fit check and cleaned alot.

After having this car in the air 3ft so often, I laugh when its on the ground. Not quite like ones child taking its first step,,,,but close.