PAINT!!!, what do i need to know? Options

[Hydra]

Hey there,
It's been a long time coming, but there it is, the day i prep my car for painting (after 2 full media blasting sessions in the past 10 month, you know why it's taken such a while)
After reading up each and every website i could get my paws on, about painting, priming, filling, sanding, etc... i kind of got messed up, too many details, very poorly organized, and too many brand-oriented info...
So i thought about putting up an organized detailed list of everything one needs to know, in order to get his car fillled, primed and ready for paint and do that in his own garage...
What we need, will most probably be a good summary of all the stuff that's already been written on the club's forum, plus any missing stuff... And make a classic thread out of it (for us CSOBs who need to do everything at minimum cost)
the basics would be:
-different terms used and what they mean (Wash-primer, filler, sealent, putty, etc...), i know most of us know what they are, but it thought about having it complete...
-different chemicals paints and products are based on (epoxy, polyethylene, water etc..what works with what, and what doesn't...
-A chronology of how those product should go on the car...
etc...
Anyway, that's all i can think of right now.
thank you all for your help.
Nick
p.s: the car is gonna be painted irish green, original color...

[914-8]

Where are you getting your supplies from?

I assume a shop that supplies professional paint shops, since these things aren't consumer items.

I'd go down there, tell them what you are doing, and see what they recommend.

The most important thing is that you use components (primers, sealers, etc.) that are all compatible. Don't know what kind of paint you are going to use, but if you look up their "spec sheet" on their website, you'll get a sheet that lists all the recommended products and surface preparation. Your paint supplier can help with a lot of practical advice, too.

Those are your best sources of specific information.

I've done a few Porsches myself. Did a 914 complete in my garage. This last one, however, I took a different approach. Painting in the garage flat out sucks. It used to be somewhat manageable, but it seems the high solid paints these days are somewhat different, messier and a bit less forgiving than the old style paints, like Du Pont Centari (no longer available).

The paint itself, when you factor in the catalyst, any fisheye reducer, reducer, etc. can also be quite costly (bad if you make a mistake).

So I decided to not spray in my garage, but rent a booth for a day. Garage was out of the question, after I experimented on one panel.

So I went to find a booth to rent. The shop wanted $150/day. Thing is, if I just brought the car in "ready to spray" they'd do it for $500.

So for $350 over the cost of the booth rental, I just dropped it off and picked it up a couple of days later, professionally done.

Well worth it, IMO.

As far as surface prep, IMO the most important step is the high build primer and guide coat/block sanding process. This is the most time consuming, and requires good feel and a good "eye." But doing this multiple times and doing it right is what give nice, glass smooth panels.

[Hydra]

As a matter of fact, i' am preparing my car to get it to a "ready to spray" state, the paint itself will be done in a booth by a pro....
My supplier is the least knowledgeable guy out there, he's a dupont rep, but i don't mind switching to any other brand. As i said earlier, i don't want to rely on brand-oriented info, but just guidelines...

Nick

[riverman]

Is the car you're painting the one in your avatar? If so, I'd like to see a bigger pic if you have one. It looks kinda neat.

[Hydra]

Doug,
The car in my avatar is unfortunatly not mine, it's one of my cars' wet dream. that's what the roller project i'm working on should look like, once i'm done with the car i'm working on right now...

[krazykonrad]

Slightly OT but did Glasurit (sp?) make the 914 paint as it did for the VW Beetles?
Konrad

[VaccaRabite]

For the sake of CSOBism...

CSOB painting tips thread....

I intend to try this when it gets to be time to paint mine. Just can't fight the temptation of a durable paint job @ $50 paint and tools included....

Zach