Truck painting

[bensonwe]

I need some advice on painting my truck or I should say repainting. Last July I painted my Sierra a dark metallic blue, using base coat clear coat. I don't like the results, a few runs, a little orange peel and I missed a few dents that now stick out. I want to repair the small dents and repaint but my question is can I paint over the clear coat this soon? Do I sand the clear totally off or just scuff? Will primer adhere to clear? Any help is appreciated. Thanks

[Winger Ed.]

Primer sticks like poop on a baby blanket.
It's basically spray on glue with talcum powder in it. It will stick to clear.

You can block sand it with 400 wet or dry and paint back over the clear.
I'd use plain water with a little bump of some sort of cheap/harsh soap that doesn't have a bunch of lotion or perfume in it.

If it's a good quality clear and not some el cheapo junk you don't have to get it all off.
The recoat cycle for good stuff is usually 30 days, or less.

Where the runs and orange peel is, I'd block those areas down pretty well since they will be thicker spots.
Over time, the thicker a paint film is, the more tendency it has to dry out and crack like a creek bottom does when it dries out.
One reason factory finishes last so long is because they are as thin as they can be and still not see through them.

The advantage to stripping a car down to repaint it is you'll have a thinner base film,
and the body lines just look more crisp- for lack of a better word.

Some body shops will use a guide coat of primer to find and then work out the small dents.
When you think it's ready to paint-- mist a coat of a different color primer over the whole thing.
When you wet sand it, you'll see the low spots.

And always use a rubber block or something flexible but firm--- it you just fold the sand paper and use it by hand,
you'll have finger tracks and the surface won't hold curves right, or level and flatten out like it's supposed to.The black 3M is the best and 8-10 sheets should be enough to do the whole truck.

As a final wash, those dark marron Scotch Brite pads about the size of a shoe box lid
were the all time favorite. (3M part number 7447)
They aren't bad for wet sanding primered panels, but 400 wet or dry sand paper is a little better.
In the 20-odd years I worked at the body shop supply and auto paint store, we sold about a hundred of them a month.


Don't get discouraged or take some sort of Fast Freddie shortcuts.
Remember: If it was easy-- everybody would do it, and the ones who actually do wouldn't charge so much.

[No_1]

I agree with Ed and add the following: Whenever you are accomplishing paint repair you must start with a clean surface. Perform initial wash then following up with Grease & Wax remover before you begin sanding. Believe me when I say you don’t want to grind anything into the existing paint that will affect follow on coats. Also keep in mind that most paints have a optimal final dry film thickness - anything less or more will effect paint performance.

If you are able to match the paint to your satisfaction then spot repair should be as easy as: repair spots, repaint the spots, wet sand the complete vehicle then shoot a couple of coats of clear to add shine.

Good luck!

[Plate plinker]

Body guy I knew used a piece of white styrofoam fora block. He said it follows the curves real nice.

[MrWolf]

I agree with Ed and add the following: Whenever you are accomplishing paint repair you must start with a clean surface. Perform initial wash then following up with Grease & Wax remover before you begin sanding. Believe me when I say you don’t want to grind anything into the existing paint that will affect follow on coats. Also keep in mind that most paints have a optimal final dry film thickness - anything less or more will effect paint performance.

If you are able to match the paint to your satisfaction then spot repair should be as easy as: repair spots, repaint the spots, wet sand the complete vehicle then shoot a couple of coats of clear to add shine.

Good luck!

This Big time. Make sure the surface is clean, especially when a brand new part is used like a hood on an '83 Z28 Camaro. I put down 32 coats with sanding in between of a gorgeous red lacquer. Looked phenomenal for about six months then the hood started peeling, etc. About cried. Of course I never used a mask so was spitting out red paint for over a week. I was young and dumb and that was my first new car purchase. Had her for maybe two years before some idiot on a snow covered road thought he could speed and smashed the front end. Be smart and good luck.
Ron

[Winger Ed.]

Of course I never used a mask so was spitting out red paint for over a week.

That was common back in the day. You could get intoxicated from it, but short term exposure was not a big deal.

These modern generation urethanes are more like breathing in formica.
A lot of them use isocyanates as hardeners.
Not only is it very toxic, but you get more and more sensitive to them over time instead of developing a resistance.
I've known painters that didn't wear respirators when they first came out and now get sick driving past a place spraying paint.

Read up on the hazards of them and it'll make you want to wear a Space suit when handling modern generation paints.

[Jsm180]

Be prepared for sticker shock, the days of $100/gal Imron are long gone. My brother priced paint for an F100 I gave him at $600/gal and a good friend was quoted $1200/gal to match his nostalgic drag car.

Winger Ed. is spot on and would be my advice as well. Most of my experience is with airplanes, different animal, but the same adhesion problems.

[30calflash]

All above good if you have to repaint. However a few ideas.

If it's some dry looking spots or orange peel on a few panels is it worth blocking them down and respraying those? If you don't cut thru the clear you can just re clear for a better, smoother finish.

For runs you could try a dirt nib file or a razor blade to shave it down. File it slow and finish with the blade and sanding with a small block. You have to be careful to not go thru the clear. If the run was in the basecoat you will end up going thru but you need to get the surface down to no discernable remainder of the run to be seen.

For the dents, if in an accessible area there are folks who do paintless dent removal, this could be an option. Some of those guys are very good at what they do and a light sanding and polish after may get you some great results.

If you're after 100% in quality of the finish these may not work to your desire but if you're willing to live with less or smaller imperfections it could work for you.

Just brought these up as a possible way to avoid a complete re paint and the $$$ for materials to be spent.

[Winger Ed.]

was quoted $1200/gal to match his nostalgic drag car.

I was in the industry from 1981-2006.
The really fancy stuff was still fairly new.
In about 2002 the paint that changes color at different angles and light had just come out.
Instead of ground up Aluminum for the metalic flake, it used microscopic size prisms cast from mylar.
Back then, the wholesale/body shop price was $600.00 a half of a PINT. (8 ounces)

Some of the really rich looking tri-coat systems that look like a old school candy apple finish were over $100.00
for a quart of just the base coat.
A full factory finish for a decent size car or truck was right around $1,000.00 just for the materials even then.

Oh, there wasn't 32 coats of lacquer on the Camaro.
Laq. doesn't lay down like layers of a onion, or sheets of paper.
Each 'application' or coat bonded and soaked into the previous one.
All that layering and sanding was a waste of time and materials.
It all ended up being one coat, however thick it was at the end.
You got to the same place spraying 2-3 coats, then color sand once with 1,000 or 1200 grit wet or dry, and buff.
In the day, GM used Lacquer on all their new cars, and acrylic enamel on the trucks.
They went through the manufacturing process, and got sprayed with one coat, then into a drying oven.
The factory probably didn't own a buffer or sand paper.