I painted my first car!

[jdavis500]

After many months of prep, I finally painted my coupe over the weekend. My skills were not always the best when it came to bodywork. A lot of things had to be redone multiple times, but in the end, I couldn't be much happier with the way things turned out. I worked with solid colors mainly because it is my first job and they would be more forgiving. I have to say I love the combo. I went with some vintage tones. The lighting in my garage doesn't really reflect the true colors. I bit off a lot to chew with the layout. Getting the clear on in 24 hours was a stretch because of it. The white was the first coat and I got the clear on about 28 hours after that coat.

Masking and Color:
It was the masking that took way longer than expected. A 4 color motif requires a lot more masking especially when you add the numbers. I ordered some painters masking vinyl form USCutters and took it to the print shop. After getting them the files they needed, they had it cut in about 4 minutes and applying the vinyl was pretty straight forward. The masking on the rear and the cove got a little complex and took a lot of thought to get it right. I used 3M fine line tape which did well except when it went over dips, many spots showed bleeding. If there was no way to sand it out an touchup sticks only spread the bleeding paint over my white so I had to remask and spray. There is probably a technique to prevent this from happening in the first place. The remask did the trick as I sprayed lightly the second time so it wouldn't bleed into the white.

Clear:
I had tried a test panel that didn't go well in terms of orange peel. I watched a bunch of videos and read threads and this time it laid down very well. It flowed out great with a smaller nozzle , closer to the car and a slower speed. I have good to excellent gloss. I see now what caused the orange peel that I did have. Mostly it was due to overspray. The last passes should always be on the main surfaces. All the edges and funny angles should happen first.

Ventilation:
2 box fans and an explosion-proof fan did a pretty good job. For a garage spray booth, it was acceptable. A downdraft booth would be much nicer, though. The garage was fully sealed with Visqueen and a filtered inlet at one end.

Next up is wet sanding and polishing. The surface is in good shape with minimal trash except for the obligatory gnat. I have no idea where these come from when everything is sealed. Something tells me they hang out at the entry point like a dog waiting to go outside. The second you open the door, they bumrush you. This area may require a spot in with color and more clear. Other than that, sanding should go ok, but I am nervous about cut and polish. I may have to call a pro for that. Maybe I will get it close and let them finish. Baby steps...

Thank you to Jeff Miller for answering my unending questions and thank you to Srobinsonx2 for his thread that was very thorough and helpful. It was a grueling couple of days and there were times it didn't feel like fun anymore. Breathing thru a respirator all day long, sweating in a painter's hooded coverall with the clock ticking can be exhausting and very stressful. I have the utmost respect for the guys that do custom paint work like this.

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[jdavis500]

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[jwhit]

Looks good

[Straversi]

Wow, impressive. Congrats.
-Steve

[Jeff Kleiner]

You done good! :cool:

Jeff

[GoDadGo]

Congratuations!

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!

For the record, I chickened out and called in my pals to bail me out.

[edwardb]

Congratulations. You're a braver man than me. Interesting color scheme and looks great.

[ydousurf]

Sweet! The paint scheme looks fantastic! Invokes that nostalgic look and will surely be an eye gazer. Pat-on-the-back for an incredible job done, especially if this is your first. Can't wait to see it in the sunshine.

Dj

[Jacob McCrea]

That looks great. Virtually nothing on that body is flat and it looks like you got it really straight. The driver's side quarter panel in particular looks perfect. And I also had trouble with the 3M fine line tape sticking; it didn't seem to stick as well as I remember it. Bottom line: well done!

[TMartinLVNV]

Damn, that is impressive!

[Ponymedic]

Looks great!!!!

[Rsnake]

Great job! Looks amazing

[Rook]

Well done! That blue is great.

[wallace18]

Congrats! Job well done.:cool:

[Jeff Kleiner]

Just a note for anyone using Fineline vinyl tape in the future...don’t stretch it as you’re pulling it and laying it down. It’ll want to spring back and lift, especially at the in & outs like at the hood and trunk flanges, etc.

Again, you done good and the car looks great! Be careful around those edges when you get to the cut & buff ;)

Jeff

[P100DHG]

Holy crap that looks incredible!

[John Dol]

That came out awesome!!!:D
Well done indeed, now get ready for final assembly and get to thrashing gears!

John

[Russ Thompson]

Very well done, I like your paint booth too! :-)

[Hoschton Hotrod Haus]

Well Done Brave Man!!!

[Joel Hauser]

great job, great colors. congratulations

[Kodiak]

Looks great nice work !

[luvaz]

Very nice!

We had a guy in the Phoenix area a few years back paint his roadster in his garage as well. I don’t remember what size roller he used. :rolleyes:

Congrats
Will

[jeremustang]

Well done! Great color combo and DIY paint booth

[Ducky2009]

You going to have in together for Caffeine and Octane on Sunday? LOL Can't wait to see it in person.

Looks GREAT!

[Olli]

Great job!

Olli

[KDubU]

Wow! Congrats and the paint scheme is awesome, great choices. Wish I could paint as that is the one area I truly wish I could be confident enough to tackle.

[first time builder]

Nice job !!!!

[EbourqueIII]

Looks great, Congrats!!!!

[q4stix]

Really nice job!

[David Hodgkins]

You've definitely acquired a new talent! That paint job is outstanding!

Well done!

:)

[jdavis500]

Thanks for all the nice comments guys. Jeff K., I hear you on stretching fine line tape. Many of the bleeding issues were near a point where the tape folded over an edge that was not perpendicular to the direction of the stripe. For instance, the outer white stripes where they go over the ridge in front of the front windshield channel. Maybe I should have cut the tape there where the direction changes and restart with a new piece so I wouldn't try to "bend" the tape to make the stripe continue in a straight line. All these new things to learn! I am into wet sanding now and have questions. Things like where to stop. Obviously, I want to stay away from the edges(easier said than done)
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, but what about areas like the creases on the hood between the flat middle section and the hump over the wheels.
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There are so many angles and edges on the cowl. Do I wetsand there? I would be nervous cutting and buffing there. Also, I ran across a defect in the clear coat that is maybe .2mm below the rest of the clear(after wetsand).
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I wonder if I can just put a drop of clear on it to bring it up to the level of everything else. It seems a little deep for me to try t sand it out. I have only sanded to the pint of removing the orange peel. I need to do a lot more research!

Wetsanding is way better than dry sanding. Things are quieter and way less messy! Almost therapeutic.

[mtwarog]

That looks awesome. Love the color combo.
Congrats.

-Matt

[Jeff Kleiner]

...I ran across a defect in the clear coat that is maybe .2mm below the rest of the clear(after wetsand).
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I wonder if I can just put a drop of clear on it to bring it up to the level of everything else.


Yes. Dab clear to bring it above the surrounding area then sand to flush.

I use a soft 3M #20 sponge pad for getting into some of those concave areas.

https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/product/3m-wetordry-sponge-pad-no-20-05526/3m-automotive?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=free&utm_campaign=shopping&p=6DL20&gclid=CjwKCAjwn9v7BRBqEiwAbq1Ey8zDA7rzGIMOowIUxMBK i4Z2YOa7f9nTlTbQJPZdrr4JTai5McAI3hoCW6oQAvD_BwE

Jeff

[Cobradavid]

Great job! That's a nice color combination - congrats!

[CraigS]

I am far from an expert but have been involved in some really well done cars as a helper/follower of someone who actually knew what we were doing. My recommendation is, when you wonder if you should sand just a little bit more... don't. Same w/ the buffer. Should I get just a little closer to that edge or valley or bump up? No. Remember, when it's all said and done, and you have looked at it for a couple weeks, you can always go back and sand a little here or there, or buff a little more here or there. You can always take a little more off but you can't add a little anywhere near as easily.

[jdavis500]

I am far from an expert but have been involved in some really well done cars as a helper/follower of someone who actually knew what we were doing. My recommendation is, when you wonder if you should sand just a little bit more... don't. Same w/ the buffer. Should I get just a little closer to that edge or valley or bump up? No. Remember, when it's all said and done, and you have looked at it for a couple weeks, you can always go back and sand a little here or there, or buff a little more here or there. You can always take a little more off but you can't add a little anywhere near as easily.

I hear you. Good advice.

[OttawaFFRer]

Amazing! I hope to have the balls to attempt this on my 289.

[smithtlw]

Awesome job for sure! I really like how close the rendering is to the final. Those renderings really changed the way I felt about the best layout of those colors.

[cgundermann]

You’ve gotta be kidding me...first time, no way - simply outstanding!!!

Chris

[jdavis500]

Awesome job for sure! I really like how close the rendering is to the final. Those renderings really changed the way I felt about the best layout of those colors.

I agree. My graphic designer friend made about 15 versions based on my reactions. Different numbers, colors, and fonts. He even scaled the stripe width on the hood in a picture from the front. He wasn’t in love with my outer stripe width(1/2"), but I wanted the Wimbledon White(off-white) to show.

[chuckster]

Stunning!

[cob427sc]

Wow!!!! My first paint job (during high school, 32 Ford Coupe) looked like a aerosol can exploded. Took me a lot of practice to get near anything decent. A painter I met suggested spraying old refrigerators for practice and thats how I really learned. I only paint a car maybe once a year and I still get nervous just thinking about spraying. Wet sanding and buffing is always the true test of how the paint comes out and the advent of clear coating everything and the sanding out the imperfections in the clear has really improved my painting skills. By the way, I purchased a "wetbug" sander that runs on compressed air and has a water attachment. So much easier and faster than by hand especially when you do 500, 1000, 2000, and the 4000 grit sanding. Good luck!

[jdavis500]

Wow!!!! My first paint job (during high school, 32 Ford Coupe) looked like a aerosol can exploded. Took me a lot of practice to get near anything decent. A painter I met suggested spraying old refrigerators for practice and thats how I really learned. I only paint a car maybe once a year and I still get nervous just thinking about spraying. Wet sanding and buffing is always the true test of how the paint comes out and the advent of clear coating everything and the sanding out the imperfections in the clear has really improved my painting skills. By the way, I purchased a "wetbug" sander that runs on compressed air and has a water attachment. So much easier and faster than by hand especially when you do 500, 1000, 2000, and the 4000 grit sanding. Good luck!

I searched and found the Water Bug. It is probably similar to what you are describing. I would love to save the time, but there are nothing but curves on this car. I don't trust myself with a sander!

[MaxSpeed]

Very impressive and I came here for knowledge on the coupe! Yours looks like a beautiful build.

[txboiler]

Well done. I like the colours and scheme!!

[EbourqueIII]

It looks great!!!