Painting my Roadster

[MB750]

In the spirit of "Built, not Bought" I'm painting my Roadster. I've painted a few things before, mostly motorcycles, but this is something I want to fully understand and tackle. One thing's for sure; British Racing Green, solid, no stripes. :cool:

Just two questions for the masses, then I should be good to go:

I'm seeing Epoxy and Urethane primers. From what I've gathered, epoxy is for bare metal and is a better "sealer" for sealing bare metal (etching primer notwithstanding here) and urethane primers are better for building up a surface. Some people choose to lay down epoxy before urethane, and then block sand/guide coat the urethane since it's better at filling scratches.

Since we have fiberglass bodies, is epoxy still the ideal base primer? Or can I just surface prep the gel coat and start with urethane?

Next question...

Also from what I've learned there's quite a few stages of laying down paint. Be advised, I know there's tons more prep work in the form of block sanding, filling, sanding, builder primer, more sanding, etc... so for this question I'm just talking about paint, specifically 2K paints.

Between stages of lying down coats, do I have to let it fully dry and then sand/clean before the next stage? I realize my last urethane primer coat will be block sanded with 320 so that's basically prepped (except for tack cloth and oil/grease remover) so this question is for the base and clear coat stages. For instance, if I'm done with my first coat of base, can I just wait the recommended time to apply the second coat and just lay it down without letting it dry to sand? Same with clear coat. Do I have to 400 grit the base coat before applying the clear? My thinking is that once I've got my "paint booth" set up in my garage I'm not too interested in milking it out over a few weeks. I'll have all the paint and clear, just devote the whole day to making a huge mess and be done with it.

Thanks everyone.

[Otee453]

The common formula on the FFR forums is body filler of choice, polyester primer (slicksand, feather fill, etc...), 2k Urethane primer, 2k Urethane Sealer, base, clear.

Although I painted my car and ended up with a fantastic final outcome, Im not a "painter". When it comes to flash times and sanding base & whatnot.... follow the TDS for the products you purchase. I used SPI base & clear, purchased the appropriate activators & reducers for the temps I sprayed in and followed the TDS docs. Southern Polyurethanes (SPI) has a fantastic customer service and love helping novices over the phone if need be. I called them more than once to verify I was on the right track.

If you research this forum, you will find the precise methods the resident pros use each step of the process. It works. I did that and my black paint job won at my first big car show.

[Jeff Kleiner]

No epoxy. Polyester high build…catalyzed urethane primer surfacer…catalyzed urethane sealer…urethane base…clear. 320 is too coarse for base—-go 600 wet (you can sneak by with 500 wet if it’s a solid non-metallic base). If you sand base you have to recoat prior to clear (clear over a sanded base will magnify the sanding scratches)

Jeff

[MB750]

Cool, thanks fellas. I figured these kits would have a unique aspect of laying down color on account of the fiberglass body.

[Avalanche325]

Just shake the Rustolium can for 60 seconds before spraying. I hear that is Jeff's secret for a show car finish.

[rich grsc]

Just shake the Rustolium can for 60 seconds before spraying. I hear that is Jeff's secret for a show car finish.
The true secret, is a can in each hand, after a six pack. :rolleyes:

[Jim Stabe]

I use Southern Polyurethanes products and have enjoyed great results from them. They make high quality products at very reasonable prices. This is a quick guideline from their website on how to get a good paint job.
https://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/perfectpaintjob

[MB750]

The true secret, is a can in each hand, after a six pack. :rolleyes:

LOL, or a beer in one hand and the rattle can in the other.

Just make sure to shake the correct one. :p

[MB750]

I use Southern Polyurethanes products and have enjoyed great results from them. They make high quality products at very reasonable prices. This is a quick guideline from their website on how to get a good paint job.
https://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/perfectpaintjob

This is good, thank you.

[rich grsc]

Hey, safety first. Jeff never drinks and sprays at the same time, can't risk getting paint in the beer. :rolleyes:

[Jeff Kleiner]

This is good, thank you.

Apparently it’s good for their products but absolutely not for other manufacturers (PPG for instance—-these guidelines are way outside of their time windows). Don’t assume that what works for one will work for all.

Jeff