1967 Family Patrol Project

Builds, refurbishments, restorations, upgrades

Postby faux40 » Sat Nov 09, 2019 3:05 am

Okie doke -- Since those body panels will be bare in a few short days, I'm researching primers... Well, more accurately, body work and paint. I need to know basically everything from primer to finish coat. Of course, I have never done any automotive painting... at all! The one thing I do know is that I need advice!

Here's the plan -- I'm starting off with a front-end redo! All the removable panels forward of the firewall will be blasted to bare metal, the firewall will be cleaned, wire brushed and sanded as needed. Next I'll paint everything firewall forward in pieces and parts. I am seriously considering removing the engine/trans at this point too. This will give me access to clean up the frame way back under the firewall and do the mods to install the Marks 5-speed that's been quietly living in its crate under the pinball machine for the past few years!

I may be way off on this, but it looks like I should start with an epoxy primer or urethane primer as I'll be painting large areas of bare metal and over some existing paint. The firewall isn't getting sandblasted, but I will give it some pressure washer love, then some hand sanding, etc. to get it ready for paint.

Questions:
1) What should I pre-wipe down the panels with before sanding/priming?
2) What primer I should start with?
3) Will the el cheapo HVLP gun from harbor freight work for primer?

John
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Postby RiverPatrol » Sat Nov 09, 2019 11:04 am

Robert Moore is the expert in the paint realm. Shake his tree.
Beyond any hope for intervention

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Postby ckhorne » Tue Nov 12, 2019 2:10 pm

faux40 wrote:Questions:
1) What should I pre-wipe down the panels with before sanding/priming?
2) What primer I should start with?
3) Will the el cheapo HVLP gun from harbor freight work for primer?


I have a total experience of one Patrol painted from bare metal on up, so I have no doubt that others here can chime in with more experience-based answers. However, I can answer from a amateur standpoint:

I'm not sure you need to wipe down the panels before sanding - that seems like a waste... If you want to strip to bare metal, use paint stripping discs. Going this route will require an epoxy sealer before the primer. Otherwise, sand down to the original base coat and build up from there.

Also- if you use any kind of bondo, you'll need to seal it with an epoxy coat - same with primer, since it's porous. I used a high build primer, allowing me to block sand everything smooth. You could skip this step if you're not looking for a show quality finish, leaving you with the epoxy base coat, color, and then clear coat.

I used Southern Polyeurethanes for all my epoxy base, primer, and clear coats - they're tailored for people like us and are cost effective. Plus the guys there are really helpful with basic questions. I used PPG for my color, but I have a different contact for much cheaper paint that I got from SPI.

Yes, the HVLP gun from harbor freight is what I used for 100% of my project, and they worked fine for me. I don't know any different, so I can't speak to how well they work against a professional gun, but I didn't have any fisheyes in the paint, and any runs were my own stupid fault.

It's not rocket science, and it's not all that hard. But it does take prep work and understanding the process. The good news is that you can't screw up too much - you can always sand back down and spray again.
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Postby ckhorne » Tue Nov 12, 2019 3:21 pm

My last post may have been more convoluted than it needed to be. Basically:

- spray epoxy base coat
- do any bondo work. I'd recommend doing any welding work at this point as well, even if you have to strip some paint. The metal will be sealed and won't rust
- spray epoxy base coat again to cover bondo and/or welds, if any
- if you want a smooth finish, spray high build primer and block sand
- spray epoxy again to seal primer
- spray 2+ coats of color
- spray 2+ coats of clear coat

Before each paint step: If it's been more than 7 days, rough up paint with red scotch pads. With latex gloves on, wipe down surface with degreaser (available from SPI as well). Allow plenty of time to dry. Use tack cloth to ensure no dust. You could do it all outside or in a well ventilated space, assuming the temps are > 65 degrees and humidity isn't too high. Don't use a heater in a ventilated space.

If you want some more tips, I'm happy to brain dump over the phone. But, again, my point of view is from a recent DIY-er, not a professional; all my supplied were from amazon and harbor freight... :)
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Postby faux40 » Tue Nov 12, 2019 3:42 pm

I may give you a ring once my parts are back! Thanks!

On another note -- You made a hybrid sandblaster/pressure washer that was really effective -- How messy is it and do you have any close ups of the adapter or a description?

Thanks!

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Postby ckhorne » Tue Nov 12, 2019 4:05 pm

faux40 wrote:I may give you a ring once my parts are back! Thanks!

On another note -- You made a hybrid sandblaster/pressure washer that was really effective -- How messy is it and do you have any close ups of the adapter or a description?


Wow - good memory. That sandblaster / pressure washer was a friends. I used it on a header, but it was really wasteful and really messy, and everything flash rusted. I wouldn't use it on any body panels. One of the lessons I learned in doing in doing my stuff was either take the parts and have them sandblasted or use the paint strip discs if they're small and not worth taking. Anything else is just a mess or a bigger headache than its worth. I even have a vacuum sandblaster and a HF blast cabinet.. and it's still easier to just drop it off at the sandblasters...
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Postby faux40 » Tue Nov 12, 2019 4:09 pm

To hear that info after all these years thinking -- "I'ma gonna do that too!" -- just heartbreaking! ;-)

Although great advice! I have the front end body panels at the blaster's right now... I was hoping that your method would work well with the front frame rails. They are a little rusty and have several layers of paint. I'll have to give the flapper disks a shot!

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Postby ckhorne » Tue Nov 12, 2019 4:12 pm

The paint strip discs aren't terribly cheap, but nothing else comes close to stripping off old paint. They tear through paint like nothing else. I wouldn't hesitate to use them on your frame.
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Postby faux40 » Fri Nov 15, 2019 1:55 pm

Okay -- I'm not going to get pictures of the parts in their stripped form... because I'm having the sandblaster give them a coat of epoxy primer. Not that I'm afraid to prime them myself... I'm just afraid that I won't have enough time to get them primed before they start to get some surface rust!
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Postby moore_rb » Mon Nov 18, 2019 9:56 am

faux40 wrote:Okay -- I'm not going to get pictures of the parts in their stripped form... because I'm having the sandblaster give them a coat of epoxy primer. Not that I'm afraid to prime them myself... I'm just afraid that I won't have enough time to get them primed before they start to get some surface rust!



Yup, that's the way to do it... Most shops will charge you no more than that cost of the primer, plus an hour of labor to blow and go... since there's nothing to mask, it goes way easier (and faster) than bringing it home, setting up a tent, spraying it yourself, then spending 6 hours cleaning primer from equipment, and yourself...

Now that the body is back on El Diablo de Bondo, my hanky makeshift body cart is sitting out in the yard next to the 62, taunting me to get the body off the frame of that one, and sent off to the blaster...
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L-R:
White 65 Hardtop L60-3-00617 (undergoing restoration)
Red 65 hardtop 4L60-002565 (scrapped for parts)
66 Hardtop "El-Bondo Patrol", L60-00511 (Restored, then sold June2020)
Blue 67 Hardtop (sold March1997)
Green 62 Softtop L60-2-00504 (undergoing restoration)
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