Big Thanks to Barry and the SPI Team

I have mentioned I have not painted a car since 1980 or so. The support and the products of SPI have allowed me to get results that I could not have dreamed of. The products are so user friendly they almost do the work for you and Barry's support is amazing. Two Sundays in a row I have texted a question and he has replied within minutes and the results are incredible...

I can't wait to get the finally prep work for the main body finished and get the base coat on. Working on the under body first has given me the "feel" for the products and I think I can nail it now. The color difference is because it was getting dark and the flash changes the color where it is close to the flash. This is UC mixed with SPI Orange for a single stage. The last coat I had to fix a few runs (due to trying to get coverage in hard to get to places) and I dabbed out the drip and added about 20% retarder and went over everything again (the last few photos) and the shine and depth really came out!

Thanks again!
Jim


PS the run was for character

Looks like you were all set to do the whole car? I personally hate to mask and deal with tape lines.
OK, I was too quick on my reply. You said you have more prep on the body. I really like to do as little sectioning painting as possible because the masking is so tedious. looks good!

If I was confident in my abilities I would have done that likely. I needed to get my feet wet and get the feel of it before committing the the "money surfaces". I did plan it out and I think it won't be too difficult and the lines won't be a problem. Also I do this only on weekend and weeknights. What I get accomplished need to fit into those time slots.

Wow, after the paint laid out for a few hours the area I hit with the 20% retarder looks and feels like it is laying under glass. That is a good trick and thanks whoever posted that information somewhere here.

Don't worry about the runs in the firewall area. If you are going for a factory restoration look then runs were common on a factory job.

Mike

Nice Jim! You made my paint look good!

Question. Is this the norm expected with a UC base coat mix or is it the retarder trick got amateur talents to a reasonable result?

That is an expected norm from what I have seen using UC so far. When I first sprayed UC over my base it was so wet looking that I was wondering when it would flash. As it turned out, it had flashed but still retained a wet look and that was without a retarder. But, gun, spray technique and environmental conditions play a major role in that too.

Mike

JimKueneman;n84673 said:

Question. Is this the norm expected with a UC base coat mix or is it the retarder trick got amateur talents to a reasonable result?

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What you see is what you get and will continue to see later. Nice job and keep up the good work.

MikeS said:

Don't worry about the runs in the firewall area. If you are going for a factory restoration look then runs were common on a factory job.

Mike

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Few years ago a friend bought original paint 55 mercury wagon. When you opened rear passenger door you saw a factory run in the paint on the wheel well area.