A word of appreciation...

B

Bullmoose44

I sprayed 3 coats of Universal clear this morning over SPI red basecoat and it looks pretty good. This is amazing considering I had never had a spray gun in my hand before two weeks ago. I have been working on this project since April and stripped the car inside and out to metal. I never intended to actually paint it but could not find any shop willing to take it on here in our rural area of the mountains.

I began to read various forums and do research hoping to learn from those who have been there, done that. I read about SPI products on several forums and how good the epoxy and clear performed, so I checked out the company. The best move I made in this project was getting hooked up with SPI. The closest shop is about 25 miles away and they carried some of the SPI line, mostly clear and expoxy. I had them order the red base for me and used black epoxy, white epoxy for sealer, red base, and Universal. The only non-SPI product was Omni 282 2K but that was because they did not carry the SPI 2K primer. If an rookie like me can get results like this with these products, then a pro should have a field day with them!!

Barry has been wonderful to answer numerous questions and helped with everything from technique to gun adjustment. You other folks on the forum have been a great resource and I have learned so much from your posting and experience. I deeply appreciate your sharing with those of us who build plastic paint booths in our garage and pick up a spray gun with fear and trembling.

I still have lots to do on the Z since I now have to start putting the interior back together...Barry, could you start an interior rebuild section sometime soon??

Here are a few shots of the car after 3 coats of Universal...I know it is not professional, but it works for me. 100_1564.jpg

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Wow, you did one fine job!!!

I know you have put years into this car and it is just a thrill for me to see color on it and a great color at that.

Nice job!

Barry
 
Looks pretty good for a first attempt! Just remember there's nothing that can't be fixed if you're unhappy with the results-there's a learning curve but anybody can do this kind of work. Not to be critical but I see some dry spray in some of the photos and this is easy to correct with some sanding and another round of clear or sanding and buffing-it's up to you when to stop and say good enough. Everybody here can appreciate the amount of time put into these projects-you've done good! I dig the flares and spoiler!
 
Im with Bob.. I think you would be much happier and surprised at how much slicker it could be straight out of the gun if you sand it and shot a few more coats of clear over the freshly sanded clear.. Then sand and buff that.. With that red it will make it look even sweeter than it already does!!! Good job bro.. The hardest part is pulling the trigger the first time.. Now you have that behind you :)
 
Bob Hollinshead;15261 said:
Looks pretty good for a first attempt! Just remember there's nothing that can't be fixed if you're unhappy with the results-there's a learning curve but anybody can do this kind of work. Not to be critical but I see some dry spray in some of the photos and this is easy to correct with some sanding and another round of clear or sanding and buffing-it's up to you when to stop and say good enough. Everybody here can appreciate the amount of time put into these projects-you've done good! I dig the flares and spoiler!
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I think most of us appreciate your critique Bob, it helps us improve. So please be critical.
 
Thanks for the kind words! I have to admit I was a bit hesitant to pull the trigger on the red...but I had to see how I could do. I might find some old pictures so that you could see what has lead me to this point. I never intended to do it like this, but a friend who has a body shop asked me, "Do you want it to look good for 6 months or 6 years?" That pushed me over the edge.

I appreciate the sanding advice...I started this morning with 600 wet and am about halfway around. That too took some resolve, because I was not sure about taking down what I had just put on, but the orange peel and other errors convinced me to have at it. I plan to finish the 600 treatment, then go with three more coats. I have to paint the bumpers, grill, and rear deck finishers this week...they are going to be black...then I can shoot all the clear at once.

It is a bit overwhelming to a rookie, but I am motivated by thinking about driving it around the mountain roads where I live here in western NC. It will scoot!
 
Bob...you mention dry spray in some pictures. Is this overspray that is out of the gun pattern and I never covered it? Would this be a gun setup problem or a technique problem, i.e. speed or distance?

I really want to cut down on the orange peel on the next spraying...is this the result of too much product or improper distance? The gun pattern looked pretty good on the test paper, but I could never get the edges to be very crisp. Barry advised me about bumping up my air pressure, I am running about 25-26 pounds with trigger pulled. I am open to suggestions!
 
Bull, the hardest thing to learn about painting is how far to push. Most beginners either spray too far and fast from panel or too close and slow. The best way to learn is buy some clear, get an old junk panel (hood, fender, bumper). Set up the panel vertically (like how the fender will set on car) and spray it as wet as you can. If you tend to spray too dry, slow down and move gun closer with each pass. Spray each coat wetter and wetter. You should have clear dripping off the panel. When you find your edge (the point just before it runs) you will have yourself and gun dialed in. Repetition and muscle memory is the key to consistent spraying. You have to learn the feel for the gun and product your spraying. This is how I trained every guy who ever worked for me.
 
Bull, some of the photos show clear that's slick and glossy, some show texture in the reflection of the lights.
Bullmoose44;15246 said:
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The quarter looks wet and glossy in this one View attachment 925
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This one you can see the texture in the light reflection:
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and this one:
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If there's enough clear on there you can sand and buff to perfection, or sand it and apply more clear, or it might be good enough as is! All depends on the level of finish you're after and if you want to do some more work. Good lighting also helps you monitor the wetness of the clear as it's being applied.
 
Okay, I decided to heed advice and work for a better finish. I sanded the whole car with 600 wet...not sure if I went far enough but had everything flat even if there was some grain with the lights direct on the panels. I put on three more coats of Universal on Saturday and tried to put it on slower and closer. I think it looks better and only had one run to speak of. I plan to sand out that run and fix a few spots that showed up with base and then spot clear the panel.

I now have 6 coats of clear, which may be only 4 based on how you guys spray. Anyway, i plan to start with 1000 wet, then move up to 1500, and maybe 2000 before starting to buff. I really like the look of this effort more than the first application. I am going to my local paint store to check out compounds and pads...I am thinking foam since I am afraid to messing up what i have done so far. I will be happy with a good, clean, durable finish that will stand considerable driving and I think I am pretty close.

Suggestions??
 
Here are some shots of the latest effort...the bumpers, rear finisher, and grill are going to be black. Do you think 1500 would be far enough to go before buffing?100_1565.jpg

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With Universal 1500 would be fine enough if your good at buffing. If your new to sanding and buffing you may want to take it to 2000 or finer just to make it easier on your self. From what I see in your pics you may need to start out with 800 grit to cut the texture and dry spray down, then work up progressively to 2000. Use blocks where you can and watch the edges and corners. And don't sand where you can buff!
 
That reclear will pay off. If this colorsanding and buffing is new to you start out with sanding and buffing on ONE panel so you can get the proceedure down before sanding the whole car. You can start with 1000 and sand all of the texture out of it, 800 would be faster and is an option. Then step down to 1500 and then to 2000-each change in grit is to remove the scratches from the prior grits and getting to know when to stop sanding takes some experience or you can try to maintain directions with each grit to better judge by eye when enough sanding has been done. Keep everything clean-this is very important because if you get some dirt or debris dragging around with your sandpaper it's going to be a really bad day. Stay off the edges and bodylines-you'll sand and buff though the edges and lines if not paying attention. There's a few good threads here on buffing-do a search and read up. Try one panel and let us know how it goes and if there's any problems. You'll want to buff sections no larger than 20"x20" at a time-don't try to buff the whole panel at one time. What buffer do you have? speed?
 
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