I have read some of the posts about painting. I have a 73 240 I want to sand it to bear metal and re-primer and paint. I live in Phoenix so it is dry and hot i have a 16 x 32 garage and a 8 galon compressor with a divilibis sprayer.

So I need to get an inline filter and a dryer of some kind and make sure to clean the garage and mask every thing off. I also need to get some kind of breathin apeeratus.

Ok Here are my questoins

1. Surrface rust: can I just sand until I see metal with no rust?

2. Primer: What kind and howmuch?

3. Cleaning paint gun: How do I clean my paint gun between spraying primer and paint and between touchups?

4. What brand / kind of paint: What is a good brand and kind of paint to get? and from what I've read clear coat is not neccisaraly a good Idea. So If I don't clear coat how do I keep the car looking best for years to come in the hot AZ sun?

5 how much paint is adiquate: I want enugh paint left over for touch up and future body addons (side skirt and what not) I am painting the car and an additional hood and doing some work on my rims. is one gallon good or two or more?

6. Coats: How many coats of primer do I need and howmany coats of paint? how long do I wait between coats?

7. after painting: How long until I can drive the car? how long until I can wash it. Should I buff the car immedatly with paint cleaner and wax and if so when?

I want my car to be a show stopper so if thier is anything I need to do or get let me know.

p.s. what is orange peel?

Thanks,

Brad

Wow Brad--------by the sounds of this you must be a novice or a weekend warrior stepping up to the "paint the CAR plate"!!!!!

I shall answer all your questions as best as I can-------If the answers get confusing or you feel lost just ask more questions so I can assist you best......

1.) first question was about surface rust-------------surface rust is really something that you do not sand to get to-------surface rust is something that has just formed because you or someone else has removed all the paint and primer and left the bare metal to be exposed to both moisture and air..........If you are asking about true years and years rust that is also another topic???? Let me know which one you have because each one is dealt with similiarly but different........basically in a nutshell all rust shall need to be removed--------if just surface rust than it can be sanded off---however if it is rusty rotted metal more than likely it would need to be cut out and patched....

2.) this question asked about primers-----------well there are various primers that all perform different duties-----------a metal-etching primer is used when all paint and primer was removed leaving nothing more than bare metal---------this metal-etching primer will etch into the metal forming a base or bond to build upon-----------secondly you have filler primers which are primers that are used during and after body work(ie. fillers are being used)----the filler primers help to fill scratches and remove feather-edges from body work---------they also provide a great base for the last primer-------------the last primer is a sealer primer or surface primer---------both are used after all major sanding is completed and is intended only to provide a base to wet-sand the car for paint

3.)Paint gun should be cleaned with a good gun-cleaning solution or Acetone----------both can be bought at a paint supply store--------------No paint or primer should ever be left in a Paint gun long enough to dry---------------If anything is left in a gun without cleaning it throughly the gun could be lost forever or need a complete re-build------------usually if you are painting a car which can take a whole day depending on paint types and dry times you could not have to clean the gun at all---------however i do recommend cleaning the gun between color coats and clear coats..........

4.) what type of paint brand--------that is a hard answer-------I myself prefer PPG paints-----------and Marson filler primer-------Sherwin Williams etching primer----------and PPG epoxy primers--------------as to whether you should go single stage or two-stage(base coat-clear coat)--------I always recommend for external car painting-----to go with a two-stage paint----------has better life, luster, and shine

5.)Well how much paint? I always recommend getting much more than you should need so you can fix future boo-boos--------a gallon would be sufficient to just paint the car as a whole-----------as for what you asked i would get a minimum of a gallon and 2 quarts-----that way if you mess up you have extra--------plus you will have the exact paint match for future repairs

6.)primer coats will vary since you apply primer, allow to dry, than sand til smooth--------most of the time-------primer is usually applies on a single area numerous times til perfect

as for base coat/ clear coat application---------i usually recommend 3 to 4 coats of base and likewise with the clear coat

as for dry times--------when you purchase each paint or primer--------make sure to ask for the product sheets------they will give you all the details about dry time---------tack time-------buff time-----------how many coats ---ect---ect

7.)after painting a car it is usually recommended a minimum of one to two days of good "in the sun" baking--------and than you can drive-----but be careful cause "todays" paints take between 6 months and year to completely cure---------they might be dry to touch in a 6 hours but internally they are still soft-------------------as to when to buff a car------------i usually like to give a car a full week of "in the sun" baking before i begin to buff

you said something about "paint cleaner"????? to buff???? to buff a car you use rubbing compounds---------I do not recommend a novice to color sand and buff a car---------It takes lots and lots of practice before one person and do a great buffing job without burning and destroying a paint job.....

Washing a car can be done 2 days after painting------but you will only be able to use plain water-------NO SOAPS of any kind-----after a month I would suggect getting a special car detergent--------------places like NAPA carry this stuff--------you do not want things like DAWN and IVORY cause they remove oils from a newly painted cars surface

waxing a car is only recommended 3 months after painting-------until that point i would use a Glazing compound which contains no silicone(which is the bad stuff) and allow the paint to cure--------after buffing the car and allowing the paint to cure is only when i would use an over the counter wax

ok the last question is a PS "what is orange peal"--------have you have eaten an orange????????the peal on the outside of the orange consits of various pits----------not extremely noticeable but there to the touch and depending on which angle you catch the glimpse of the orange----------well orange peal can happen on a cars painted surface---------and yes it makes the car look really bad----------------it is something that every car painter fears to see------------

hope this helped------yes there was a lot to answer so i might of missed some things-=-------if you need more help just keep asking

later 81 TURBO

81 Turbo,

Thanks, for all the info. Now I have some new questions.

1. what grade of paper would I use to sand the primer If I primer one weekend and paint the next is it ok to drive the car 30 hrs (or so) after primer

2. I have buffed many cars with cleaner, polish, and carnuba wax would I buff it any diffrent the cleaner I use I think they also call it rubing compound.

3. out side of my garage is very dusty is a fine coat of dust going to harm the paint while it bakes? should I perhaps leave it in the garage for a day or so before pulling it out to bake? and then park it on the street or grass rather than in the rocks and dirt infront of the garage? How will I know when it is done (oven set to 350 bake one one side for 1/2 hour and turn ha....ha... )

4. How can I prevent orange peel and if I get orange peel then can I just sand and repaint the affected area?

Thank you very much you have been a great source of information and knowlege

The rust that I have is most likely surfface when I bought the car their wer scraches that were rusting nothing through the metal and in the back hatch their is some paint bubling ( I have only seen a couple of z's that did not have the rust bubles in the back hatch) can I just sand the rust bubbles in the back hatch down to the meatal and re paint

Hi Motosys again---------

Ok you asked as to what grade of paper you can use to sand the primers-----------each primer is different-----------as for a etching primer i would use 220grit and higher----------as for the filler primer i would use anything from 150grit and higher til it is smooth-----------and for the surface or sealing primer(which is the last primer before paint) i would start with 400 to 600grit wetsand paper-----------remember when it comes to primer you can always sand and re-shoot-------so if you were to get knicks or scratches ect you can alway re-shoot with more primer-----------as for priming one weekend and painting the next yes that is possible--------but remember that you will want to wet-sand the car either the day of painting or the day previous----this is because if you final sand to far in advance the primer can get contaminated before painting

-----as for buffing the buffing the car question------------buffing is truly an artform------------i recommend getting a great electric buffer(not the orbitals you can buy at Pep Boys, K-mart, ect.) or air powered buffer.........as for how to buff and color sand---------wet-sand the car only if it needs to be wet-sanded-------and if it needs to be wet-sanded you would start with 1500grit and finalize it with 2000grit-------------than start buffing with compounds-------I recommend 3M products----------you will never use carnuba wax of any sort until 6 months down the road----------3M makes 4 products i would recommend to buff the car out with-------1-heavy duty rubbing compound---2-Micro rubbing compound-----3-Machine glaze-----4-Hand Glaze(this will act as your wax until the paint fully cures)--------also I would recommend using the Foam Buffing and Glazing Pads also made by 3M

------------as for when to take the car out and let it bake-------yes it would be wise to keep the car in the garage the first night so it tacks up completely------------than the next day i would remove all the masking tape and paper--------and from there you can allow it to dry anywhere outside--------cause the surface of the paint shall be dry enough to prevent dust ect. to enter...............

I usually just take a car out and just let it sit-----------turn ect so the sun hits all sides---------i like to give atleast a good week to dry before i start buffing------------

------Now how to prevent orange peel----------final a scrap piece of metal like an old hood, fender, ect----------and do trial passes to make sure the paint gun is getting the proper spray pattern and atomization----------also by using wax and grease removers to clean the car before painting and using tack cloths to remove dusts and lints---------as for how to remove and fix orange peel----------good one----------sometimes orange peel can be buffed out of a cars paint job----but that will depend on how bad the orange peel is and how much clear coat is applied-----------if you notice that you are getting orange peel while you are painting the car---------i would suggest adding a little more reducer to your clear coat(no more than 20% more) and re-setting the paint gun for a better atomization and pattern-----than just apply 2 more coats of clear------that is the best suggestion that i can tell----------these situations are hard to help with cause I would have to be there to figure the best plan of attack--------cause each situation is extremely different from another

---------ok you said you have surface rust which is an easy sand smooth technique----------------as for the bubbles this sounds like the typical cancerous rust which you will have to sand down to the metal and determine truly how bad it really is------------it could be simple which would mean you would just have to add some filler to fix the area--------or could be hard which would mean cutting out the rust and welding in fresh patches of metal than filling ect.

laterz, 81 TURBO