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Re: Painting Preparation

To: bricklin@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Painting Preparation
From: "John T. Blair" <jblair@exis.net>
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2001 18:24:33 -0500
At 05:14 PM 2/24/01 EST, Maycinc@cs.com wrote:

>I'm getting ol' 1343 ready to paint and was wondering what the best way is
to 
>prepare the body.  With the exception of the rear quarter panels and the
rear 
>panel, the rest of my panels have been replaced by fiberglass.  The main 
>issues are:
>1. What grade sandpaper should I use? (600, 1200?)
>2. How should I fix/fill the cracks and the pin holes left over in the
filler?
>3. Any other tips.

Marvin,

   Let's see if I can help some here,

1. Cracks will have to be sanded down both in the length and the width 
   until they are gone.  These are areas and any very wavy areas can be 
   filled with dynaglass.  It's a very fine fiberglass based body filler.
   It sands pretty easily also.  For initial sanding of this, you can ues
   a body file - a cheese grater looking thing.  As you get the areas 
   cleaned up, you will want to go to something like 120,  150, or 180 grit.

2. Any pin holes can be filled with glazing putty.  You put it on with a
   squeegee (sp).  It's a cross between body putty and primer.  Talk to 
   the place you are going to purchase your paint from.  Find something 
   that will work well with the primer and paing you plan on using.

3. Next, you need to block the entire body to try and get all the ripples 
   out.  I'd use something around 120 to 180.  You want to cut at this point.

4. When you think you have the body pretty smooth find some primer that will
   contrast you fiberglass panels.  My door skins & roof are black and my 
   A pillars are white.  So a gray or red would work.  Spray a light coat on
   ONLY the fiberglass.

5. Now you MUST use a water born primer for the acrylic. You can't wet sand
   this primer either.

6. Block the car somemore.  As you sand all the primer off, you will see the
   high and low spots due to the difference in color of the primer and the
   body panel colors.  If necessary add some more body filler (dynaglass).

7. When you are happy with the way the body looks, prime it again.  The 
   water based primer on the acrylic and what ever is good with the paint
   you plan on using for a top coat.

8. Now you want to block the car again.  Very carefully with some 300 to 
   600 grit sandpaper.  If you go through the primer, you will have to 
   reprime those areas.

9. This step is optional - most paint companies make a sealer that you can
   put on over the primer to help seal the primer and the body.  If you are
   using one of the polyeurathane primers, I don't think you will need this.
   Again, ask the paint dealer what he recommends.

10. I was just talking to Terry about paint vendors.  I've always used DuPont,
   but they have just left this area.  Also I've mostly shot Lacquer and 
   just a little enamel.  If you shoot enamel - it doesn't go on looking very
   wet.  If you get it looking wet then you WILL have a run.  This is just
   something you'll have to learn to feel.  The other option is the base 
   coat clear coat.  These you have to be very careful of.  The contain 
   polyisocynate and THIS STUFF CAN KILL YOU!!!  You MUST wear a positive
   pressure hood with an external air supply.  If you get this paint in your
   lungs it will harden and you die.  Also the cynaide will be absorbed 
   through your skin and is cumulative.  Not matter how hard you try you will
   get some on you.  A little won't kill you, but if you use a lot of it,
   no telling how and when your body will react.

11. If you are now ready to paint the color coat, you want to sand the entire
    car down with about 600 grit to scuff it up for the paint to stick to.

12. If you are using enamel, watch out for orange peel.  This looks like the
    outter covering of an orange or a golf ball.  The paint is trying too
    fast, and will need to put a little more reducer in to slow the drying
    down.  Also you will want a few drops of fish eye remover.

13. When you have finished painting the car, let the paint cure for a month
    or so.  Now come back and sand it (called color sanding or wet sanding)
    with 1500 then 2000.  This will cut out all the orange peel - if you used
    enamel, and should cut out most of the trash.  Then you'll need to buff
    it back out.  3M has a great buffing system.  It has a couple of waffle
    pads that look like they are made of foam rubber.  These really work
    great.  You will also need an electric buffer.  The upright one don't
    cut it.  I've tired one on my Morgan and could not get the paint to
    buff up.  Then ones my dad and my friends use is a Black & Decker that
    looks like a grinder.  If you are interested I can call my dad and get
    the specifics.  Unfortunately B&D discontinued them a years or so ago.
    But they might have come out with another one, or you might be able 
    to find something similar from another vendor.

I hope this gives you idea of what you have to do.  

Oh, I mentioned that I was talking to Terry about this the other day.  He
said that PPG is a great paint and the have couple of "paint packages". One
is called omni.  I forgot what the other one was.  Depending on what you 
want from the paint job, you can drop a ton of money here.  

Good luck Marvin.  Let us know how it goes.  In fact, you might want to 
take some pictures as you go, and write an article for the magazine.

Finally, for those that haven't, check out my Morgan web page, the Tech
(Nuts & Bolts) section.  I've got a couple of articles there about painting
and body work.

John


John T. Blair  WA4OHZ          email:  jblair@exis.net
Va. Beach, Va                  Phone:  (757) 495-8229

48 TR1800    48 #4 Midget  65 Morgan 4/4 Series V
     75 Bricklin SV1   77 Spitfire     71 Saab Sonett III

Morgan:    www.team.net/www/morgan
Bricklin:  www.bricklin.org

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