I’m having my car painted by macco, the supreme package (single stange polyurethane with sealant)
This is my first time prepping a car, the hatch and rear quarter is what i’m just about done with, i’m sanding through all the clear down to either the original base coast or primer, it feels very smooth, i’m at 120grit now and finishing with 220 then 320 and was curious if the paint is going to go on right? I don’t think this paint job includes primer and i’m worried about sand marks showing or spots showing through. does the hatch and rear quarter look like a good base for them to spray?
If you didn’t have any bodywork there is no reason for you to sand with120 grit. All you would of had to do was wetsand with red scotchbrite pads and some type of cleaner/degreaser (i use a product called scuff stuff) and send it on it’s way. Hopefully you sanded enough to the point that you got all of the sand scratches out. Good luck and feel free to ask any other questions.
You can also use a canned sealer primer on any bondo spots. That will really show any imperfections in the body panels you may have fixed or what not.
Also, MAACO sometimes does a crp job of taping off. I highly suggest you tape off stuff other than windows because they are famous for overspray in inapppropriate areas…like your hatch molding / trim, the fender lips where the hood and fender meet (under the hood) and the door mouldings.
It is likely they are going to go over the car and scuff it prep it too as that is generally included in the price w them.
320 sand scratches will show through. Maaco doesn’t put on a lot of material… they really just put on enough to cover the car, they don’t really ‘build’ it up. Id really go over that 320 with some 500 gritt, or as mentioned, red scotchbrite pads.
You don’t have to go through the clear or basecoat… you just need to give the new paint something to adhere to. If you have various places where you’re through the clear, and other places where you’re through the basecoat, etc etc, you might get ‘islands’, or high/low spots that show through. A common mistake people make is assuming the paint is thicker than it really is. Paint shows EVERYTHING, it is very thin… any imperfections you think will be hidden, will probably show through. Primer/Sealer is a life saver.
If you do use a canned primer/sealer, make sure its compatible with the polyurethane paint. Otherwise once they shoot over it, the solvents in the paint will cause the primer to wrinkle and/or lift.
I’m not meaning to scare you… I’ve just painted enough cars to know that if you’re hoping for paint to hide something, it will more-than-likely show through.
Primer sealer FA SHO and definitely make sure it is compatible w the paint. It should say it on the can. You can get the paint scotchbrite pads in your auto parts store in the paint aisle, dont know if its same as like the ones at wal mart.
So different layers of paint (the blotches I have) will show through? I dont think it will be possible for me to get it all to a single coat, I’ve been trying hard as I can. right now its a mix between base, primer and a little bit of metal showing at some edges. it feels very smooth to the touch and to my finger nail. I think i’ll have them treat the metal with a rust inhibitor and prime it. will this help out?
The guy manager at macco said to finish with 320. So I should go to 500? or will primer solve this problem too?
[QUOTE=cdscivic;2222511]listen to unified…true story lol.
Primer sealer FA SHO and definitely make sure it is compatible w the paint. It should say it on the can. You can get the paint scotchbrite pads in your auto parts store in the paint aisle, dont know if its same as like the ones at wal mart.[/QUOTE]
Yea, I heard can stuff is usually without catalyst and will break down when sprayed on with auto paint
Its not so much a matter of it not being smooth, its just a matter of the transition… paint is so thin that you can see a lot of gradual transitions.
Yes any bare metal should be sealed/primed before paint.
320 will show through paint… if they’re telling you its ok, then go for it… but being that you started with 180, I would be willing to bet that if you don’t go to 500 that you’ll see scratches through the paint. Primer would definitely help this.
Any aerosols have to be ‘etching’ or hardened material.
[QUOTE=unified112;2222624]Its not so much a matter of it not being smooth, its just a matter of the transition… paint is so thin that you can see a lot of gradual transitions.
Yes any bare metal should be sealed/primed before paint.
320 will show through paint… if they’re telling you its ok, then go for it… but being that you started with 180, I would be willing to bet that if you don’t go to 500 that you’ll see scratches through the paint. Primer would definitely help this.
Any aerosols have to be ‘etching’ or hardened material.[/QUOTE]
do you mean primer would help instead or in conjuction with 500? Im trying to avoid as many stages of sanding as possible, its like 107 degrees outside lol and I got 2 more days to get this in the booth
I used the canned primer sealer to paint my entire lip kit with and then my buddy sprayed dupont white directly over that after it cured up for a day or so…the front likp was all CF and the rear lip had a shaved exhaust port with bondo and extra fiberglass on it…came out just fine and has been 3 years
Some will, some won’t. Its wise to KNOW when you buy it.
Anything that can be wiped off with acetone (or virtually any other solvent) will lift and wrinkle when painted. Its not opinion, its fact. Be thankful that you used the right stuff.
A high build primer will help with sandscratches but if you have bare metal and the area around it isn’t feathered it will show through the primer. All depending on what you did so far it is possible that you might have a lot more sanding to do.
[QUOTE=unified112;2222688]Some will, some won’t. Its wise to KNOW when you buy it.
Anything that can be wiped off with acetone (or virtually any other solvent) will lift and wrinkle when painted. Its not opinion, its fact. Be thankful that you used the right stuff.[/QUOTE]
The painter picked it out I hope he knew what was up!
I’ve tried to feather everything smooth to the touch. it’s almost done with 320 wetsanding. Ill post some pics up in about a week how it turns out. This car had a few dents, clear coat popping for several years, covered in lots of rattle can stuff that was a pita to get off. Hope it comes out smooth being this is my first time.
Alright then, handles will be pulled, I’ll see if they will paint them separately but i’ve maxed my budget, ill just rattle can and polish them along with the bumper lip and spoiler if not, small parts I can make look great with a can and a little polishing.
I’ve got a mountain of body parts piling up in my shed, every body part from lighting to trim is out, I had no idea there was so many pieces and its a little intimidating now putting all that back on lol. I only broke 2 clips which i’m proud of for my first time. The car feels way faster now when taking it to get a smoke and some beer, I’m not even used to the clutch like this after using it daily for several years.
Thanks so much guys. I haven’t been on this forum in quite some time, used to be a pretty active member of this and the g1 legend forum back in the day and it helped me become a pro (except for body work which i’m new at) so really, thanks a lot guys, it’s very much appreciated
I hope he knew what was up!
