panel preparation

[r1inoz]

gday guys

im starting to strip down my gj for paint.

the paint is in pretty good condition with minor rust which is no problem for me but my problem is steps for prepping the paint.

my plan is to sand down smooth but not to bare metal using 80 grit.

then prime using primer filler.block sand with 400.then couple of base coats and a few clear coats then colour sand and buff.

is this prep work satifactory or am i missing steps,any help from painty persons would be much appreciated

cheers

andy

have attached a few pics too

[Turbo047]

Hey there r1inoz,
I just finishing up the body work on mine, as to say I've just put the last coat of primer on.

Just looking at your pics, you have to get those windows out. Mine looked in good shape till the window came out and the frames were full of rust.

Now are you planing to use 2 pack paint or single Acrylics. I'd go for the 2 packs.

This is how I've done mine,

Totally stripped the car,

Grind back the rusty bits to clean bear metal and coat with "Epotech" primer/surfacer (about $180 for a 5ltr kit) and do all your filling on top of that coat. Don't put the filler onto bare metal, even if it say so on the tin. (by putting filler onto bare metal (I live in the tropics so it's worse up here) as the filler heats up as it cures it sucks in moisture and you get what the call "osmosis" in the filler. You know the little bubbles in the bog that ruins all your hard work. I know we'll all seen it) By doing the filling and sanding on top of the Epotech that doesn't happen and this stuff sticks like white to rice.

If you are not going back to bare 80 grit is to savage, I'd go for 150 grit on a random sander. After the rust and body repair are finished. If the paint is still good you can use a 3M very fine scouring pad for the tight, curvy bits. Very fine pads are equal to 320 grit.

Now I coated the whole care in 2 coats Epotech. When that has cured (no rush the longer the better) then the fun starts. I always use a guide coat. (I've found a new way that works better, instead of dusting the panel in black spray paint, dilute the black right down with thinners and wipe it over the panel like a stain. It really works better) Then start sanding down with 180 or 240. I never, ever, EVER sand without using a block, and the bigger the block the better 1/2 sheet at least. If I sand through to the steel I re-coat that bit in Epotech at the end of the day.

Now the 2 pack primer filler goes on after a good wipe down with prepsol. 2 good coats of that. Then guide coat and block with 600.

That's where I'm up too now and it looks like.


This is the Epotech and primer.


A were I hang the panels,

[Turbo047]

Just a little more on the guide coat (cause it is the most important bit to get a good finish)

I'm out the back yard sanding the bonnet today so I've taken a few pictures as I go:

Here i'm applying the guide coat (a bit of black paint diluted in thinners) with a rag just like applying a stain.



As you block it down you can see the highs, lows and orange peel.



This method works really well when you are trying to get your panel lines just right. You can see one side of the bonnet has been blocked down and how the line down the centre and along the front lip stands out.



Anyway back to sanding, good luck and keep us posted.

[ghuphill]

TURBO047 are you going to put all the moulds and the little pinstripe ontop of the black,once all completed, and what are your plans for the grill most gh turbo grills have seen better days thats why you see most painted black but realy they are like a sort of gun metal grey with chrome around the lights and grill slots.looking like you have the body work under control mate ,keep up the good work im watching you build with intrest.

[75wagon]

the paint is in pretty good condition with minor rust which is no problem for me but my problem is steps for prepping the paint.

Rubbing it down so that there is a good key for the new paint to stick (as you have described) is the way.
Use plenty of wax and grease remover also.
Be aware, anywhere the paint stops (masking for windows/handles etc) is the first place the new coat of paint will lift from. So the more you remove the better. Depending on how long you want to keep the car, and the fact Sigma's are prone to rust around the front and rear screens, I would remove them to make sure there is no rust lurking behind.

Now are you planing to use 2 pack paint or single Acrylics.

Good question? What are you planning to use?
There are plus's and minus's for both.
If you are inexperienced at spraying, acrylic lacquer is very forgiving, but 2 pack requires the least amount of work.

Here's a sample of my work http://www.sigma-galant.com/viewtopic.p ... 2&start=90
I've sprayed a car or 2 in my time, and I have found this method (although time consuming) seems to give me reasonable results.

I did the exact same job on my wagon http://www.sigma-galant.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=2742, but did not take anywhere near as many pics along the way. The only difference between the 2 jobs is I did the engine bay and inside the cargo area of my wagon as well.

then prime using primer filler.block sand with 400.then couple of base coats and a few clear coats then colour sand and buff.

Are you doing a metallic colour or solid?
I mix the colour and clear together (after a couple of full colour coats of course), and then reduce the amount of colour as I put more coats on. I only lay full clear coats over metallic, there is no point over solid colours.

[Chrislb]

So when you apply bog over the primer, are you sanding bare metal to 60/80 for the bog to stick, then spray over,

or sand 60/80 over the primer?