I have a Studebaker I need to paint and I am cheap. I know I won't get a pro job doing the bodywork and paint myself, however the Lark is not valuable and perfect to practice on. What paint method would you guys recommend and what color is most forgiving?
Both of the above. Next would be ghost gray like the lighter ford tractor gray. But white is your best bet and if you don't have a fancy spray setup then single stage enamel or lacquer.
I never painted a car in my life but I've always heard white is most forgiving. But, you know, that's just like my opinion man.
White doesnt show waves in the sheetmetal as bad, but it does make uneven doorgaps stand out like a boner in sweatpants.
why would you want to go thru the work with the thought it is not valuable? Most any paint process is costly from any manufacture to do the job right with the primers & sealers needed along with color and or clear. As far as forgiving colors stick with solid color- no metallic
I would like to go through the work since it is a perfectly good 4 door Lark that I can keep, take the kids to cruise night and all that stuff. I would also like to learn a few basic body shop skills and using a car with no real monetary value that I own seems to be ideal.
Yep, white. Also hides your runs,drips, and errors better.The lighter the better. That is why a lot of people pass on white cars, its harder to tell just how bad the body work is until its too late. And see if you can get some lacquer. Its the most forgiving for a novice and its easier to correct your mistakes with it.
White is your best bet for hiding any flaws but it can be a real pain to blend in a repair area. Ther are 100s of shades. As far as what type of paint I would suggest something like DuPont Centari acrylic enamel with some hardener. It sprays easy and dries quick, buffs good and will last for years.
since you are going to do the body work to learn blocking is a big part of the process. paint it a color you like but stick with non met paint. it you go with white you won't see your mistakes as easy. reds oranges blues . prime guide coat block repeat. use a block that is atleast 9 inches or longer for the flat panels the guide coat shows the low spots nothing to it.....lol
white will hide poor bodywork as far as wavy goes, but like metalshapes says, gaps will look like ass, actually, silver is your best bet, hides everything.
I did red for my first paint job. Not the smartest thing I ever did! Go light and work the gaps the best you can.
Not white... and here's why. Just like you need perfect bodywork for black, you need perfect panel alignment with white. Bad panel gaps show up against white, and so do shadows when a panel sits out further than it should. These things can make a car look just as bad bodywork. Gray and silver are good choices, and so are pastel colors like pale yellow and baby blue.
Ugly goes clear to the bone......... Hot Rod satin black.......... http://kirkerautomotive.com/html/paints.html#Paint3
Great information on here so far. White is what I did my first paint job on. Grab an old hood and practice on it. Something you can screw up and don't care at all about. Stand it up and shoot it. practice building your coats Figure out your gun...How far or not to thin your paint. Anyone can lay paint on a horizontal surface. Put it on to fast on a vertical and it comes out looking like granny's titties. I went with single stage acrylic enamel on my first car paint...white works great as mentioned. Buy a gallon. You will have plenty if you need to fix something on your car later. Plan to wet sand and buff afterwards. Get after it!
Do it black, then you'll really appreciate the prices the pro's charge. Like advised, do a light color. Block it 'til you're sick of it, then block it two more times (at least). First one I did was a color called French Vanilla. Couple of gallons of filler, some furnace pipe & pop rivets, next thing I knew, my buddys thought I could paint! Proof light colors are definitely forgiving!
Did anyone mention WHITE ? Also, I had a late model car that was white that I rarely washed. It never looked real bad....Well besides being a Ford Escort!
I will strongly disagree with all the people who say white. It shows shadows too well and (as someone already pointed out) gaps. The brighter the white, the more true that is. Yellow and orange are both magical colors. I have owned cars in every color you can imagine and the yellow and orange ones look fantastic from 20 feet away even when the body is a nightmare. For more "period-correct" look I recommend pastel green, creamy yellow, or baby blue. All three of those colors also hide rather than highlight any faults or flaws.
Is that the one that looks a lot like the Chrysler white that was on the Magnam wagons? Great firewall color IMO. Bob
What we called Baby Doll Blue in the 60's looks great on cars with less than perfect body work. A lot of friends had that on their cars in the early 60's and it doesn't have that "I got lazy and didn't want to slick it out" look that white often screams? Or the pale yellow. Myself, I think I'd buy another bundle of longboard sheets and sand on the sucker another weekend or two and get it right even if I did use low cost or white paint.
White hides ugly, but is ugly itself YUP ! White is an ugly color but it sure make these sleds look good , called VANILLA SHAKE It would look great on your lark.
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