Couple more thoughts on the paint subject: a) the idea of a plastic sheet booth is a great one - with a couple of mods...The booth needs four fans to get to the right flow rate. Also, use a bunch (6-8) furnace filters in the roof of the booth and space the fans out around the perimeter - you'd have a trailer trash downdraft booth thataway! was thinking about this exact idea yesterday and solved for mass flow rates. that's what the four fans are for. b) When you're doin your first paint job and it's outdoors, go one thinner hotter than spec to give airborne paint particles time to 'fall' into the paint...minimizes overspray, but you can't get too heavy on the top coat. c) dunno about modern paint formulations, but I'm pretty sure I killed more than a few brain cells shootin' lacquer inna garage. Was shootin' chrome yellow on a '69 Camaro in '78 when I'd picked up tunnel vision and the car seemed a million miles away - until I whapped the quarter panel with the nose of the paint gun. Got outta the garage, had a helluva headache the remainder of the nite. ventilation is your friend! d) paint bugs. If you've shot outside - you've met them. Little fuckers the size of the head of a pin; they land upside-down in yer fresh paint and live long enough to wriggle a half-inch long trail inna most conspicuous place. The more costly the paint - the more paint bugs show up to mess with yer head. I've shot lacquer, enamel, and three-part urethane - modern paint formulations are a breeze compared to the 'old' stuff. Follow the directions, take your time - and be prepared to color sand until your arms fall off. Better still, find a good woman to do the sanding for you. If she's still around after the sanding is done - marry her.
I shot Candy Brandywine over a gold base in the driveway in Indiana one time. I picked a warm calm spring day because bugs were not hatched that much yet and did it as early as possible in the AM so I had all day to shoot it. By the time I got the last coat of clear on it the bugs and wind had showed up some but I picked each bug out between coats and just shot more clear in that spot next time. After it had all cured I wet sanded everything with 1500 and then hit it with a buffer. I had the worlds only 1977 head turning daily driver Chevette. This was in 1991 while I was building my garage and this was my first time shooting candy so I picked a car that I could not hurt if it didn't turn out. I painted 7 cars outside like this and all turned out nice so it can be done. Still much better to have 4 walls and a roof over it as it saves some extra work but you can't get better lighting! Bob The pictures got mixed up when I uploaded them so here is what you see. All are of the same car but the red with one black strip was before and then we have 2 during and the rest were after a trip we took after I finished the car. I think I have them in order now so lets see...
You know that Dupont now makes some pretty nice kandy paint that is 1/4 to 1/3 the cost of HOK paints. FWIW Might save some chedder!
I live in Michigan just as you do. We have snow on the ground. I assume you're going to paint in the spring. The only problem painting outside in April would be the humidity from all the rain we get.The humidity will cause cloudiness in your finish. I say paint it in the garage...wet down the walls and floor. Put down cheap plastic painter's cloths on your toolboxes and tables and anything else that might hold dust....Good luck.
The Jalopy Journal
