Ok this is my first time painting a car without any help so I thought I would ask this question now before I continued and screwed up big time. I am painting my camaro a synthetic enamel flat black. The car is an Az car so there is no rust. There were however lots of rough spots and the jobber informed me that it would be best to wetsand the car down with 400 grit sandpaper. I followed the instructions and on certain areas like the wheel wells, it went down to bare metal. There are a couple of spots where this is evident and my question is should I now use a primer? I was reading that paint won't stick to bare metal and I also would like this paintjob to protect the body (I guess that is the point right?) Can I just use the paint? Any and all input is greatly appreciated -Cory
primer the bare spot. if the car has alot of marks , chip and scratches just primer the whole car and then do your prep work. more work but it will come out better. watch out doing your finish sanding with 400 grit paper you may still leave scratch marks, depending on how good the paint lays down. some brands of cheap paint don't cover very well. I've seen guys start out with some heavy grit paper and keep going up til they get to 1000 grit paper.do alot of prep on the car if not you are going to see every little spot . even stuff you couldn't see before you started on it.sand and don't get lazy and slack.prep prep prep
scuff with scoth brite pads, wipe down with a tack cloth, then pull it in to where you are going to paint. wipe down agian. shoot with rustoleum thinned with mineral spirits (5-10%). walk away. Unless you're looking for a show finish, then you need to take it apart and do body work. The end result is all in the prep. no matter what paint you use, too much filler shrinks up and is OBVIOUS to those in the know. Metal finish it as close as possible. I took auto body through a vo-tec and it taught me the basics. You won't get it perfect the first time, so remember to bondo it several light coats, keep it clean, DON'T wipe thinner or any other solvent across the filler. Oh, wait... a flat black camaro? forget it, just rustoleum (not rattle can) and move along.
go to www.autobodystore.com forums. Lots of great folk there with expertise in paint and body. (this is not to imply that the info you got here was bad...it was spot on, but that site does nothing but paint and body)
Scotch Brite pads are the way to rough up your finish to get your overcoat to stick. Be sure to do the edges! Around the edge of the trunk, hood and doors......if it's not sanded, it won't stick. On the areas that you have gone through, you should 'etch' prime those areas. Etching primer actually etches the metal for adhesion promotion. After priming the bare areas, be sure to Scotch Brite your primer prior to painting. After masking and wipe down with an oil removing solvent (degreaser) prior to tacking, you should be ready for the wet stuff.. Since you are doing the flat black thing, you won't be to be so picky about your surface, that's a whole other ballgame compared to shiny black!! J
-I already have the paint so I am going to use what I have and hopefully it comes out pretty decent. This is far from a show car, and no matter what it should look better than it is now. This has been a serious budget car for the past 3 years. It was originally that ugly gold color with a red spoiler and a welded on homemade cowl hood. I have been sanding with with 400 most of the car, and then some areas like where the badgings were with 220 just to get the adhesive off. The vehicle itself is pretty smooth and because this paint has no shine and I am not using a clear coat, it should be ok with the 400 right? Also, after I put the filler on I should not use the virgin solvent? Thanks guys -Cory
I wouldnt paint my BBQ or my mail box with rustoleum let alone put that **** on any kind of car? Your Nuts Dave
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this guy wants cheap and easy. It sprays fine, definitely not permanent, but better than surface rust. Comes off easier than blitz black for the "real" paint in the future. And it sure beats rattle can ****. Don't waste your time! If you want the satin look but only have $ for spray bomb, get yourself a quart of satin black and beg/borrow/steal a compressor, drier and a spray gun. Most of the rattle can stuff has solvents and propellants that will cause it to fade in sunlight and look WORSE than what you started with.
I think I didn't phrase that right. Is there any rattleball primer that I can spray over the etched metal for protective purposes, then I am going to continue with the bodywork and spray the synethic enamel flat black with my compressor/spray gun.
stop with the rattle can stuff. the solvents and propellants WILL cause shrinkage and the top layer will lift. its just the nature of the beast. If you have a spray gun, get the primer recommended for your brand of paint. they have to work together. also, there will be reducer/hardeners you need to account for, as well as keeping the flattening agent suspended (shake well, use a strainer, do it in small batches) and the temperature must be accounted for with more/ less reducer, there are lots of variables. I have a ton of body work to do on every panel, so satin black rustoleum worked well, for now. NOT the rattle can version. Eventually i will have a pro paint it. I reduced it with 5% mineral spirits, sprayed it at 65*. I should have had it warmer, because it took a long time to dry. a little dust got in, but I didn't prep my shop well. Knowing I was going to re-do it, I just wanted to cover it with 1 color that comes off easily. Decide now if its temporary or permanent, act accordingly.
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