Getting ready to repaint my 56 F100. Now it has a decent acrylic lacquer/ clear paint job that's 15 years old. I've done some painting but not a whole car. I've heard that a basecoat/clearcoat system is more forgiving for new guys. The body/ bed components will all be painted separately. Any opinions on favorite systems?
The new B/C systems are great for a repaint for your situation. Prep it as normal and shoot . If you have done some spraying you will like the new paint systems a lot. But do stay with the whole system and do not mix brands for your best results. There are some cheaper systems out there that give great results also . All depends on the out come you are looking for . I have been researching a few of the economical brands and hear good things but the choice of cost is always left up to you .
if u choose to leave the lacquer on. which i would strip. u need to but a sealer, prefereably an epoxy sealer on before u paint.
As sik said, A mild stripping is a good idea. I don't live that far from you-- I know how hot it gets. If it's a dark color, you're definitely asking for a little bit of trouble IMO. Laquer (non catalyzed) products are thermoplastic, which means that they tend to head towards a former state when they encounter heat or solvent....they tend to get gooey and move around a little. Yeah- I know that laquer seems nice and hard, and is brittle....(no wonder they stopped using it, huh). It's all good when EVERYTHING on the truck is laquer primer/putty/sealer/paint), but when encapsulated by modern urethanes and epoxies it's potentially problematic. In collision work- where paint warranties are concerned, applying urethanes/epoxies over laquer is a non-no. It will technically void the warranty on products used. This is what I would do (and have done with success): I would block sand the old product off the truck, with something like 80 or so. If you're confident with a DA or Mudhawg or Airfile, I'd start there cause it would save a ton of work. Seal it up with Epoxy primer (some will say acid etch- I just like epoxy). Apply a round of sprayabe polyester primer surfacer, and dry block - starting with 120 and moving up to 180 or so. Then do the normal primering/sanding/painting with the urethane system you choose.
I agree, strip the laquer and go with a base/clear system and stick with one system. I have seen a lot of people try to mix different companies bases and clears with REALLY BAD results. And you do get what you pay for. You can get cheap paint and get pretty good results, but who wants pretty good? I cut my teeth on Diamont/RM, I am biased to it and it gives beautiful results, but is pretty pricey.
Oh, and I don't know the laws in AZ, but stay away from the water based crap if at all possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Having lacquer underneath it is probably going to show its ugly head. Your best bet is to strip it and then check some threads on priming bare metal.
Thanks guys..Let me make sure I've got the sense of what you say..strip to bare metal and build back up with a good BC/CC system. (best way) Or..block sand most of the acrylic laquer color coat off, seal, then build up a BC/CC. (next best) About right?
It's a matter of preference, really. Block sanding/DA-sanding the existing material is a shortcut. Sometimes you can do it with a minimal amt of disassembly. Whatever repairs that are underneath and are still solid can stay, and a small amount of the laquer product may stay underneath in tight areas, for instance- BUT, here's the key: the sprayable polyester primer surfacer creates a barrier of hard catalyzed material between the old and the new. It's not "ideal", but should be OK for an occasional driver, and will save you alot of work. Over the polyester, you can spray all of the normal urethane primers, sealers, and BC/CC paint products. If you sand the existing substrate carefully, and block the polyester well- you don't have much work left at that point. Stripping- you are pretty much starting from zero IMO... It's kinda like asking your wife how her days was when you don't really need to know. <iframe style="border: 2px inset ; width: 540px; height: 250px;" tabindex="1" id="vB_Editor_001_iframe"></iframe>
Looks like you are getting some pretty good advice on here. I have painted a few cars now at home in my garage and at work in in a booth. I still consider myself an amateur but know enough to get good results. I do not have experience with lacquer but I would definitely sand it off before proceeding. It just makes me nervous. It will seem like a lot of work while you are stripping it but the work will be minimal when compared to what you will feel if you dont strip it and it causes problems down the road. A paint job is definitely made in the prep work. I would strip it to metal with 80 grit, clean the metal with a wax and adhesive remover, prime with a self etching primer, block sand and body filler the necessary areas, prime with a primer/sealer, wet sand with 600 grit, base, clear, wet sand with 1000/1200/1500, buff with medium grit rubbing compound and a wool pad, buff with machine glaze and a foam pad, and then finish with a hand glaze. These are the general steps. As for products to use, stay away from napa paints and omni brand paint. You get what you pay for. I have had good results with Diamont R/M made by BASF, Sherwin Williams has really revamped their line and makes a good product, and if you want to get really wild House of Kolors makes some great stuff. Stick with 3M for your buffing materials. Definitely, don't mix the paint brands. Stick with one product line. When you buy the paint ask for the product info sheets. These will be beneficial in helping you with mixing ratios, flash times and curing times and temperatures. If you have any more questions feel free to ask. I will try to help you in any way that I can. Jared
the "best way" is the only way. take your time, do it once, and do it right. if you want the job to last, spend a little xtra money and purchase a good brand quality paint (spies, sikkens, diamont). all the advise given is spot on, the only other thing is, if you've never painted a full vehicle, use a solid color and paint it in pieces, (lots of round panels on those trucks and clearing could be tricky), or find a local and respectable body shop to spray it for you. good luck and post pics!
waterborne is not crap. and soon everyone in the us will be using water. cuz the other states will follow ca. once u get used to it, it can be alot more beneficial then solvent.
Every painter I have talked to that has switched to water (and it is quite a few I am in shops everyday and Canada is in the process of switching over) loves it. No problems at all.
Is that the voice of ignorance talkin? Hate to inform you but alot of factory paint systems are moving towards water based...even high end exotics... I'll be painting mine in auto-air candies and flakes...you cant tell the difference once its on and done... In the future your going to see "normal" paint systems get outlawed from the hobbiest...the low VOC/water based are whats gonna be avail for the DIY guy
auto air candies are a big pain. auto air in general is a pain. u MUST have a gun with a 1.2 tip size. NO EXCEPTIONS. use house of kolor uk for your kandy needs.
you know what....when I first started researching water based I heard alot of complaints about AAC...I honestly havent had a problem with them ... Yes the candies can be a bit of a bugger but once you get the whangle of the dangle its no less of a pain than your normal processes...touch up on the other hand on the candies and flakes ARE a HUGE pain...thats why I dont screw up...
C'mon...AAC is one of the most simple and forgiving products on the planet and you know it. but the candies....ahem...candy pigments SUCK compared to HOK in depth and transparency. i'm planning on doing our 52 in AAC base coat black. i likes it.
what? come on! lol whats the deal, no kkl no mas? basecoat black is one thing. but a candy on a car in aa, what a bitch! this altered pilot guy is a bad mofo with aa. i started givin up, i can airbrush with it like uros but spraying this guy OWNS lol
man, i have been so freaking busy lately that i haven't been playing anywhere but here...no KKL, no SK, no nada.... i guess busy is a good thing... as far as AAC goes, for someone who wants to get into the booth and get color on, doesn't want all the hassles of ratios and compatibility and time windows and runs and all that nonsense, AAC is THE product as far as i'm concerned. of course you still need to have your head on straight when it comes to shooting your clear, that's a given. Really. the product is pour and shoot. you can mix any AAC product with any other to get limitless colors and effects. if you follow the directions its nearly impossible to screw up. AND its a really economic product in my eyes. you figure, no catalysts, no reducers, no whatevers and you can clean you gun out in the sink! the guys who are bad mouthing the product are guys that have simply NOT taken the time to learn to use the product properly. its just like anything else. once you learn how to use it, its a fantastic product. i started spraying it with a 1.4mm chow dog special and a wheel around craftsman compressor. and despite being a crummy set up, i was able to tune the combination to work and it worked great. now i've got my nice spray rig and its even more of a pleasure to work with.
www.autobodystore.com www.autobody101.com Spend some time searching the forums, great help for beginners and pro's!
LOL it was all pretty good until this: i can airbrush with it like uros but spraying this guy OWNS lol <!-- / message -->
I would say if you were going to strip it all down, then look in to soda blasting, it wont hurt chrome or glass, and save you alot of time and sand paper. then when its blasted wash it with water and dry it good, then go with the epoxy primer or self etching primer,then a primer surfacer and block and prime until its straight. What ever paint you go with make sure and get p sheet on the paint so you you know what the flash time,recomended coats ect. are
To those of you using the water based (or water borne?) paint systems: How do the fumes compare to conventional solvent based paints? You can assume that I will be painting in a makeshift booth that is as air tight as I can get it, while having an intake fan and exhaust fan with filters. After doing some reading my main concern is getting in trouble with the neighbors because of the fumes. Thanks.
You guys are great!! Bare metal it is. Then after build up..BC/CC in "Meadow Green" a stock 50's dark grayish green. I parts chased in this truck when it was brand new. Neat story but prob. not for here. We've been pals a long time so I want to do it right. Thanks again..I'm a newbee on painting but if you want to know about flying, fishing or fast women let me know. A pal always said "If it flies, floats or fucks..rent it!"
oh lol. i can airbrush with (auto air) like uros(urethane basecoat), but this guy (altered pilot) OWNS (kicks ass) at spraying autoair, since their is a learning curve.
to be honest, i would do a single stage. its more correct for that era and color. single stage has a different look then bc/cc, that mimics the way the lacquers were back in the day.
waterbased..... like auto air. do not have much voc's. less then 0.05. so u only need a particle mask. waterborne on the other hand. has solvents. not as harmful as urethane. but enuff that u still want to treat it like the old ways. it has a smell but not like uros. basically change nothing safety wise for switching to waterborne. i believe u guys up in the bay area are switchin in about 6 months right?
The Jalopy Journal
