painted my '40 ford a couple of weeks ago. the paint (orange) turned out pretty good. but, you can plainly see i am not a body man. and too the point that block sanding isnt going to fix it. looking to hide some of the problems. thinking about some metalflake or pearl in the first coat of clear. any thoughts? thanks, gene
if it ain't done right fix it PAINT AINT GONNA COVER MISTAKE THATS WHY BODYWORK IS EXPENSIVE IT IS A LOT OF MACHINE AND HAND WORK, it seems like most peple think there a magic bullet to make it look good with little work WRONG do the work AND i will look good thats my opinion and i only did bodywork for 18 years there are a few shortcuts that you may get by with after about 10 years experience or you work smarter and harder
Now's the time to get that bodywork right. If you're dead-set on doing it yourself, maybe finding someone to check your work and give you pointers would help. Sometimes there are issues where you can work and work and work and still not get it right until somebody else looks at it and tells you what's tripping you up. If you're not set on doing it yourself, you need to find a bodyman; which is easier said than done. Lots of guys/shops will take your money, not so many guys will get the car straight and looking good.
As said, time to make a choice. Live with the lumps. Go back and fix it. If you're going to go back and fix do so now. I'm no body man either, but my stuff looks good cause I'll go back and do it 27 times to get it right. And I'm perfectly willing to pester the snot out of real body men asking for advice.
Years ago, My uncle did a 51 ford shoebox, and we did it in shinny black, We were so focused on the custom work that we did not pay much attn to the top. The car had light hail damage on it, and after the paint was buffed out it looked like shit!...An old timer, put some micro flake in the clear and sprayed it on, and it made it look better. But I would say it would not help bad bodywork. start over and make it right. I know it is alot of work, But it is a labor of love. Or a least it should be......LOL
That is what the local lowrider boys who don't use anything but a DA to sand a car believe and who have never had a longboard in their hands. Their cars end up looking like metalflake washboards down the sides. metalflake or other trick paint doesn't hide bad body work it accents it. The best Job I did on the 48 was the first time I did the body work and painted it. I only had hand tools to work with and the whole truck was sanded start to finish. The last time I had a da, power long board and disk sander and I didn't get it as good as I wanted but I got in a big assed rush at he end.
guys, thanks for all the replies. after talking to my wife and a couple of my buddies. it seems maybe i have been a little too hard on my work. that being said, there are some minor lows and highs, some spots that should have been feathered better and some 80 grit marks that should have had some finishing putty on them. but it does not look like the local river on fishing derby day. it just doesnt look as good as i thought i had it....suprise!
block it out with 180, that will get rid of a lot of flaws and will high light the spots that need to be filled.... or.... buy a bunch of stickers
A bad paint job will draw attention quicker than anything. If it needs to be done again, do so. Trying to convince yourself it'll pass, is not an option.
Like he said. I know it's a depressing thought of a redo or paint it flat black. But then again that's another give away. Do it over. You'll get thru it and it will be worth it in the end. It's just a learning curve.
Paint it FLAT BEIGH. If you use a flat color alot of the bad bodywork is harder to spot. Maybe that's why we are seeing more flat paint jobs! Shiny needs to be straight__________________
I was once told that the first paint job is a great base for the next paint job and he was right. I have done it once and am sure I will do it again. I painted a car and wasn't happy with the job. Primarily sanding scratches showing up later. I resanded the paint and shot it again. The second time around the body work was straighter. Neal
Embarrassment or a do over is in your future. The only way to get good at this stuff is to do it. Now you know what shows and what don't before its painted because you have to fix it after its painted. There's plenty of surface area to make right and it isn't easy
Candies & pearls will accent ALL the imperfections. They won't hide a damn thing.. cos they'll do the exact opposite! Candy paint jobs need all the attention of a laser straight black paint job. Pearls too.. probably all the clear that's required with both
I've done a bit of it on both bikes & cars, sanded & blocked 'til my fingerprints disappeared a time or two, and painted one entire car and a coupla bikes. In the end however, the sum total of my body & paint experience amounts to just enough to make me never begrudge the pros their wages!
body man i am not... > ... depending on your expectations, only you need to be satisfied with your work. sanding scratches and fixes are generally only obvious to a real body man... otherwise current paint is just expensive primer... prime: sand, sand, sand - prime: sand, sand, sand, prime : ....
Don't let people talk you into if it's good enough for you or not. Trust me, re-do it now or you're going to end up hating the car. Remember to always go over your 80 with 180 a few inches around it, really make sure to get those deep scratches out. It's a learn as you go thing that's for sure, even with schooling and years in shops I learn new stuff all the time. Good luck with it, if you need any help or advice on anything you can PM me.
Yeah that's how pin striping, scallops and flames got invented. To hide the "chicken scratches" (Von Dutch's words). He started doing designs with curved lines, on hoods and trunk lids, to hide grinder marks and sanding scratches after a car was nosed and decked and the paint blown in. If you don't want to do it over now is the time for some custom paint. Next time you will know better lol.
"I thought you had a big machine" LOL ha ha no I got eyes hands skills and experience no machine can do what I do LOL.
Tell them "I'm sure glad that you are an expert, I was wondering why it diden't look quite right. I thought the runs were just added protection at no increased price!
I'm no bodyman either, so I try and try until I know I can't get it any closer, then take it to a real bodyman to finish. I figure at least I got it to the point that the finish is much cheaper than it was if I just dropped it off and wrote a check.
I agree, suck it up and figure you learned something here. Block it with some 180 or 220. Anyhting that goes through to metel, you have some more metal/filler work to do. If you can block it straight without going through to metal, you did good. When it is all done, hit it with some cut epoxy as a sealer and repaint it.
Hey lighten up guys... it's his first paint job.... I bet a lot of 40 Fords didn't look any better in 1954. Your choice, do you want to do it over? Or maybe disguise the worst of it with flames, scallops or pinstripes and paint it again in 5 or 10 years when you know what you are doing? I vote for rock n roll.
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