painting your own car
TRANSCRIPT
PAINTING YOUR OWN CARIf you are restoring a vehicle, a milestone
in the restoration process is when you have the vehicle painted. At
this stage, although still far from finished, the project really
starts to take shape. Depending on your skill level and ambition,
you may wish to tackle the paint job. If you have never painted
before, the idea of painting your vehicle may seem like a fun
project, or it may seem overwhelming. Although there are proper
techniques to spraying, nothing is out of the scope of a hobbyist
that is willing to practice and learn. To get you started, Eastwood
offers books, DVD's, paint guns, paints, technical advice, and all
of the supplies you need to paint your vehicle. When you see your
vehicle freshly painted, the sense of accomplishment is the
greatest reward.
A large part of a successful paint job is directly related to the
preparation efforts. Painting a vehicle is a tedious process that
involves a lot of preparation. If you do not properly prepare the
vehicle for paint, you will see defects in the finish and you may
experience adhesion issues. In terms of preparation, we are
referring to: rust repair, damage repair, bodywork, block sanding,
using the correct products, keeping the surface clean, properly
sanding everything, etc. If you are willing to put in the time and
work, the end results can make it worth all your effort.
Everyone has different reasons for wanting to paint their car -
maybe you like to be able to say you did "all" of the work
yourself, maybe you can not afford to have it painted, maybe you
want to learn something new, maybe you want to be certain of the
work that is going into the vehicle before and during paint....and
the list goes on. Regardless of your reasons, there are certain
things that need to be considered for a successful paint job.
To get started, you need to develop a game plan. The key to a
successful paint job is planning your steps, taking your time, and
properly prepping the surface. If you are in a hurry, DO NOT
attempt to paint your car. If you cut corners prepping the vehicle
for paint, this will be seen in the final finish or shortly down
the road. To properly paint a vehicle, there is a lot more involved
than spraying paint onto the vehicle. When developing your game
plan, here are several things to consider.
Do you have a place to prep and paint the vehicle?
Do you have (or are you willing to purchase) the needed tools to
paint a vehicle?
Will the vehicle be stripped to bare metal or are you going to
paint over the existing finish?
Are you painting the complete vehicle (door jambs, trunk area,
underhood, etc) or only the outside?
What type of paint do you plan on using? - Acrylic Enamel,
Urethane, Acrylic Lacquer, Base coat/Clear coat, Water-based,
etc.
What brand of paint system are you going to use?
If you are considering the idea of painting your vehicle, first
think of where you are going to prep and spray it. Do you have a
dry place to store the vehicle while you are prepping it? Ideally,
you will want to be spraying in a clean, dirt-free, temperature
controlled environment. Are you going to rent a spray booth, paint
in your garage, or paint in your driveway? Is it legal to spray a
vehicle where you plan to paint? All of these factors must be
considered before you think about picking up a paint gun. Tip - If
it is illegal for you to paint your vehicle in the area you live,
you can still strip it down and prep it for the body shop. This is
a good way to save money.
Speaking of paint guns, you will need the proper equipment to paint
a vehicle. At a bare minimum, you will need a paint gun, an air
compressor that can meet the demands of your paint gun, and a
moisture separator. The moisture separator will ensure that you
have a dry air supply. Moisture in your air supply is an easy way
to ruin a paint job. Another option is a turbine paint system, such
as the Earlex. These systems do not require an air compressor and
turbine systems ensure that you have a dry air supply.
In addition to the spraying equipment, there is safety equipment
that you will need. You will need a painter's suit, an approved
respirator, goggles, and disposable nitrile gloves are a good idea.
The chemicals in today's paints are dangerous and can be absorbed
through your skin and eyes. When working with these chemicals, you
must follow all precautions and make sure you use all of the
required safety equipment.
There are two general paint gun designs: gravity feed and siphon
feed. Gravity feed guns have the cup mounted on top of the gun and
use gravity (and air pressure) to feed the paint into the gun.
Siphon feed guns have the cup mounted under the gun and use a
pick-up tube to deliver the paint to the gun.
In addition to gravity feed and siphon feed designs, paint guns are
commonly known as either hvlp (high volume low pressure) or
conventional. Hvlp paint guns pass a high volume of paint through
the gun's nozzle at a lower pressure (as low as 10 psi at the air
cap). Conventional paint guns require high pressure (60 psi or
more) to spray the paint. Hvlp paint guns generally have higher
transfer efficiencies, meaning that they put more material on the
item you are spraying. This results in less overspray and less
wasted material. Some areas require that you paint with an hvlp
paint gun or a compliant non-hvlp paint gun.
We recommend that you use a gravity-feed hvlp paint gun. With a
siphon-feed gun, there is always a little material left in the
bottom of the cup that doesn't get sprayed. The gravity-feed design
allows you to spray the full cup of material. Also, you should
consider using cup liners or the 3M PPS system. Both of these items
will allow you to spray at different angles, even upside-down.
Eastwood offers a variety of paint guns from Eastwood, DeVilbiss,
Binks, and more.
Depending on the type of paint you plan to spray, you may need
additional tips & nozzle caps for the gun. Some paint guns come
with tips and nozzle caps to spray heavy primers, while others are
better suited for spraying lighter-bodied paints and clears. For
lacquers, enamels, urethanes, base coats, and clear coats you will
want a spray gun with a 1.3 - 1.5mm fluid tip. For spraying
water-based automotive paints, such as Auto Air, you will want a
spray gun with a 1.0mm fluid tip. For heavy paints and primers, a
spray gun with a 1.8 - 2.2mm fluid tip is ideal.
When deciding to paint your vehicle, how far do you plan on taking
the vehicle apart? Are you going to remove the hood, trunk, doors,
glass, etc, or are you going to tape it up and paint while it is
together? Taking everything off allows you to make sure there is no
hidden damage and it allows you to get paint into all of the nooks
and crannies. However, you will have to deal with gapping the
panels, reinstalling glass, replacing seals, etc.
If you decide to paint the vehicle while it is still together,
remove as many of the small items as you can - antennae, door
handles, lights, locks, wipers, etc. Nothing looks worse than a
nice paint job that has overspray all over items that shouldn't
have been painted. If you are leaving items on the car that are not
going to be painted, be sure to use a quality automotive masking
tape and masking paper....newspaper does not cut it. Newspaper is
porous and can allow paint to get through to the surface below. Tip
- To get paint under seals that are installed, an old trick is to
take some nylon clothesline or coated wire and to put it under the
seal and then mask off the seal. This will lift the seal enough to
allow paint to spray between the seal and the body of the
vehicle.
Do you plan on stripping the vehicle to bare metal or painting over
the existing finish? Stripping the vehicle to bare metal allows you
to see what is hiding under the paint - rust, body filler, shoddy
repairs, and other damage. You'd be surprised what has been found
under existing layers of paint. Stripping the vehicle to bare metal
also allows you to know exactly what products are being used. If
you paint over an existing finish (this is perfectly acceptable for
some applications), you never really know what is hiding under the
surface. Also, if this finish was not properly prepped for, your
new coating may flake off due to the existing finish flaking off.
If you do not know the history of the finish on the vehicle, it is
generally a better idea to strip it to bare metal and start fresh.
There is nothing worse than having a new paint job flake off or
have rust start popping out due to shoddy repairs that were made
under an existing finish.
When painting over an existing finish, the finish must be in good
shape. Faded finishes are okay, but it should not be peeling,
cracked, or otherwise damaged. If the vehicle has been repainted,
it is recommended that you strip the vehicle down and start from
bare metal. If you do decide to paint over the existing finish,
wash the vehicle and then use a quality wax and grease remover on
the surface. This will remove any wax that could cause adhesion
problems. Now, you will want to wet sand the surface with 320-400
grit sandpaper. This will roughen the surface and allow your new
finish to adhere. If there are any chips, dings, or scratches,
repair them with a catalyzed glazing putty. Once you make these
repairs, you should seal the entire vehicle with a quality sealer
primer.
Generally, it is recommended that you stick with one brand's paint
system throughout the entire painting process. However, there have
been many successful paint jobs that have mixed products. If you
decide to mix primers and topcoats, from different manufactures, we
recommend that you test for compatibility before you start spraying
on your project. Tip - Eastwood's new line of primers and
clearcoats are high qulatilty products that work well with most
paint systems. These products work especially well with Auto Air
paints. For repairing wavy panels, EverCoat Slick Sand is also a
versatile, high-build, sprayable, polyester primer that can be used
with most types of top-coats. It can be applied over bare metal or
prepped painted surfaces.
If you decide to strip the vehicle to bare metal, there are several
options - chemical paint strippers, chemical dipping, media
blasting, and mechanical stripping. Each method has pros and
cons.
Chemical paint strippers can quickly remove multiple layers of
paint. Chemical strippers are available in aerosol and brush on
applications, and in liquid and gel forms. Usually, multiple
applications are required to fully strip the panel to bare metal.
It is advisable to avoid seams, as stripper may seep out after you
have painted your vehicle and lift your fresh paint, if all of the
stripper was not removed. Chemical stripping can be messy, but it
is effective at removing multiple layers of paint. Be sure to read
all warning labels, follow directions, and use appropriate safety
equipment.
Chemical dipping is done by professionals, this is the process of
dipping the vehicle. This method is very effective and removes all
paint, body fillers, seam sealers, and rust. It also strips the
inside of panels. If the chemical is not fully cleaned from the
vehicle, it can seep out and lift the new paint. Also, this method
will clean the back sides of panels and other areas that are hard
to access. If you can not treat the inside of panels, they can
start rusting from the inside.
Media blasting is a method of stripping paint, rust, and body
fillers by using abrasive blasting equipment. With this method,
media (sand, poly abrasive, walnut shells, baking soda, slag, etc)
is shot at the vehicle and it abrades the surface to remove the
coatings. Different types of media are available for stripping
coatings and rust. Depending on the media being used, care must be
taken to avoid warping large flat panels. Also, abrasive can get
into cracks and crevices. If this is not thoroughly cleaned, it
could blow out and end up in the paint when spraying the vehicle.
Media blasting can be used to quickly strip large areas of paint
and rust.
Media blasting can be done at home with a siphon blaster or a
pressure blaster. Pressure blasters are quicker than siphon
blasters. Eastwood sells several models to suit your needs. Be sure
to use appropriate safety equipment, including a NIOSH approved
respirator and a blast hood.
Mechanical stripping is another method of paint removal. It can be
done by hand sanding with sand paper, or by using pneumatic or
electric grinders and sanders. Sand paper, cleaning discs, and
stripping discs are common methods. This process is effective, but
it can take longer than other means of paint stripping.
Now you need to decide on the paint type and paint brand. Most
paint manufacture's recommend that you use their paint systems -
cleaners, primers, paints, and clear coats. This is to ensure that
there are not any adverse reactions between different products.
There are a large variety of paints available that can be used -
acrylic lacquers, acrylic enamels, urethanes, base coat/clear coat,
and water-based are quite popular today with automotive hobbyists.
Eastwood carries Eastwood premium paints and Auto Air water-based
paints.
For typical paint jobs, here is an example of the steps for
something that has been stripped to bare metal:
Wipe down surface with paint prep
Epoxy primer - epoxy primers offer superior protection of the bare
metal.
Bodywork done on top of the epoxy primed surface
Sealer primer
3-4 coats of base coat
3-5 coats of clear coat
(This is an example of the steps that products are commonly
applied. Paint manufacturer's recommended products and application
order may vary. Paint manufacturer's instructions should be
followed.)
Depending on the purpose of your project, you might select
different types of paint. With restoration projects, many hobbyists
opt for acrylic lacquer or acrylic enamel to replicate the factory
finish. If you are looking for durability, urethanes, base
coat/clear coat finishes and water-based finishes are great.
Before you start to spray, be sure to read the paint mixing
instructions and paint gun instructions. Be sure that your paint
gun is set-up to spray the type of finish you are using. If you
have never painted before (or even if you have painted before), you
may want to look into our Paintucation videos. These videos show
you how to avoid common mistakes and give a wealth of information.
Before spraying your project, practice, practice, practice.
Spraying a fender is a lot different from spraying a whole vehicle.
Spray your wheel barrow, lawn tractor, trash can, or go to a
salvage yard and pick up some extra fenders, hoods, or doors. This
will allow you to get the feel of spraying, and also allow you to
practice with different air pressures and fan patterns. This is
also a good way to learn the products you are spraying.
When setting up your paint gun, hold the gun 6 inches from the
surface and try to get a fan pattern that is approximately 6 inches
for spraying automobiles. If you are spraying smaller objects, a 4
inch pattern is usually ideal. We recommend that you practice with
different fan patterns before you begin spraying your
project.
When spraying, be sure to keep the gun parallel to the surface you
are spraying. If you are spraying a solid or metallic color, you
should use a 50% overlap on each pass. For candies and pearls, you
usually want to use a 75% overlap. When spraying, you should walk
with the gun and keep your wrist firm. If you move your wrist, this
will vary the gun's distance from the surface you are spraying,
resulting in uneven coverage. A large part of spraying is
developing a feel. The more you practice, the better you will
become. There is a fine line between laying the paint on flat and
texture-free, and running it off the panel. To get this feel, you
must practice and become acclimated to your spray equipment and the
products you are spraying.
Be realistic with your expectations of your first paint job. It
probably won't be perfect. There might be dry spots, runs, dirt,
and/or bugs. Take your time and remember that many of these
problems can be corrected with color sanding and buffing. Use each
paint job as a learning experience. With practice, the right
equipment, the right products, and Eastwood's expert advice, you
will be able to produce a paint job that you are proud of.