Painting a Tribute Model
 

Mark Burton suggested that it might be a good idea to have a thread for this. Setting aside the pros and cons of DIY vs professional, there are loads of things that builders can beneficially gain from having this pulled together, especially those tempted by the less glamorous but cheaper DIY route. I think everyone agrees that a professional finish can be seen to be just that. Not everyone can afford, or will want that standard though.

I have approached a couple of contributors and they have agreed I can cut and paste their input into a common thread. I will be focussing on the "How to" side. I will also put links back to the original threads.

Bear with me as I evolve this over the coming weeks. Other contributions of course will be welcome.

I have not read every last word in these, but have found something relevant in each. Hopefully we'll get the sense out of all of them into the thread.

http://www.thegoldenbug.com/en/vw_te...lass_for_paint Preparing fibreglass for painting quick step by step guide

http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/cor...p-paint-guide/ General description on how to approach things

http://www.lotuselan.net/forums/elan...ss-t12358.html Lotus forum with various responses to OP, much like here

http://www.rcscalebuilder.com/Tutori...ssForPaint.pdf 5 page guide with pics

http://www.awlgrip.com/support-and-a...iberglass.aspx Basic supplier guide with link to more detailed guidance

It's a start anyway.

This is a great idea. So that we don't have to read every link, can I suggest taking a note from Paul L's book and adding a brief note for each hyperlink explaining their purpose :smile:

Good idea, will do. I am "working from home" and was feeling pangs of guilt about the time spent already. :)

As Dilbert says "work from home, work naked"

Good luck!

No comment!

For the budget painter

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PAINT-EMUL...wAAOSwQTVWBVY2

Have you seen the narrowboat video?

Working From Home?

check out my numberplate

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u4...=w1219-h914-no

haha

Pros and cons of 2 pack vs Cellulose covered here -

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/t...v-2-pack.8198/

Would be really interested in seeing this thread come to life. I expect to be starting prep in the next 2 weeks or so. I will be paying for the paint job due to working on the drive, but would welcome advice on the stages from that first layer of chopped strand filler through the different stages up to trailering / driving in to the paint shop. Cheers.

If other builders can chip in, you may be good. Right now you know more than me.

Lol. Doubt it mate. I am a time served mechanic but not a clue about bodywork!!!!!! I am seriously considering just getting it legal, driving it around a couple of body shops for the cheapest quote and the just biting the bullet!!!!!

A mate of mine fitted his Kobra body kit , did no prep and took it to a local bodyshop / paint shop. They did an ok job , not perfect in many respects and was charged £2000. He then had to finish it off , ie door shuts , inside the boot and under the bonnet etc etc.
No cheap way really unless you can do the lot yourself.

For anyone thinking of prepping, spraying or even paying someone else to spray their fibreglass kit car, and I can fully understand why someone spending a small fortune on a Ferrari replica would want it done professionally, I can offer the following advice based on my own experience as a first-time sprayer.

I'd never even considered spraying a car myself before and had every intention of handing over a modestly sized cheque to the Sammio car company, who charged £800 at the time (2011) to prep and spray your home-built car in a solid colour of your choice.

A couple of things changed that and neither of them were financial. First I really got into the build process. Early on I found that my chassis was rotten and needed quite a bit of welding, but I hadn't been trained as a welder (although I'd qualified with a City and Guilds in Aeronautical Engineering a the age of 17 I was exclusively trained to use hand tools as we were expecting to have to fight a fast moving European theatre war against a vastly numerically superior Eastern Bloc force, so didn't expect to have access to machine-shop facilities and were trained to make-do-and-mend our war machines in the field instead). All the advice I got was that welding wasn't something a beginner could do but I bought myself a £60 Manual Metal Arc (stick) welder and had a go anyway. My welds weren't pretty but they held and are still all solid as an (ugly) rock five years later.

Through this site I also met Phil J, who is now a firm friend, and found that he'd sprayed his own car in a domestic garage, albeit a huge one. I decided that if I could get my car to look even half as good as his did by spraying it myself I'd be as happy as a dog with two d*cks.

So, it became something of a personal challenge to do everything myself (except trimming, I once glued myself to the inside of my beetle trying to do the headlining, and once was enough).

With regard to the paint, I took advice from Phil, but also sought advice from Jawel, who are one of the largest paint suppliers in the West Midlands and supplied the silver cellulose I ended up using, and some people with far more experience of working with fibreglass cars than anyone other than Colin Chapman - Gary Janes and Mike (Miglia).

Mike sprayed this one, btw -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...pscu1021wb.jpg

I've attached a link to my original question to Mike about preparing and spraying a fibreglass surface here, because his reply is still a good starting point for anyone who is considering going down the diy route -

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...ead.php?t=3864

I ignored part of his advice - I didn't try to dig out any bubbles (can't remember why, think I was just too impatient) and I followed Jawel's advice to use etch primer before the high build primer on fibreglass - but went with most of it as I recall.

So, with no previous experience and no real clue what I was doing, I followed some advice I acquired from strangers on the internet and painted my own car. And the result? Well, I rushed the prep, putting in about twenty hours - I was two years into what was supposed to be a six-month build and just wanted to get it on the road - so there are a few blemishes that I missed. There's a strange phenomenon on the offside rear wing where the paint looks dull under artificial light but is really glossy in the sun (I have no idea what causes that) and there's a bit of dust stuck in the surface low down from my garage floor which I clearly didn't hoover well enough before I started (and there's a whole other debate to be had about whether or not to wet the floor before spraying...)

But, with no experience, no skill, cheap tools and cheap paint sprayed badly onto a cheap car, partially following advice from mostly unknown sources that could've been yanking my chain, this is what I ended up with -

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9bd65255.jpg

The general reaction it gets is very positive. People often ask me if it's unpainted aluminium and I really like the way it looks. I should have spent more time on the prep. I could have sprayed it more carefully. I could still polish it to a higher gloss, but I rather like its refugee racer sprayed in a hurry in the pits look so I probably never will.

I've made a few mods to the body over the last couple of weeks so I'll be attempting to blend some new paint into the old in a few days, which I'm led to believe is very difficult on 2 pack - something to do with the old paint not dissolving into the new like cellulose does - and that's definitely something to consider when choosing a paint system for a fibreglass car, because of the possibility of settlement/stress cracks, no matter who ends up spraying it.

Good luck to everyone getting the finish you want and I look forward to reading any advice and experiences anyone else can bring to the table. :thumb:

Check out this link showing paint defects, causes and fixes. Standox is a professional product, but anyone can go buy it. The defects are relative to any 2k paint, so it is good for general reference. You will all identify some of these defects, professional and amateur alike.

I've got a set of fibreglass race bike fairings I've prepped and started painting, so will show flatting techniques and clear over base application in 2k over the next week. Not quite a Tribute, but will give an idea.

Cellulose has its place (somewhere) and I don't think we are looking at waterbase basecoats here as that needs plenty of airflow and a booth is really needed.

Anyway, if you are balancing the cellulose versus 2k, then the only part of the better (2k) application is for the lacquer or direct gloss which can be just a tack coat followed by a full wet coat if you use a high solid type. It's just as easy to apply as cellulose, you can block any runs out the next day as it cures hard and it can be wet flatted and buffed if your cautious and don't want to risk any sags or runs. Have to be careful not to polish through though!

Regular 2k is generally a Medium Solid paint, which you can add slightly more thinners, which you may need to flow out or achieve a flatter finish.

Don't call a paint sprayer a paint sprayer. They are technically a 'vehicle refinisher' These days. Look at the many cars out there with factory finish being slightly orange peel to high end polished type finishes. These chaps and some ladies have to match that finish and it is done by percentage of thinners used and also speed of the spray gun travelling over the panel, with also fluid tip adjusting. You can't learn this on a one-off, but you should be able to achieve a decent finish.


http://www.standox.com/content/dam/E...Defects_GB.pdf

Barber - Great idea for a thread. :cool:

So I've added a link to this thread on the last post of the Tribute "sticky" thread.

I've also added a few links below.

Hope it helps,

Paul. :)

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Watch someone who clearly knows what they are doing using a roller and "dry" brush. :cool:
( Don't let the start fool you. )

https://youtu.be/E3UCEbGZmz0

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Tribute MX250 - Dave Lowes' paint thread.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...ead.php?t=4245

http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/...pscd5337f4.jpg

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Ribble Navigator - Viatron's guide to removing the "orange peel" finish he had straight from the gun.
( Note: He also gives a clear explanation of the finish he wanted/expected. )

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...&postcount=910

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-K.../IMG_01896.jpg

And a guide to the products he used.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...&postcount=911

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Whilst I know (and certainly don't dispute) that a professional would produce a professional paint job, I still plan to follow the DIY route "next door".

So I really liked this thread about hand painting a car on the Rods 'n' Sods forum.

http://www.rodsnsods.co.uk/forum/tec...ting-car-98714

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Finally, I always liked this 'Before' & 'After' photo, also taken from Rods 'n' Sods.

It is not that the finished painted car is perfect, far from it.

No, it is more about the complete transformation of the previous "patch work" quilt under construction.

http://imagehosting.rodsnsods.co.uk/2953f0df2b079d6.jpg

http://imagehosting.rodsnsods.co.uk/2954285674e1bad.jpg

This would certainly get you on the road (enjoying your car) until you could afford to get a "proper" paint job.

Total cost, including the brushes = £35! :eek:

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WorldClassAccident's guide to keeping the new paint on your Tribute looking good.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...ead.php?t=5925

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Moving along
 

Thanks everyone for moving this topic along. Here are some links to relevant bits of Scottie's Tribute A352 build thread:

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...t=4553&page=66 Trialing the boot painting, problems identified

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...t=4553&page=67 Mr Towed lends a hand, re the SWB 250 Contemporary thread

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...t=4553&page=68 The boot re-visited

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...t=4553&page=69 More boot improvements

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...t=4553&page=70 It was worth all the effort - now for the rest

More on Scottie's build
 

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...t=4553&page=89 Painting, rubbing back, filling, and again

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...=4553&page=104 And more, note the bonnet.

The recurring comment in the whole thread refers to Scotties paying attention to detail - this must be key in the results you see on the paint job, as well as the car overall.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...=4553&page=105 major work prepping the body

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...=4553&page=106 Yet more work on the bonnet

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...=4553&page=107 Rubbing back, filling and re-painting, repeat, no short cuts it seems

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...=4553&page=108 But it is all worth it - Wow. see 109 also.