Some really good info on here guys. Excellent work. Brilliant tips and advice for a paint virgin such as myself.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...t=4179&page=12 Fatbloke's thinning problems!

Keep reading the Fatbloke thread above, Roadster has posted a useful link. It is going to be fascinating to see what standard of finish will come out of this.

We could have a scale of paint finish, from stock car to concourse. If we could get some examples at different levels, it would be a great way for builders to assess relative value for money depending on the level of finish they are happy with.

I'd be interested to know if you could roll on a lacquer finish, and what the outcome would be like.

How to paint a car with cellulose paint
 

This is my guide to painting a grp/fibreglass kit car with cellulose paint (NOT 2 pack which is dangerous and for professional use only). I am NOT an expert, but I have watched plenty of YouTube video’s – and have painted plenty of stuff with cans (including a 7 series BMW outdoors). Remember this is how I think it should be done… so any helpful tips or comments are most welcome.
The one odd thing that I’ve been told is that when dry sanding, it’s the same as double the grade when wet sanding? So for example when I’m using 80,120, 240 & 320 that’s the same as 160, 240, 480, and 640. I’ve also looked into the pro’s and cons of using an acid etch primer versus an epoxy primer – but several people said that it wasn’t necessary – so I’m keeping it simple with a cellulose primer and cellulose top coat (no clear coat).
I won’t be going into too much detail, but hope to post photo’s as I paint my car (on a separate post). So here goes… enjoy:
PREPARATION
1. Buy everything you need… – I used Ebay, classiccarpaintsdirect.com (online and at shows), and Jawel paints for some tinted white primer (I’m aiming for the same colour gel coat, primer and top coat – I know this is a bit unusual/unnecessary , but it’s what I’m doing... so the stone chips don’t show).
2. Always wear goggles/mask/gloves when spraying and sanding! Also make sure you’ve got good lighting and ventilation
3. Remove any trim parts
4. Remove any flash lines
5. Use a heat gun to find any air pockets (dig out and fill with body filler)… possibly tap the body with spanner to find further voids?
6. Use a sanding block with a coarse grit (P80?) over the whole area you are painting to remove the gloss – take care not to go through the gel coat, and sand at different angles (crisscross) to give a good key for filler and paint
7. Blow off the dust with an airline, hoover or mop the floor, and clean the panels with panel wipe – not thinners. Wear gloves – do not touch the panel with your bare hands
8. Apply body filler as needed (before primer) – mixed to the correct ratio and allowed to dry fully. Body filler should never be applied too thickly. If you need a thick area consider using glass fibre impregnated filler like Isopon P40. Also sort out any panel gaps at this stage…
9. Use a long block with P120 to dry sand over the filled areas. Do not use any water at this stage
10. Repeat above steps until you are happy with it!
PRIMER
11. Carefully mask off the car before applying primer
12. Paint with high build primer (mixed 50/50) using cheaper thinners, strain the paint – maybe three coats if you’re not good at filling!
13. Apply a guide coat (any dark spray can you’ve got stashed away will do as long as it’s cellulose) or maybe use a dry powder type guide coat?
14. Allow the guide coat to dry (if spray paint is used), and then hand sand (long block) with 120 (?) grit sand paper (I’m using Mirka gold on a roll). I’ve bought a straight flat sanding block and one of those yellow flexible ones for this. Wear a mask!
15. Repeat step 7 (remove dust, clean floor, panel wipe)
16. Fill any low spots with more body filler where necessary – allow to harden fully
17. Sand down the area’s you’ve just filled. If you’ve got a DA sander, only use it on flat panels
18. Repeat step 7 (remove dust, clean floor, panel wipe)
19. Apply another coat of high build primer
20. Apply stopping filler to any small imperfections and allow to dry
21. Sand the whole area again, this time with 240 grade sandpaper (dry sand and wear a mask)
22. Possibly apply another coat of primer? If you do get any runs in the primer, allow the paint to dry (speed up drying using infrared heater?) then carefully sand down again
23. Repeat Step 7 (remove dust, clean floor, panel wipe)
24. Do a final hand sand of the whole area using 320 grit (equivalent to 640 wet and dry)
25. Repeat step 7, but this time using a tack cloth just before top coat
TOP COAT (Hurrah!)
26. Possibly remove masking and re-mask? (black bin bags are good for tyres)
27. Mix up the top coat 50/50 using good quality thinners (for a better gloss), and strain the paint. Spray on a warm dry day, damp down the floor to suppress dust. Ensure good ventilation. Have a water separator on the airline and a pressure regulator on the gun. Warm the gun and paint. Use a tack cloth just before painting. Practice walking around the car with the spray gun, so that you know the area is clear and the hose won’t get snagged etc. Wear a mask, goggles and gloves – and have decent lighting.
28. Spray at least 4 coats, allowing each coat to flash off before the next coat. Overlap as you go to maintain a ‘wet edge’. Practice on something else first!
29. Apply a final top coat with 75% thinners
30. Carefully remove masking (before the paint is completely dry) – stand back and admire.

COLOUR SANDING AND POLISHING
31. Leave it a month before colour sanding (if you can wait that long, maybe less if it’s really hot)
32. Mask off any area’s you don’t want to get scratched
33. Wet sand using 1200 grade wet and dry. Don’t get carried away and go through the paint! Use a hose or bucket of water with soap to stop the paper from clogging. Be careful with the edges, sanding them very lightly with a finer grade (1500)
34. Repeat using 1500 grade wet and dry – hose down/wash the car
35. Repeat using 2000 grade wet and dry
36. Wash and dry the car
37. Use Farecla G3 with the white mop on a machine with a slow speed. Keep the sponge flat to the surface; don’t stay in one area too long, spray on water every so often. This can be messy!
38. Wash and dry car
39. Use Farecla G10 with the black mop
40. Wash and dry car
41. Use a good polish of your choice – I’ve gone for Autoglym super resin polish
42. Stand back and admire! … Don’t be afraid to get out there and use the car!

Good guide!
I would use good thinners all the way though.

Thank you Molleur, I was told it was a waste of money, so have already bought it - but could use it as gun wash if others are of the same opinion!

Some finishes are more sensitive to the thinners. Cheap thinners
use cheap solvents that could cause issues with the finish coats
months later when used with high build primers especially.
Crazing and high shrinkage of the primers after the finish coat is applied. The finish coats seem to re-activate the high build primers and they will shrink a bit. While it is not essential to use quality primers throughout, why take the chance..
IMO, of course.

Have you ever seen an older Jaguar, painted in lacquer that had cracked paint? Cheap thinners from the factory.

Mmm, sounds like good advice - it's always best to take good advice, so thank you.

Still open to others additions or opinions. I'm 71 yrs old and have painted my share of fiberglass cars/boats and airplanes. Been doing fiberglass since the early 1960's. In my lifetime have built
more than 75 kit cars of all manner. My current project is an RCR Superlite Coupe. http://www.superlitecars.com/
Planning an outlaw watercooled 356 Pre-A Coupe as well.

Great guide Mike, that's pretty much everything I did although I did use etch primer first on the advice of Jawel, who supplied my paint, primer and thinners as a 20 litre kit.

I also used low grade thinners - part of the kit from Jawel - in the primer and their high gloss thinners in the top-coat and I've had no shrinkage or other paint issues in three years on the road. I did forget to put a final 75/25 diluted top coat on but I'd definitely do that next time.

I like the Superlite Molleur, bit of the Pagani about it. I'd also love to see your Outlaw 356 coming together as I also love 50's Porsches.

Mikewade, this is great. If you could get a few photos when you go through the cycle, we could have the beginners spray paint guide to go along with Fatbloke's beginners roller paint guide.

I'll do my best - unfortunately I've got some building work to finish before I can start on the car. The wet weather isn't helping!

"
I like the Superlite Molleur, bit of the Pagani about it. I'd also love to see your Outlaw 356 coming together as I also love 50's Porsches."

Plan is to fabricate a tube frame and use a transverse water cooled engine/trans from a domestic compact car. I'll have to pie cut the fenders slightly. All components are easily sourced here. No IVA to frustrate in Florida.

MGF/TF wouldn't be a bad starting point, I believe that the engine is mounted in a subframe. Did they ever get exported Stateside?

Could you maybe used a damaged Boxster as a base? Just a thought.

A bit off of the paint topic, but..
No MGF/TF in the USA. No TF model since the 1955 TF1500.
914 or Boxter won't fit under the short wheelbase 356.
Much easier to fab up a tube frame.

Oh, didn't realise the MGF wasn't exported to the US. Didn't check the wheelbase of the Boxster before suggesting it, but now I recall seeing a VW Bug on a Boxster S chassis, so of course it'd be a foot too long for a 356.

Wish we could just knock up and use a tube frame chassis over here. We sort of can, but the car then has to have a load of modern crap, like rubber switches and a padded steering wheel, to get it through the dreaded IVA test.

PS, apologies for the thread hijack.

I am pretty familiar with your IVA requirements and the MOT stuff.
Sorry as well for the hijack..
Back to your regular program..

"It is hard work rollerpainting your own car" -to paraphrase Fatbloke

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...t=4179&page=16