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Bodywork Share your thoughts, problems and ideas about bodywork related issues |

9th March 2016, 01:03
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Painting fiberglass??
Hi everyone
I've been trying to find out the best options for painting my kit (fiberglass)
But I seem to get conflicting answers - some say use etch primer, some say don't, some say 2k some cellulose - does anybody have any proper experience or knowledge of the best options to get a good finish and avoid cracking in the future.
Also not sure whether to try doing it myself or finding a local expert to take it on - any ideas or reccommend painters in the Birmingham area?
Cheers
Paul
Last edited by Car photographer; 9th March 2016 at 01:06..
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9th March 2016, 19:07
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Dna are in Birmingham , they should know who to talk to to get a glassfibre car painted
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9th March 2016, 23:12
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Im guessing you would like a classic looking colour and finish
If you are planning to do yourself you could use coach enamel it self levels and is nice to work with.
http://www.craftmasterpaints.co.uk/
I painted my Roadster Connaught green the D type racing green.
I just sanded the body to remove the shiny finish, I used craftmaster primer and then enamel with the largest brush I could.

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10th March 2016, 01:14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roadster
Im guessing you would like a classic looking colour and finish
If you are planning to do yourself you could use coach enamel it self levels and is nice to work with.
http://www.craftmasterpaints.co.uk/
I painted my Roadster Connaught green the D type racing green.
I just sanded the body to remove the shiny finish, I used craftmaster primer and then enamel with the largest brush I could.

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Sounds interesting how does it come with flexing of the fiberglass over time - does it withstand cracking better than normal paint?
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10th March 2016, 10:45
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The lay up and the curves on the shell meant there was minimal flexing.
However they use the paint on traction engines and locomotives so I would say it should hold up ok.
For the 2 years it was with me I had no issues.
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10th March 2016, 21:27
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Cool, thanks
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10th March 2016, 21:34
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11th March 2016, 20:11
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Cheers
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12th March 2016, 06:15
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Car Photographer - Here is a link on hand painting a car (which I intend to follow):
http://www.rodsnsods.co.uk/forum/tec...ting-car-98714
Mister Towed & Swifty are just two of the Sammio builders who covered their painting experience in detail.
Mr T often says his lack of painting experience left him with something that looked like "old" paint.
The thing to remember is that old racing cars didn't alway have perfect paint originally.
Good luck, Paul. 
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12th March 2016, 09:33
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Cheers, yeah I've considered that it might look more authentic that way - not sure which way to go yet
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12th March 2016, 09:51
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Car photographer
Cheers, yeah I've considered that it might look more authentic that way - not sure which way to go yet
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What colours are you considering?
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12th March 2016, 10:30
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I would listen to Jeff H 's advice on the Tribute forum . You are getting first hand info from a guy who's been painting classic and modern cars for about 30 years .
''A mate of mine said...'' advice or advice from someone who doesnt paint for a living can sometimes lose a bit in translation
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12th March 2016, 16:20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Car photographer
I've been trying to find out the best options for painting my kit (fiberglass)
But I seem to get conflicting answers - some say use etch primer, some say don't, some say 2k some cellulose - does anybody have any proper experience or knowledge of the best options to get a good finish and avoid cracking in the future.
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Hi Paul
To put in my two penn’orth I think one of the reasons you get conflicting answers on etch primer is that no one has really done a proper comparison so it’s all a bit subjective. Personally I don’t bother with an acid etch primer, I use a 2K high build primer followed by a guide coat and a lot of blocking off before I put on the colour.
As far as colour coat goes I used a 1K with a lacquer on my first spray job but for the next three I have used a 2K and compounded it to get the finish I wanted. I also find that 2K is a lot harder finish and seems to resist chipping a lot better than 1K.
I’ve never sprayed a whole car with cellulose so I can’t comment on it. I once used a waterbourne paint on some alloy wheels and found it very difficult to use so I would never ever use it again.
I did find that putting too much paint (I ended up with 15 coats on a bonnet once) results in cracking of the paint, but in my experience most cracking is due to the underlying gel coat or grp so different paints don’t have much effect.
Finally as regards a DIY or Professional job, I think that the key to a good finish is the preparation. If you are going to prepare the car yourself then you will probably need to have all the gear (compressor, spraygun, mask/air fed visor) to spray primer anyway so you could spray the colour coats yourself. I found it the most satisfying part of the job, apart from looking at the finished car!
Neil
https://www.dropbox.com/s/d1y757hp8a...193_n.jpg?dl=0
Last edited by NeilF355; 12th March 2016 at 16:36..
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12th March 2016, 16:54
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Great response Neil. More importantly - wicked car !
Dave
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12th March 2016, 18:12
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awesome paint job
Fantastic work Neil. Is that a GTO based on a Porsche 944?
To the paint question I'd just add that getting a good gun and compressor is important too. I've found that a lot of the cheap ones don't give great results. Then practice practice practice. Isn't that what the donor's panels are for? 
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13th March 2016, 00:52
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Thanks everyone
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13th March 2016, 10:28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rossnzwpi
Is that a GTO based on a Porsche 944?
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Well spotted, it's the 944 S2 which has the 3 litre engine to get the correct engine capacity...I'm just short 8 cylinders 
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14th March 2016, 15:42
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Going back to the days of mini marcos and the Marcos 1600 etc. we always used a polyurethane paint on gelcoats, mainly because it etches itself into the gelcoat and being polyurethane it's flexible. It was also used on 19ft fibreglass yachts without any problems, try SML marine paints or Jotun for more help or confusion?
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14th March 2016, 17:36
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thanks
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24th March 2016, 08:24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roadster
Im guessing you would like a classic looking colour and finish
If you are planning to do yourself you could use coach enamel it self levels and is nice to work with.
http://www.craftmasterpaints.co.uk/
I painted my Roadster Connaught green the D type racing green.
I just sanded the body to remove the shiny finish, I used craftmaster primer and then enamel with the largest brush I could.

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Wow I didn't realise you could get a flat finish with a brush - and they use it on steam engines? So that'll be Traction Racing Green then! 
Last edited by smash; 24th March 2016 at 08:38..
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