Painting Tech/Tips?

[Fishcop]

Hi Guys

I'm so very close to doing the final paintwork on my resto. I keep finding minor imperfections or tiny waves that the guide coat and blocking missed. Anyway, they should be addressed and completed shortly.

I'm keen on any tips regarding the actual laying of the topcoats. I'm using single stage colour (Line22) in a mid to dark blue (Ossi blue). All panels are separate and sanded back with #600. I'm taking 962's advice and painting the doors in hanging orientation so I can do both sides. Hood and engine cover will be done flat and I've already painted the rear sides. Home made booth in the garage with extractor fan which should move enough air, and I have a supplied air mask and full protection. This leads me to my main questions...

Masking - I understand there are some techniques to avoid "edges"?

Do I paint the satin black interior and dash areas before or after the main colour coat? I know the factory did it last, but I wonder if doing it first may be a bit smarter?

Where to I start? Do I start on the roof and work down, or the sills and work up? What about the roof where I can't reach the entire panel at any one time, how do I work my way around it? I presume the paint will flow for some time before it kicks, but I imagine I still need to work at a reasonable speed to avoid problems (I do have the correct temperature hardener for my climate).

So what I'm really keen on is personal experience on what you've screwed up so I don't And any other hints/tips/traps etc when painting the 911 body shell.

I'd love to get a great job done off the gun, but am conscious that I may have to flatten it all out with #2000 and compound polish...

[Walko]

John,

Plastic milk crates are your friend for doing the roof. I have always started with the roof and worked downwards on previous cars.

Michael

[962porsche]

when it comes to spray booths of any type one thing to rember is you also need clean air coming in . you can have a great fan to pull the air out but it does not move any air with out clean air coming in . filters for the in coming air are ez to get at places like home depot . just pick up some air conditioning filters . john i will email you a guide of were to start and end when spraying a finish on a car . in my shop we always paint the inside of the car 1st . then back tape ( taping the back side of the pinch welds ) and mask off the panel opening . that way you get color all the way to the edge of the pinch welds . because of the roll of the wheel openings we do not back tape them .we chip guard the wheel houses after the car is refinished . we cover the under side of the car with plastic sheeting ( car cover) thats made for painting . we lay the sheeting on the ground then roll the car over the top of it cut the sheeting and tape it to the bottom of the car . if the under side of the car is only getting chip guarded then there is no need to mask it off . when your spraying you don't want to have your stop line in the same spot with every coat of paint . i will get into this with the email then you will see what i'm talking about .

[Fishcop]

I look forward to your email!

Walko, I was planning something like that. I'll hopefully have a competent offsider with me so I don't fall arseover...

[alecjackson]

John, first up let me say what a great job you have done, been great following the project.
I am by no means an expert but have painted a couple of cars in the lead up to restoring my Porches which I hope to start soon
I live in Whyalla, South Aus and painted my bothers Jensen Interceptor in November at home in the shed and can offer the following observations
Painted from the roof down, reached the roof from a step ladder, that worked fine
You have to be very conscious of where the air hose is, it is a real "bugger" experience when you find you have dragged the hose on a freshly painted panel, don't ask me how I know!! (have another person hold it clear if you can)
It is quite hot here in November and when sweat drips from the end of your nose it forms nice little craters in your nice new paint so you need to stop that happening whichever way works for you.
You need your air supply to your gun to be really dry, very good filters/moisture traps, I bought a desiccant hose which attaches to the gun as final protection.
I could never get a perfect finish straight from the gun or keep all the dirt out BUT,
put enough paint on and you can always wet sand and end up with a very nice job.
Just an amature giving my 2 bobs worth.
Regards
Alec.

[Fishcop]

Hi Alec

Thanks for the support! And I love Jensen Interceptors

Great advice on the hose... I've done it once or twice with the primer (much easier to fix than top-coats). I'm planning on a full Tyvec suit (hooded) and combined with the full mask it should keep sweat off and I'll wear a bungee cord hooked to the rear around my waste to pass the air hose through.

I have a dedicated painting airline with a dessicant filter. I really want to paint in the next month as this is our "dry season" with 20-23ºc temperatures, 30-40% humidity and great runs of wind free weather which makes ambient dust easier to manage. But it seems I keep hitting road blocks... The whole family got a bad dose of flu (even after immunisation shots) and just when I think I'm ready, I find a tiny sand through or imperfection that needs attention...

Anyone got thoughts on doing the satin black interior first (I think this is what I will do)?

Cheers
John

[962porsche]

the proper place to start is at the ass end of the car . from there you do 1/2 the QTR then move to the other side of the car and do 1/2 of the other QTR . then back to the other side of the car and finish the rest of the 1st QTR . then back to the other side and finish that QTR . then do up the sail panel and 1/2 the roof move to the other side of the car finish the roof and move down the other sail panel . from there you do the door on the other side of the car then back to the other side and do that door . from there move back to the other side of the car and do that fender , then back to the other fender . then to the other side of the car and 1/2 the hood . back to the other side of the car and finish the hood . you see by going from side to side your always work the paint into paint that is wet so it will melt in with no dry spots . now you could start from the front of the car but i like starting from the back because of the sail panels and there size . i found that its ez to keep them wet that way .

[Fishcop]

Thanks David, I'll definitely follow your process order.

[Axiom]

Originally Posted by Fishcop

Anyone got thoughts on doing the satin black interior first (I think this is what I will do)?

Cheers
John

Do it last, that way it looks very clean, and you can control the edging, like the factory did.

[962porsche]

because porsche does not really paint the inside of the car persay . the black coating your seeing is a under coat AKA primer . early cars from dipping later cars E coat . porsche does not do any masking of the car . that is way you see over spray on top of the inner rockers door pillers and so on . so if your looking to copy the way its doen at porsche you can rust shield the inside then spray the out side of the car with out masking off any thing . in my shop we don't do to many cars that way . what we do is spray the inside 1st . there is many reasons for doing the inside 1st . one is if you paint the out side 1st then do the in side you have to mask off the hole out side of the car and hope you don't get any over spray blowing in under the masking and onto fresh paint . the other is masking off in uncured paint may leave a mark from the masking tape . another season not to spray the inside last is now your working over fresh paint making very ez to damage it by leaning in the window and door openings . you also don't want to have your air line laying on fresh paint even if you have the hole car covered . now if you have the car in primer and prep the inside and paint it 1st you can sand off any over spray that may get on the out side of the car real ez . your still getting the same clean job because your still tapping off on the pinch welds of the panel openings like windows and doors . to get a cleaner job when spraying the inside of a car . back tape the car so that the window opening are open (don't block them off ) . get a little 6 inch fan and place it so it will blow the over spray out of the inside of the car . that way it will not just fall back onto the wet paint you just sprayed making it look dusty . i hang a fan from our roof of the booth and have it headed into the rear window of the car pushing the air (over spray out the front window ) . you don't want fast moving air just enough air to move the over spray out .