economy paint job

[Will98D]

1974 914/1.8. The car has almost no body rust, just a touch under the welting between the front fenders and the windshield cowl which I'll take care of. I already replaced the rear half of the rear trunk and battery tray but all else is OK. The dent guy straightened all the panels so the body looks nice with no filler. Right now it has three lacquer paint jobs that I'll have to strip. Original color is Olympic Blue, but I'm thinking of going with a 2002 Corvette or Honda S2000 yellow. This is not a show car, just a driver to enjoy and take to the auto-x a few times, so I'm not willing to spend a bundle on the paintwork. I'm thinking of just a plain old grey filler-primer topped by a catalized acrylic or urethane enamel. The car will likely never see rain, definitely no snow, perhaps 1,000 - 2,000 miles a year, and it may sit in the sun at work a total of 10 days per summer (Michigan summer, not Arizona). The questions: (1) chemical or mechanical (sanding) for the stripping? {I'll do this myself} (2) recommendations on primer and paint? {I'd probably spray a simple primer myself, but a self-etching and the topcoat would likely be done by a pro).

[jenmcd]

Sanding with a DA (dual action) or rotory sander is fast but MESSY. Dust will get into every pore. Save your LUNGS, wear a mask. I prefer chemical paint stripper. Can't remember the brand name but the lable says Aircraft paint stripper, Low odor. If you go this route, the fumes are strong. Do it outdoors or at least with the doors open. Also buy a box of Nirile gloves. The stuff burns if it gets on your skin (water neutralizes it) and wear safety glasses. You will probally find filler under the paint. This sould be removed and refilled prior to painting. Bare metal should be treated with metal prep to prevent it from rusting prior to priming. A sealer should be applied prior to primer and filler.
I could ramble on for days about this.

Keith

[Zeke]

Others may debate this, but I believe that if the paint on the car now is not bubbling or peeling, it makes a suitable foundation for new paint. I only take troulblesome areas down to bare metal. Stone chips to the metal are difficult to repair and these areas will go down to bare metal.

I strip the wax before ANY sanding. I DA the whole car w/ 220 and start block sanding w/ 320. Either do primer/filler on the whole car or areas that don't block out nice. The whole car must be finished up w/ 400.

What you must do, though, is use a sealer on the whole car prior to shooting it. You can nub off the sealer w/ 400 very lightly and tack rag it before showtime if you see flaws or dirt.

If you're not going to squirt it yourself, take it to the 400 stage and let the painter spray the sealer because too much time is not supposed to pass between sealer and final coat.

[KWales]

Will98D,

I'd strip it. Three layers of lacquer is a thick paint job and adding a fourth is not good. Lacquer paint (IMHO) is a crappy paint. It goes on easily, enables you to blend small damaged areas well but it degrades over time, requires rubbing out, and scratches easily. It also "lifts" when hit by a good solvent so you do need that other coat of sealer when painting over lacquer. Did my old Karmann Ghia with lacquer to find out the above.

The PO of my 914 had coated my car with layers of laquer paint (one thick layer on top of another) up to a depth of about 3/16 of an inch and then (tried to) sand the whole thing smooth. By the time I received the car, the lacquer had cracked and checked like the bottom of a dried mud flat, the layers of paint were seperating, and rust could be seen coming from the bottom of some of the cracks. Usually I'm anal, and buy cars with original finish on them so I know exactly what lurks under the paint. In this case, this was the only 914 that I could find in Raleigh NC (out of over a dozen or so) that wasn't rusty where it really counts.

Stripping thick layers of lacquer is a pain. Chemical strippers wouldn't budge the thick paint, and the disks on my DA and grinder immediately clogged from the paint. The darned lacquer would heat up, melt and bond to the sanding or grinding disks. I removed the paint by a combination of grinding (lotta disks) and using a paint scraper between the layers. Now have a very nice rust free and lacquer free car awaiting a catilyzed base coat/clear coat acrylic paint job this summer. Can't wait for the weather to get nice in Cincy so I can fire up the paint gun.

The weather is really wierd. We have been having nice sunny days (60's) for the last few weeks and today I get up to find 2-3 inches of snow covering everything. It was almost all gone by noon!!!


Ken

[Zeke]

Did my old Karmann Ghia with lacquer to find out the above.

Yes, that would be a problem. However, acrylic enamel will go over lacquer just fine, while the reverse is not true.