Auto Bodywork experts

[CanadianRidr]

First Update

Ok so the rust wasn' that bad actually, After sanding it off with some 80 then I jumped right to the 220 it worked pretty good, I got it right down to the metal to make sure it won't come back, so there was about 6 spots that ended up being slightly lower than the paint, but not needing bondo *thank god :)
So I just made the edges of the paint smooth with the metal and the whole roof felt fairly flat and smooth, I went over the whole roof several times with the 220, and have just put the second coat of primer on the bare spots, and already everything seems nice flat and level, I think I will sand the whole roof once everything is dry with the 220 dry, then go to bed,
When I get up I will wet sand the roof with the 400, then start spraying :)
I have pics so when I get them up, you will all see them.

 

[CanadianRidr]

Second Update

Sigghh, I know I know, no I told you so's.
The paint looks half decent but it's got the visable light spots with some spray lines, of course I hate it and the girlfriend is super happy to have a car with no rust all over it. But that's not good enough for me, I have put 2 coats of clear coat on it because she needs for wednesday and some of the car looks good, but there are 3 or so spots I hate, so I figure maybe next weekend I will sand those spots back down and give er another go. BUT my question here to milque or JP or anyone is, I sprayed the clearcoat on about 3 hours ago and it still looks spotty and just rough, the whole roof is like this, Now is clearcoat suppose to do this? It says it takes 4 days to harden, But right now it's no shinier etc, Will it get shinier? Or should have it looked wet as soon as I sprayed it on?
Let me know:ugg:

 

[JuliusPleaser]

If the paint is imperfect, you can use your 1000 grit paper to wet sand it and then buff it. otherwise, you'll need to start over. Did you get some tips on spraying metallic paint? There is a technique involved. The metal content will look splotchy if the paint isn't applied properly.

I wish I could be more help. Maybe Milque can offer some advice?

 

[a454elk]

<whisper mode> "Sunroof"
Elk

 

[CanadianRidr]

Elk even when I am sitting here still ticked about a weekend's work not looking that good you still manage to make me laugh;) (I was seriously thinking of ripping a hole in the roof.

I didn't get any tips on paining metallic :( I just kinda sprayed. It looked not bad, but wherever there was primer the paint would go on a lot lighter, so the end result is light patches on the car, and now that I clear coated it (which still looks rough and not mirror smooth:ugg: ) I will probably just re-sand those areas on the weekend and re-spray them to match the rest of the car,
Milque where are you??:scream:

 

[a454elk]

I've got an idea, go to Home Depot, if you have one. Get that antiquing paint kit. The first coat is a gold base and the second one crackles after you paint it. It'll fit right in with that 62' plymouth you are painting!! :)
Oh, by the way, good morning up there!
Elk

 

[Milquetoast]

Ahhhhh, the joys of your first paint job, I remember it well.

If the color is ok and the clear is just a little rough, you could try just sanding the clear lightly with the 400 and then clear it again. But if you can still tell by color where the primer was, then you have not put on enough paint yet (color coat), and need to get more color on there.

If the finished clearcoat surface is rough then your spraying technique needs some adjustment. I assume that you are either moving your hand too fast to get enough paint on the area or one stroke is not blending into the next because you are not overlapping the strokes enough.

 

[CanadianRidr]

Thanks Milque,
so first question, Will it be okay for us to wait till next weekend when we can get more paint, and when we do can I just resand the light areas and respray them?
Right now the back 12 inches of the roof look good, in the middle you can see the streaks and the spray lines:ugg:
and the front.....well it has light areas and the odd spray lines, should I just scuff the whole car up with 400 and re-spray it?

And lastly what is the deal with this clear coat? It just doesn't look glossy, do I need to polish and buff it to turn into a shiny finish?

 

[Milquetoast]

Tell me what kind of paint it is, and what kind of clear. Spray can or ??? Brand, and what it says on the label.

 

[CanadianRidr]

Umm I really don't know Milque sorry, The paint was mixed by an autoparts store and put in a spray bottle, it took about 10 mins, the clearcoat is also just in a spary can, it says not for enamel paints.

 

[CanadianRidr]

Also Milque should I wet sand the paint with 1000 after it's dried and BEFORE I am about to spray the clear coat on? Or do I just spray after it dried?
And should I wet sand the clear coat then polish the car? Or just polish/

 

[Milquetoast]

Hope it's not now too late to help with the project. Sorry, but I forgot to look for this thread for a few days.

I think the lines you are seeing are just bad spraying technique, put more clear on there until it gets close to running. If it does run, just wipe it off with clean paper towel and keep going (sounds bad but it works fine). When you put enough paint/clear on, the next pass will blend in and you wont see the line anymore. (assuming the overlap between one pass and the next is right)


If you are unhappy with the color and want to put more color on, then you'll need to sand the clear off of that area before adding the color.

If you the current color of the finish is ok, then just add more clear and don't worry about sanding it unless there is junk in the finish (bugs, dirt, etc.)

When applying clear over a color surface, there is no need to sand the color coat before spraying the clear unless there is junk in the finish. If the paint is metallic, don't sand it because the metallic flecks will never look right.

I wouldn't try to polish the finished job for a month or so, it takes a long time for paint to fully cure. The gloss of the clear, when applied correctly, should be more than shiny enough so you may never want to bother to buff it out.

Good Luck!