C2: 67 How much lacquer do you need

[Gerard F.]

to paint a convertible?

Can you do a decent paint job without a paint booth and professional equipment?
Can you do it in parts from the same paint batch, and have it match? What's the worst thing that can happen?

I thought I'd do the prep work this winter, and paint it this spring when it is a little warmer.

Has anyone done a do-it-yourself paint job on a C2 convertible recently?

Jerry Fuccillo
#42179

[Stephen L.]

Re: C2: 67 How much lacquer do you need

I'm in the middle of a paint project... body off. Its very difficult to get a "show" paint job even with a paint booth although not impossible. I am painting mine for the 3rd time because:

1st paint was done over some black felt tip ink that i used to mark my chips etc during prep. Well those marks bled through a black sealer coat as well as a couple of coats of marina blue base and a couple of coats of clear. It didn't show up until the body was in bright sunlight.
2nd paint was done after correcting the black marks by sanding and repriming. Had to sand the entire body to get good bonding. In both cases the body was painted in pieces (doors, hood, buckets, removed) in a spray booth.
After finish sanding with 2000 grit and 3 stage buffing I started assy. Doors, buckets and hood were subtle different color and it showed only after assy. Am now sanding again to get rid of excessive buildup of paint and will paint for a 3rd time... after doing jambs etc, doors, buckets, and hood will be installed before final color coats and clear coat.
I was told in 1983 that you should not paint in pieces and its easy to pick out a marina blue that was painted that way, especially under flourescent lights. I was assured by my painter that new tachnology and paints no longer required the car to be assembled. Wrong!!!! Painter has painted many metallic colors in pieces with no ill affects but not this color.

To answer your questions: You can do it yourself if you have had experience and a good clean enclosure with the floor wet (minimize dust) early in the morning (no bugs attracted by lites) and no breezes (stirring up outside dust). I've done it in the past with good results... How much paint? How many coats do you want to do. I'd say a minimum of a gallon and probably more like 5 qts so you have some for any "mess up" redo's. Of course a quality paint gun is a must $400-500.

Good prep is mandatory for a good finish... if you have experience in this area you'll probably do ok. I've done my own prep but this isn't my first and I was able to consult with a pro on questionable areas.

Good Luck

[Stephen W.]

Re: C2: 67 How much lacquer do you need

As a former bodyman and paint rep for RM Inmont paint I'll share my experiences and try to help you make the right choices.
1. Do you need a booth? No , not for lacquer.
Lacquer will dry fast which enables you to be dust free very quickly. What will settle will be removed with the color sand & buff.
2. Can you panel paint the car? Yes and NO. (panels off car)
as a very experienced painter I would not have a problem doing it this way and I have done it with a 55 Chevrolet Belair and 63 Corvette roadster both of which were show cars. As a hobbiest or beginner I would not attempt it.
the secret to getting the same color match involves a lot more than just painting the parts. Very consistant paint reduction and application are necessary. You will need to "build" your color the same way and go with the "grain" of the panels. Think of the "grain" as the way water or ink drops would flow over the veh if it was in a wind tunnel. So you need to spray the door panel as if it is on the car and do the fenders the same way. You would want to spray the conv deck the "long" way from side to side BUT if it was on the car you would spray it "with" the flow of the car from front to rear. With a metalic color you can very easily end up with "flip/flop" so when you look at the car the deck looks darker than the back of the car in one direction and the back looks darker from a different angle. Light blues and silvers would be very prone to this because of the high metal pigments in the color.
So from my view you should not attempt panel painting the car but it can be done.
The key to any paint job being successful is simply in the prep work you do.
Its the boring stuff that makes the difference. The car has to be right or the paint never will.
"trace" coat and block sand till the lines are correct and the panels are straight and wave free. All undercoats(primers) must be cured so you do not trap solvents that hide in sand scratches only to show up like 36 grit scratches later.
By trace coating you will have a sufficiant base of primer surfacer on the panel and then use a contrasting color primer over it. Like gray over red or dark gray. You only need to dust this contrasting color over. Now block sand it using water as a lubricant and to wash away the sanding dust. Any little pinhole , scratch or low spot will show up like a neon sign. ALWAYS sand the ENTIRE area uniformly till the scratch or chip is gone. ALWAYS sand "with the grain" of the panel. Do this through all the steps of primer till your up to 400 or 600 grit. Use of a sealer is also recommended
When your finished sanding and think your ready for paint you need to clean and clean again! Dust will hide in cracks , in the hinge pockets and vent areas only to blow out in the last color coat. Wash it out , blow it out and before you paint any exterior panels you will first blow some color in these areas to lock down any dust hiding in there. Do your jams and apply your color "wetter" than normal to give the lacquer a semi shine smooth finish. I would use a touch up gun and add some "retarder" or rich thinner ( slow drying) to keep the paint wet longer. Careful wet paint will run.
Now close up the doors and hood and deck (underside of deck painter earlier) I would paint the deck off the car but at the same time and in the same direction. With the jams done you can final wash with a good solvent prep BUT make sure it can be used before final finish. This will now wash off all overspray from doing the jams. Wash with one rag and dry it off with another. Do not allow it to air dry. Use a tack cloth to remove the final dust.
Mix according to the paint manufacturers recomendations and use all their products as a system. Have correct temperatures and allow sufficiant flash times between color coats. I would generally go with three color coats after hiding. Avoid excessive overlap between panels or you will have dark lines.
remember that the amount of "shine" a car has is equal to the amount of light the paint reflects to our eyes. A rough or orange peel finish will deflect the light in all different directions. That will show a low gloss. Now have a very smooth finish and all the light is returned to our eyes very uniformly. That will be a very high gloss or shine. Take your time and give extra time to the boring prep stuff and the end finish will be well worth it.

[Tracy C.]

Re: C2: 67 How much lacquer do you need

Jerry,

I would get a least 3 gallons of Lacquer. Try to get all 3 can from the same factory batch. You will probably only use 2 gals but if you need to spot sand and reshoot it's better to have the extra availible. Plus you will want it for possible mishaps later. Buy a 5 gallon can of thinner from the same brand as the paint.

Lacquer in a non metalic color is the most forgiving paint there is to shoot. It drys fast and you can sand out runs after an hour or two and shoot another coat over it.

I have painted Acyric Enamel in my garage with good results, so Lacquer would even be easier. The important thing is to clean the area before you bring the car in to tape it off. I did this by opening all the door and windows on a windy day and blew off everything in the shop with high pressure compressed air. Try to work in a pattern so that the wind carrys the dust outside.

Before it's time to paint, put fans in the window so they pull from the shop to the outside. I also cracked the large door open and secured a bunch of furnace filters along the bottom opening. The idea is here to create a draft through the shop to get rid of overspray, but filter the incoming air. Duct tape everything to seal off unwanted opening. You can hang a bug zapper in the sealed garage for a couple of nights before you paint if bugs are a problem.

Make sure you have lots of side lighting and wet the floor before you mix paint.

Now having answered the question from my own experience, I would not recommend this unless it is your last resort for painting the car yourself. I would check out the local Junior Colleges in your area and see if they have an auto body course you can enroll in.

I'm lucky enough to live within 20 miles of one with an absolutely first rate program. When I need to paint a car, I just enroll in a semester of night classes and "Viola", I have full access to all the tools and technology of a full service body shop at my finger tips!!

Good Luck with the paint job however you proceed. You will always be glad you did it yourself. And just remember the minor "flaws" you notice during the job will stand out like a neon sign in Marvel Cave at first, but after a month or two you quit looking at them. Most other folks will never even see them at all.

tc

[Stephen W.]

Re: C2: 67 How much lacquer do you need

Good advise about prepping the garage! I did a lot of work at my home garage and would like to bring the car up to the point the jams were done and the car was ready for color. Then I'd leave the actual painting for the very early hours of the morning (3:00 or 4:00am). The air outside and inside would be very calm and my neighbors would be asleep. I could work undisturbed.
2 gals of paint seems like a lot but its better to have more than to run out. I would make sure I mixed the two gals together for consistant match.

[Mike M.]

Re: C2: 67 How much lacquer do you need

tracy: when the augusta midget and i get to judge your 63 exterior, we'll be wearing our Marvel Cave illuminated helmets. on a roll, tonite, aren't i? mikie

[Tracy C.]

Marvel Cave illuminated helmets? ... I can't wait *NM*

[Wayne W.]

Re: C2: Home Made Temporary Paint Booth

You can make a good temporary paint booth by building a light framework sort of like a green house. Cover it with clear plastic and seal the joints. Mount a fan in one end, up high, blowing into, not out of the room, filtered of course. This will pressurize the room and keep the dust and bugs out. Leave openings in the lower regions for the air to get out of there, but not enough to deflate the room. It will work almost as good as a professional room.