I am starting to think along the lines of what kind of ways I should approach paint removal and then the appropriate application of filler(if any) and primer. For those that have done this before, What is your preferred method for paint removal and what kind of filler and primer do you use and why?
I will be painting the car with a base coat/clear coat urethane... British Racing Green with a dark emerald green pearl in the clear coat. I am also going spray every orifice that I can't get to in the frame and bodywork with POR 15. And then weld the seams on the underside. i am also welding in the rocker kick panels to make that area water tight. I did that on my last spider plus removed the chrome strip and flushed the panel with the bodyline. Anyway, I really like the look.
I've been using epoxy primers. I also use Rage extreme. I was talking with the shop that I get my paint from. He was saying he knew of something better than rage. I can find out what it is if you want. The only downfall I see with Rage is it's kind of tacky after it dries on the surface. But as soon as you take off the outer coating seems fine. I don't like the tacky part though.
I like Master Series better than POR15. It's thicker and goes on extremely nicely. Unless you have the proper O2 mask. You would have to use a sponge to put it on. That stuff could kill you if inhaled. I did my car with the sponge. For the frame. Eastwood sells a internal frame coating. One can would be enough to do the cars frame. That stuff is awesome also. If your going to use seam sealer. All you need is the one small can. I didn't even use 1/4 of mine. I did use a few of the seam sealer strips though. There's enough in the box to do about four cars. So I wouldn't buy the whole seam sealer kit.
azygoustoyou: Nice and clean interior metal wow! I take it you media blasted? What type of media did you use? I just inherited four gallons of different types of filler, primer, some thinner and reducer and a bunch of sanding paper and discs from my friend/landlord. He was rebuilding his 66 ford truck in the garage and just took it over to restorer to get finished up.
I did use a media blaster. I used medium and fine New age media. The medium was the best because it broke down to the fine grit. If I had to do it again. I would only buy medium. It doesn't have silica. I used it outside my garage in an area with a tarp. I didn't waste much and was able to use a dust pan to pick it up and put it through a pool skimmer to filter it. It worked great. If you do yours outside. Make a box like I did without a bottom. It's easier to pick up the media. just put a small board on the bottom to put your pieces on and avoid the hitting the tarp. Everything on my car was blasted. Here's what it looked like before.
Are you talking about plastic media? or is it an abrasive like garnet? I have done garnet blasting on some motorcycle parts and they were ready to paint once blasted with that particular media. I heard with plastic media you have to rough up the metal before doing primer. But the advantage is that it will not rust as quickly with no paint. I think I want to save time and use something that will prep the metal for filler and primer at the same time I blast. What did you find was the easiest method for removeing the tar out of the floorpan interior? for me I found lightly banging it will loosen it then scrapping with a putty knife. Works best when cold outside.
No, the media I used was like sand like. It would prep the car for you. It was just right for the spider. I scrapped the bottom of my car to remove the tar. It took me a week to do the underside. Eastwood sells something that can be sprayed on I think to help with removal. When are you going to start?
If I ever restore another car (shh! Don't tell my wife!), I'm going to consider the "baking" method, where they heat the body overnight, removing all traces of paint, undercoating, etc. Then dipped in a wash, followed by a dip in electrolytic primer. About $1000, I think. The restoration part, I like. The rust and paint removal, not so much.
azygoustoyou wrote:No, the media I used was like sand like. It would prep the car for you. It was just right for the spider. I scrapped the bottom of my car to remove the tar. It took me a week to do the underside. Eastwood sells something that can be sprayed on I think to help with removal. When are you going to start?
Been working on it... I am just not ready for the media blasting yet... Yes I took a look at what you are using...recycled glass... perfect media I think it will give me the preparation that I am looking for. I will be ready to blast once i put the car up in my rotisserie...
I discovered a 4 1/2" paint stripper disc to my 5/8" grinder that makes for quicker removal of the old paint on my spider without making any gouges leaving an 80 grit finish on the bare metal. The only bad part is i will have to use the sand blaster on the hard to reach areas. Which is fine considering the media is more expensive than the discs.
In the "sky's the limit" category, I would (as mentioned before) definitely go with a bath dip to remove paint, a second bath to neutralize rust, and then electroplating. I've seen bodyshells treated like this and they are brilliant. Of course, if there are any holes or panels to repair, you will have to go through another cleaning bath after all that work. That $1000 is a bargain, if true, and I wouldn't think twice about spending that to have an absolutely clean, zinc coated chassis that will last, and to avoid all the hard work. Over here, the complete process would cost 4000 - 5000, but then again this is comparing a fully chemical process against the other post, which talks about a baking step to remove the paint. Early experience with the bath methods wasn't so good, as quite often they couldn't drain / wash out all the solutions (which are either highly acidic or highly basic, depending on the step) and they would continue to etch and eat from the inside out. Now it seems they are reliable. Baking also seems controversial, as you may distort the shell or do other damage at the temperatures required.
To the original poster, are you sure you want to weld everything up watertight? Or are you not talking about the bottom of the rockers? Some drainage should be maintained.
Maybe it's different on the Spider, but I would be careful with the media chosen for blasting. People with Coupes (large, flatter panels) have distorted their panels with sand and needed to do a lot of work after. Once colleague who is restoring a Spitfire had to buy a new hood (bonnet) after the sandblasting warped the panel.
I used a Clarks media blaster and Iron age media. I could hit any part of the car without the worry of any distortion. I don't know about other systems. It did my car well. I also acid etched the bottom of the car. You just have to wash it off really good to remove the waxy surface before paint or it will peal.
To see the final chosen color with interior colors, go to More progress