Has anyone here painted their cars one piece at a time? I've been thinking about it, since I don't have a garage and do all my body work in the driveway, seems like the weather keeps un-doing my efforts. Painting sections as I finish the work would seal it out... any suggestions?
Its not advisable unless you have controlled conditions.temp/humidity can wreak havoc with paint.todays paints are fairly stable as far as weather is concerned but...Painting a pair of doors then a week later painting the hood/decklid.You run the chance of mismatched paint color.If you do do it this way.Make a note as to air pressure...mix ratio...as well as how many coats you put on a panel so you can duplicate application on other components as well as use paint from the same mix/batch for each panel.
Painting one section at a time is better than no paint at all. Just remember you will need to go back and shoot the whole car again to get it the same shade color. Ray- I like your driveway
Depends on the primer. A good 2-part epoxy primer will hold up for a little while but remember, primer is porous. Moisture can soak through and get to the metal. It may take a while to show up but rust can create under the primer and you'll never know it till a few months later. The best thing is to not let the primer get exposed to the elements of bad weather if you plan on painting the car, otherwise be prepared to strip all the primer off and start over when you are ready to paint. Now if your primer was sprayed over an old topcoat you will likely be okay since the old topcoat will likely seal out any moisture but if you prime over bare metal you can look for future problems.
as long as you stayed with a stock color with "Dupont code" and had a pro with a controlled shop shoot it, I wonderif matching would still be an issue?
I agree, it would be better than not having the car painted at all. But from the VERY little I know, I you have an etching primer and then a primer/sealer then you should be pretty well protected for quite some time without any penetration into the metal. That would give you enough time to go back later, sand the car down one last time and then spray it with base coat and then your clear coat.
What he said. We did my shell and panels separate but within a few days of each other. Even with our experienced painter he was still worried about the color match. We discussed the the way we were going to tackle the paint work many times. We decided to do the panels separate and avoid any overspray onto the door jams etc. Its stressful on reassembly though. Glad we did it this way for the look but its really stressful and the painter has to know his stuff. If your doing a panel here and there I would cut in the insides etc. and leave the outer panels in prime. Also depends on the color. Solid like mine or a mettalic etc. I would only consider it with a solid color.
Depends on what type of primer. I wouldnt expose any of them to the weather without stripping again before paint. Even not exposed they all have a time limit before moisture penetrates. We watched this carefully on my car since it was in here for a year. even the spots in the door jams that I spray bombed with etch primer where I cut through we scuffed and recoated when needed to avoid moisture penetration. Its like a giant chemistry experiment doin an entire car.
Like I said in my other post its a giant chemistry experiment and all the chemicals have to jive. Use the wrong primer and the solvents in the paint will bite right into it or worse. Stripping and painting a car is a lot more involved than I ever thought. Its a very fussy process to get it right and make it last. The initial primer that was put on my dipped panels was mixed with left over base coat. It extends the life of the primer for sealing. Dont be fooled. These body men and painters are smart cookies. Its something you really need to know what you are doing. Too easy to make mistakes that may not show up till its too late.
Rustoleuum is an oil base paint. Your top coat will be full of fish eyes. Like Darren said...it's a chemical game. You want to stick with the same name brand products and check with a real autobody supply dealer to be sure they are compatible before doing anything.
