I scored a dozen rattle cans of black gloss nitrocellulose lacquer, the original color and type for my car. I'm just wanting to do a home job i nthe garage with these rattle cans, painters tape and plastic, and sandpaper you know. I know it won't be great but the paint was free and I just can't tollerate the red exterior with the red interior anymore. The car has a 50yr old red paint job on it now (2 red paint jobs actually) over the original black. Original owner simply wanted a color change after 5 years and the 2nd owner freshened it up. I *think* these red paint jobs are in enamel, might be lacquer, I'm not sure how to tell the difference. Anyway, my current paint is hella oxidized, spiderwebbed/crazed, and chipped. What grit and type of sandpaper do I buy for just doing a once over so the rattle can paint adheres ok? Also what grit and type should I use when done to clean up the orange peel a bit and smoothe out any bumps? I'm of course limited on $$$, who isn't, so I'm just wanting to do the best with what I have like anyone else would. Someday I of course plan on having the fiberglass stripped, sealed, and painted correctly, but that day is 10 years or more off. Thanks!
if the car has enamel on it, and the spay paint is lacquer, then it will probably lift the existing paint right off. A presentable 50 year old paint job looks better to me than a new crappy spray can paint job. Sorry, I had to say it.
Agreed but like I said, I can't stand the red anymore! I'd rather have it black primer than red! I was going to start with the hood and see how it turns out and go from there. I think I could pull it off pretty well with some effort. Besides, this 50yr paint is a complete hack job anyway. It was brushed on in places and has allot of runs. Any idea how I can tell if it's red enamel from lacquer? I don't want the paint to lift that's for sure!
You would have been better off buying Dupli color ready mix in qt can to shoot a car over rattle can job any day of the week ! You can't just mix paints and expect it to work ! You will always see those damn rattle can lines no matter what you do . Black primmer is the worst to make look good ! Painting an entire car with a rattle can just isn't plain right ! Either leave it alone or save your money and do it the right way . But then it's your ride so enjoy how it will look . Just my opinion ! Retro Jim
find a small part of the car that has the red paint, but does not show, and try it. Be sure to mask the area first so you don't get overspray on the rest of the car. If you're gonna paint the car black,and want it to look anywhere near decent, you're in for a LOT of work. Black will show every fault there is.
dont waste your $ on materials, go to a earl shieb and get a quickie pant job, it will be better than a rattle can
Just scuff the red paint with Gray scuff pads and forget doing anything after the rattle can paint drys. At that point there is nothing that you can do to ever make it look good again. (except standing back 300 feet)
That's occured to me but I don't want to leave my car anywhere, especially without me overnight. All I need to find out my $800 gas cap or $1,500 air cleaner has been swapped out. Parts are just so expensive and everything is original. I just wouldn't feel right about leaving it.
"$800 gas cap or $1,500 air cleaner" ...and you what to cheap-out on the paint?? I'd take a step back, have a beer and seriously rethink your plan. Just my 2
Have a little respect for that car and yourself. People look at early corvettes. Show up at a cruise night with a rattle can job and you are going to look like an ass. As far as sand paper.. If you don't know what you are doing (rattle can set the pace there) You can fuck that car up in a heartbeat. I am thinking that this thread is a joke or something.. If not.... It's your car... Do what you want...
You sound committed to this rattle can thing so I'll just answer your question with no editorials. I'd go 800 wet first to see how it cuts the oxidation. 800 damage might be reversible with the paint you have if it doesn't work out. I doubt I'd go much coarser because you are going to wind up with scratches that will show through the rattle can coats. and I'd try to find an inconspicuous place, if there is such a thing, to try the 800 in case you don't like the results.
I painted a car with rattle cans (semi-flat black on a 59 Chevy). My observations: -the flatter the paint, the easier it is to hide the lines of spray -the hood and trunk are the hardest to get right...if it's not too hard, take them off so you can spray right at them, not at an angle or straight down...this is where the spray painted look really happens -lots and lots of light coats...take your time -it can look great out of the can...don't let anyone discourage you...if it looks bad, you can always do the primer style like I did and it's easy to get it looking good.
i have to agree, dont rattle can the car, expecially black you'll never get it to look right and be dissapointed with the results. you can paint alot of fun out of a car, you should try wet sanding with 1200 or finner to get rid of the runs/sags then a cut& buff and that baby will shine. its 50 year old paint embrace it and save it. just my thoughts, but if your determined to paint it black, do it right. strip it down to metal, do any body work and paint it right, all this can be done in the home garage with a little imagination.
Ok, there was time when I was going to chemically strip down to the fiberglass, do repair, and primer/prep it for paint and pay someone to shoot it. BUT, I was told only polyester primer will chemically bond to the original glass sealing it properly. Gelcoat is just an eggshell over the original glass. Neither of these I can shoot myself so if I can't even seal it, why strip it? That's why I was trying this out first. I think I'm talked out of it after reading the responses lol.
I would be sanding paint, never glass! I don't want to ruin the original weave and waves in the glass which would ruin the restored value as there are already too many cars over restored like that.
Here's a thought! Empty all the cans into a pot and spray it that way. I know it sounds crazy, but I have done that in the past to use in my airbrush. It gives me much more control over my spray. It's a lot of shaking and spraying either way ,but with the spray gun you can get wider coverage.
Not if its black and you don't park under a light. The reason the paint is all crazed is because it is too think. I would take some 200-300 grit to it and try and knock at least the top paintjob off if it maybe even a couple of coats of the second paint job then 600 grit before a spritzed anything at all on it. The absolute best you could do for it is get it down to the first paint job then color sand it and buff it. Just my .02.
wait!! you wanna rattle can a vette cause the red bugs you ??? yer 800 gas cap and 1500 air cleaner ?? Sorry ( not really ) but this is the dumbest fucking thing i have ever read / heard
I guess I don't quite understand why anyone with a 50's Vett would paint it with a rattle can instead of saving the money to have a paint job sprayed on that the car deserves. If you had an old beater I could see why you might want to do it, but a Vett? It's your car and your decision but you really need to rethink this and think about how that car is going to look after a dozen or more cans of black spray cans.
What ever it is that you are thinking. Don't . Get over it. Paint it right. That isn't a Vega! God if there was ever a time to throw down some lightning... It's now! Amen
This one ranks right up there but probably not the dumbest of what has been asked lately. Someone ought to snag some links to threads and put up a pole. We could call it Dumb week and run it right after tech week. The dumbest thread in the pole gets the OP a Homer Award (I think I still have one of those lurking in my PM box) DOH. Here is what should be done with the plastic wonder, give it to Little Wing or me whoever is closest. She would respect it more than I would be either one of us would give it a good home.
If you spray lacquer over enamel, you will end up with bubbling/cracked paint,then you will have to strip it off , trust me, you can't cut corners when it comes to painting, I'm not saying you have spend thousands of $$ on high end paint and materials but you do have to fallow a procedure, if it was my car the first thing I'd do when I'm going to paint something that is older than 20-30 years,is strip it down to either the fiberglass/metal/plastic etc, the only exception is a GOOD recent base/clear paint job.
If I didn't read see this thread for myself I would never believed it. Rattle can paint job to a 50's Vette?? C'mon man!! Seriously this is a no brainer. If you can't afford to do it right just leave it till you can, it's a Vette dude, A VETTE!!! Please please please DONT!!!!
So your worried about screwing up the factories waviness of the fiberglass but yet want to spray bomb the thing? Why am I even reading this?
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