Body & Paint, this is an area I have very little experance. I have a glass '27 body with an aluminum nose on my LSR car. I do not have all the tools and lack a lot of the patience to do body work. But the time has come to do the best I can with what I have. I would like some input on the best / correct way to prep aluminum for automotive paint. I think I can muddle my way through redoing the glass work I screwed up last year. Anyway I need a very basic outline of how to proceed. Thanks for your insight.
Why would you want to waste your time and money trying to something that you've never done before ? I'm sure that you have contacts in the industry since you're in the two club and your avatar shows you w/ kugels Pontiac, ask him to recomend a paint shop and save yourself some $$$ and aggravation. Good luck.
Hi Mike - Glad to see y'all came so close @ Elmo - next meet for sure, huh? We haven't (yet) prepped our aluminum for paint as the non-natural areas are done in a "wrap" a la big trucks, busses, and the (dreaded word) NASCAR race cars. This isn't a bad way to go, and the cost (at least here) is reasonable - i.e., the wrap, installed by pros, costs less than the materials for a quality paint job (and especially red, which costs more). I have only used Gibbs brand protectant on the natural aluminum - it does not have any silicones in it, as opposzed to wd40 or such. The biggest thing, I think, will be to purge the surface of any preservative BEFORE sanding (if not, the sanding will moosh the silicones into the metal). So, lots of wiping down with lacquer thinner, prepsol, etc. Then sand with 220, prime/seal with zinc chromate, and topcoat. Probably want to use some fish eye eliminator in the topcoat, too. I'm only guessing that this is what the actual sequence would be, a real painter should give you a better idea. If you need , I can check with my paint guru "Sleeveless Bob". See you on the Salt! vic PS: PM me if you have any info on the "advisory committee" looking into the headrest fairing issue.
on dragster aluminum panels , i use a d/a with 80 grit , clean , then use a etch primer like veri prime ....seal , then paint....
Hey dynoroom ive done what brandon says and works just fine and for the money it seems to work the best,good luck.
Hey, Be sure to wash and wipe down that aluminum with plenty of lacquer thinner and clean painting( not shop) rags PRIOR to any sanding operation. If you go with an etching primer, be sure it will get along with your final primer/sealer coat prior to your top coat choice. Not all etch primers can be coated with all primers. Good luck finding a ''real'' zinc chromate primer for sale in the" Peoples Republic of Kalifornia". "Humpty Dumpty was pushed "
This will sound foreign to some...but many guys like to do all the work themselves, and doing new things, even if ya fuck up, is still a learning experience. Doing all the work on yer own car ain't rocket science.....
alu is not that much different than steel or fiberglass when it comes to paint. yes, it is important to etch it, and there are many products that will work. as said, zinc chromate is out of the picture here in kali. dupont veriprime that was mentioned is a very good product. there are some nice clear etch's that are used on airplanes , but i cant recall any brand names. in short, have at it, you will be fine skull
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