I need advice from the paint guys out there. I'm starting back on my 47 tudor, and trying to clean the paint while waiting for my O/T vette to sell. The money from the Vette will pay to finish "Henry", and then some. I need to bring you up to speed. The guy I bought it from had a paint job put on the car in an attempt to make it "Satin" !?! What he ended up with was enough paint on the car to paint two cars, neither gloss, or satin! Some spots on it feel literally like 240 grit and I'm realizing that this coat of what we think, is pure enamel, was shot right over the existing top coat with no primer, or even washing the car! Add to all this, the car sat in a barn, yes, it's a true barn find survivor, for 7-8 years. Covered with dirt, bird sh%& and mouse droppings. We are buffing all the orange peel, of which there is plenty, with 1,000 wet until we get it smooth enough to look like primer, then buffing with Auto Magic XP, then 3M 5990. After that we finish up with Auto Magic BC-1, all with a 7"wool pad. Then I hand wax it with Meguiar's Gold. What do you think? Is this one of those deals where "If it works, it's the right system"? You guys have any tricks I'm missing?
Hey Mike, If the surface is as thick and rough as to be twice the thickness of two paint jobs, why not drop down to some 360-400 wet & dry for your first few cuts? From there, you can jump to 600-800 and hit it with a rough compound on a cutting pad, and finish up with a black foam pad and some polishing compound. This will save ya much time, and save your arms & back! If the paint prep wasn't there to begin with, don't expect all of your efforts to produce a ''black lacquer'' like end result! "If'' on the other hand, the methods you're using are using produce a result you can live with, who am I to tell ya different
pimpin, I started with 400. It cuts quick, but then It seems as though it takes me longer to get the 400 out than to just start with 1,000. It felt like I was being too aggressive, so I backed off to 1,000. We don't know what was shot on this car last, but it's as hard as a rock! Naphtha doesn't affect it, but enough L T will eventually start making it soft. The 1,000 works well on the dirt and orange peel, some that is so bad it looks like wrinkle paint. Cracks that go all the way to the metal, damage from bird doo, etc, etc. It chips pretty easily, it's real brittle. My method is working, and until the Vette is sold and my interior comes from E-Z Boy, the car isn't going anywhere. So I have time. My saving grace is that it's on there so thick I'm not going to burn through. Thanks, My dad was a body man, but that was 50 some years ago, and I'm picking my brain trying to remember the things he taught me. I'm OK with some character in the paint. After all, it is a 66 year old hot rod!
Sounds like you have a good plan. I'm sure you realize that when the corvette sells, you'll have to go a lot further to ensure you get the repaint results you're after. My rule is " don't trust what's there unless you did it".
Don't plan to re-paint, joel. It's a hot rod. it should have flaws and hickeys in the paint. I have a friend with a 6 figure 39 sedan, and while it's really pretty, it's not a hot rod.
If there's as much crud under that paint as you say there is, I'm surprised it's not peeling already. Once that starts to happen, stripping and repainting will be the only real option.
".....I'm realizing that this coat of what we think, is pure enamel, was shot right over the existing top coat with no primer, or even washing the car!...." If this is the case, you're wasting a lot of resources trying to save the "paint job". Best to get the poorly applied paint off and do a proper prep job on the car. At least wash it good, then move forward.
Yeah guys, I realize that if I'm correct that he shot that without good prep, it's going to be short lived. Since I've owned 50+ cars in my lifetime, there is always a chance that I won't have Henry when that happens.
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