Well Rich I would just leave that alone now, don't tempt an issue. Bet you don't though 
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The Project Dixie thread!
- Thread starter richiep
- Start date
Ian
Club Member
Absolutely not, but most are checked for defects, most you would get is a few areas spot sanded if there were issues, which due to the repeatability of the production lines wouldn't be too often I imagine.
Wet sand and polish is not needed with a good sprayer and high quality clear, I can get a perfect finish straight off the gun. But even with this high level spray jobs will still be fully wet sanded, to take it way beyond any oem level.
At the bodyshop I work at sometimes the vast majority of jobs do not get sanded other than spot sanding if there are any dust nibs.
richiep
Club Member
I’ll be going for mostly flat, with efforts concentrated on the inner wings, bulkhead, top of rad support. Obvious surfaces basically. Generally I was pleased with it - just irritated about the test paper flicking fluff into the air when I did a gun adjustment on it, and some of the extra correction needed after that.
richiep
Club Member
No, it’s not good enough to leave alone for the standard I’m after.Well Rich I would just leave that alone now, don't temp an issue. Bet you don't though
Looking at it this evening, I couldn’t help myself and busted out the 1500 grit and body shop-safe detailer and made a start.
Alphabettispaghetti
Club Member
its a great colour
SacCyclone
Club Member
In the end, you gotta be happy with it Richie.
Come too far now not to be the way you want it.
Come too far now not to be the way you want it.
Ian
Club Member
I'm sure Rich won't have a problem with the wet sanding, so no reason not to do it. So long as you don't sand in areas that you cant easily get a small pad into then its easy enough.
I'd have started with a lower grade than 1500 though if you want to cut it back flat, perhaps its not far off flat already though.
I'd have started with a lower grade than 1500 though if you want to cut it back flat, perhaps its not far off flat already though.
richiep
Club Member
There’s large areas that need little attention tbh. Just overspray and nibs. Some orange peel. I’ve got a couple of different buffers, the smallest being 2-3”, so I can get pretty detailed, but yes, I’ll be keeping away from crevices and corners that can’t be buffed effectively. I may also go lower than 1500 if required. The start I made last night was literally 15 mins on the top of the rad support - plenty to do yet!
Ian
Club Member
If you want it truly flat you might be best to start with 1000, then the grades that follow are only to remove the previous grades sanding marks. It can be very helpful to use a dry guide coat so you don't miss anything.
I'm considering going full show car on mine, but it adds a good few days work. That would be 5 coats of clear, sanded back with 600 on a hard but flexible block, then 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, on a softer block using guide coat between each, then 3000 tri-zact, then 5000 tri-zact.
I'm considering going full show car on mine, but it adds a good few days work. That would be 5 coats of clear, sanded back with 600 on a hard but flexible block, then 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, on a softer block using guide coat between each, then 3000 tri-zact, then 5000 tri-zact.
uk66fastback
Club Member
Have a look at most modern car paint finishes - they’re mostly all orange peel finish - even the luxury brands …
Robotsan
Club Member
Yeah paint is bad these days, so much orange peel on cars. My M135i has much more than my old e46 M3 did. But even when I had the front end of that painted the guy said "do you want me to match the OEM finish, or do you want it smoother/flatter"?
When I bought my only 'New' car in 2002 (a 1.4 black Golf) it was very orange peely. When I collected it I was thinking of rejecting it - the salesman said in all honesty they are all like this. After a couple of weeks it didn't bother me and I always assumed that 'orange peely' meant think paint?
If it was an expensive 'hobby' car I might have thought differently.
If it was an expensive 'hobby' car I might have thought differently.
uk66fastback
Club Member
At the risk of incurring Saccy’s wroth, the Americans do tend to put a lot of paint on when they respray cars - a lot of restos look like they could do with a bit of flattening of the topcoat …
richiep
Club Member
There's tons of car painting videos on YouTube where the issue of OEM orange peel is discussed. Generally, experienced painters are capable of, and aim to match factory paint texture when doing accident repairs, partial resprays, blending, etc., so that new paint matches not just in colour, but physical appearance. Orange peel, for those who don't know, is a texture that results, to lesser or greater degrees from inefficient atomization of the paint. With technique and experience, it can be pretty much eliminated while painting. However, automated production painting pretty much operates on a basis of acceptable, consistent orange peel these days. For show cars, the aim is much more likely to be a more perfect finish, which necessitates wet-and-dry sanding through very fine grades as Ian notes, and then compound buffing/polishing by machine with assorted pads (wool, different grades of foam). Sanding and buffing also becomes essential if conditions aren't perfect or technique is weak - so like me! Dust nibs in the paint, some inconsistency in finish (I've got areas that are glassy smooth, some that are quite peel-y - the engine bay is much more fiddly to get a consistent finish than an exterior panel would be). Even experienced painters in pro booths will end up having some nibs to deal with sometimes.
The problem with a lot of old cars from the US, like Zs, is that they've been repainted several times, often including el cheapo MAACO paint jobs (MAACO is a franchised body shop chain, specializing in bargain basement resprays). Decades of flaking colour changes and sinking paint to deal with!
The problem with a lot of old cars from the US, like Zs, is that they've been repainted several times, often including el cheapo MAACO paint jobs (MAACO is a franchised body shop chain, specializing in bargain basement resprays). Decades of flaking colour changes and sinking paint to deal with!
Your problem Rich is that the engine-bay is a focal point. A LOT of owners of 'daily drivers' will never have lifted the bonnet.
toopy
Club Member
Yeh, can't argue with that, although the paint on my Transit custom is not orange peely at all.... nice!
richiep
Club Member
Not a daily driver though and the bonnet will be getting popped frequently when the 3.1 is living in there!
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Rushingphil
Club Member
Richie, absolutely love following your thread Thanks for the effort!
Can you elaborate on the paint you are using please? Only details I've seen is that it's 2K.
Are your fans intrinsically safe, and do you need to worry about an explosive atmosphere?
I want to go down the same path as you one day, but would rather not blow myself up
Thanks for the effort!Can you elaborate on the paint you are using please? Only details I've seen is that it's 2K.
Are your fans intrinsically safe, and do you need to worry about an explosive atmosphere?
I want to go down the same path as you one day, but would rather not blow myself up
richiep
Club Member
The paint is automotive solvent basecoat (mixed to code by my paint factors, Colourtone in Stockport), and for clear I “upgraded” from the in-house clear made by Colourtone to Multi Mix Multi-Clear 2, with Multi Mix Air Dry+ hardener. I thought that hardener would be a good move given the current temperatures.
The fan - well I haven’t blown myself up yet, so that’s a bonus! It’s a 24” fan of the type you might see in a dance studio or gym. No evidence that it is explosion proof, but I likely would’ve found out the hard way by now if it was a major risk. It has done many sessions as an extractor pulling paint out the garage; in the current setup, it has been acting as an intake fan, pulling air through the back door filter and pressurising the booth, pushing air down the garage and out the filter in the up and over door.
Spraying the clear coat did reveal the setup’s limitations. The extraction works fine for minimal overspray exercises like base coat, smaller parts, etc., but clearing the engine bay overpowered the rate at which it could clean the air. It got rather cloudy a couple of times and I was very glad for the air-fed turbine mask I have that was bringing me fresh air from in the shed, away from the spray area. Before I do any other significant spraying, I will be re-engineering the extraction setup to improve the flow rate. I may see if I can switch to a negative pressure arrangement to pull air out through 2-3 fans. Maybe some sort of filter box that can stand under the garage door. More thought required…
Edit: just had a brain wave on how to do it. Small winter DIY project incoming and hunting for a used explosion-proof extractor fan nearby...
The fan - well I haven’t blown myself up yet, so that’s a bonus! It’s a 24” fan of the type you might see in a dance studio or gym. No evidence that it is explosion proof, but I likely would’ve found out the hard way by now if it was a major risk. It has done many sessions as an extractor pulling paint out the garage; in the current setup, it has been acting as an intake fan, pulling air through the back door filter and pressurising the booth, pushing air down the garage and out the filter in the up and over door.
Spraying the clear coat did reveal the setup’s limitations. The extraction works fine for minimal overspray exercises like base coat, smaller parts, etc., but clearing the engine bay overpowered the rate at which it could clean the air. It got rather cloudy a couple of times and I was very glad for the air-fed turbine mask I have that was bringing me fresh air from in the shed, away from the spray area. Before I do any other significant spraying, I will be re-engineering the extraction setup to improve the flow rate. I may see if I can switch to a negative pressure arrangement to pull air out through 2-3 fans. Maybe some sort of filter box that can stand under the garage door. More thought required…
Edit: just had a brain wave on how to do it. Small winter DIY project incoming and hunting for a used explosion-proof extractor fan nearby...
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