Post by grumpynorthener on Sept 10, 2020 8:00:41 GMT
So a place to post your questions / problems in relation to sorting the structural & cosmetic aspects of your vehicle out - I have been professionally restoring all types of vehicles for over 40 years & run a small business specialising in panel & paint restoration
It takes time, patience, dedication & skill to make a body beautiful
But it can be done - you don't need a fancy heated paint booth or thousands of pounds worth of equipment but you do need something better than a 50 year old asthmatic air compressor and a damp leaky garage with a earth floor. Golden rule number one coming up: 'Don't buy Cheap' - cheap materials will always produce poor results - the difference in saving between quality branded materials and the cheap unbranded is not even worth the debate and nothing sucks more than having to do the job twice - so save yourself the hassle and purchase decent quality materials - if you don't know what or where - just ask and I'll get back to you - Things that will help me with the answers is pics of your problems alongside a description of what you are attempting to achieve and in what conditions
I shall be posting my top hints & tips on occasions alongside some tutorials on 'Bodyshop Basics' - my restoration threads (regardless of the make / model of vehicle involved) in 'The Workshop' section are also worth reading for picking up on techniques / methods / materials etc
Car Restoration Paints - Old school supplier of cellulose & coach enamels + bodyshop sundries - friendly free advice from a very experienced vehicle painter - www.carrestorationpaints.co.uk/
Post by grumpynorthener on Sept 18, 2020 18:42:07 GMT
Guide coats and how to use them
Guide coat is a mist coat that once dry will assist in the flatting back of the applied filler or primer - just simply use a darker colour on light backgrounds and light colour on darker backgrounds - for simplicity I tend to use cheap matt black aerosols - just dust over the filler or primer once its cured
Has you profile / sand back the darker appearance of the guide coat over the lighter colour filler details areas that require further work or identifies areas of pin holes that may require stopping up / further filler application - it's a simple yet very effective trick used in the vast majority of professional bodyshops
Can be used when sanding back both dry or wet
What it cant tell you is that if all the undulation in the panel is removed - only your hand / eye coordination can detect that - a thin fabric glove worn on your hand is the best way and moved slowly across the panel in all directions - although you may feel it - it can be deceiving to exactly where any hollow / undulation lies within the panel - the trick here is to look away or close your eyes - run your hand across the panel slowly stopping when you feel the defect at which point you can mark the area with a pencil then reapply filler / profile back etc - by all means post any questions that you may have on the methods outlined
Chris - For the benefit of all, a list of your most regularly used products (and the reasons why you chose them) would be very useful to all when you get the time. By the way, this all looks great. Congrats to the whole team.
Chris - For the benefit of all, a list of your most regularly used products (and the reasons why you chose them) would be very useful to all when you get the time. By the way, this all looks great. Congrats to the whole team.
Will do but that's a decent list - I always resisted doing this on another forum because there was always someone that came along to argue the fact that they knew better (when they clearly didn't) probably what I would like to do is cover the basic processes whilst also making my recommendation of products - bit like what I have just done with the guide coat piece
Not knowing any better, as I have no one else to get recommendations from, I have tried several of the products that you have used during work that I have done recently. They have all been spot on and I will be using them again in the future.
Chris do you have a recommendation for something to blacken up plastic trim? I've been using Meguiars trim stuff but it soon wears off out here with the sun.
Chris do you have a recommendation for something to blacken up plastic trim? I've been using Meguiars trim stuff but it soon wears off out here with the sun.
Have you tried hiting the trim gently with a heat gun first? Brings the oil and colour back to the surface.
Hoping grumpynorthener or any other knowledgeable paint person can chip in......
I want to repaint the roof of my Morris. I painted it in grey cellulose a couple of years ago, but I want to redo, as the shade is lighter than my current colourscheme.
The roof has never been polished or flatted, just left in out of the gun finish whilst I did the rest of the car.
I've now flatted it back with 320grit to remove any orange peel. I'll obviously panel wipe it good'n'proper too.
Can I spray new cellulose straight on top of good old cellulose ?
I'm hoping to do my top-coats on Sunday/Monday, before the weather turns bad.
If I've got to go through any primer/sealer stages I think I'll miss that deadline, but I obviously don't want to cut too many corners.
Hoping grumpynorthener or any other knowledgeable paint person can chip in......
I want to repaint the roof of my Morris. I painted it in grey cellulose a couple of years ago, but I want to redo, as the shade is lighter than my current colourscheme.
The roof has never been polished or flatted, just left in out of the gun finish whilst I did the rest of the car.
I've now flatted it back with 320grit to remove any orange peel. I'll obviously panel wipe it good'n'proper too.
Can I spray new cellulose straight on top of good old cellulose ?
I'm hoping to do my top-coats on Sunday/Monday, before the weather turns bad.
If I've got to go through any primer/sealer stages I think I'll miss that deadline, but I obviously don't want to cut too many corners.
Thanks.
You can as you hoped now go straight over it only one thing I would now add and that's to go back over the roof with a finer grit of wet & dry - P600's is what grade I would use - 320's is a little too course for final coats
Brilliant - thanks for the confirmation. Going over again with some 600 wont be a problem, I need to detail the gutters anyway, so I'll do it all at once.
What would be the best way to get rid of the rust blisters all over the car? I'm thinking the best way is to get the car dipped, will this neutralise the rust..it's not deep or perforated but obviously needs sorting.
What would be the best way to get rid of the rust blisters all over the car? I'm thinking the best way is to get the car dipped, will this neutralise the rust..it's not deep or perforated but obviously needs sorting.
Hi Phil - From long held experience dipping is the way to go - this gets into all the box sections & cavities and gives you a clean sheet to work from - you can also have the shell & panels primed at the same time and this saves the bare metal from flash rusting whilst you restore the car - blasting is another option but not one that I would recommend it does not access the cavities / box sections and it tends to create distortion on larger panels - here's a few pics of one my next projects that I have recently had dipped
The space frame chassis + front & rear bulkhead / superstructures (steel) were primed afterwards whilst the alloy panels were returned as bare alloy - this simply provides a far better method for undertaking a restoration
Here's a MGB GT shell that is shortly to enter the workshop - also dipped & primed
Here's a link to the only company that I trust with the dipping process - there are others out there but nowhere near as good & responsive as these guys - if you require a introduction to them I can also do that as they are well aware of whom I am - please post up any further info / questions that you may have on the process and I'll get straight back to you with some answers - Chris
So the dipping process will get rid of all the rust and leave me the solid bits to work from then? What would you do regarding the deep pitting that is on the wings etc in the photo, would a skim of filler be sufficient?
I really want to do this car justice but it's the biggest challenge I've ever taken on and I admit to being a little daunted by it.
What is the average dipping cost and turnaround time in your experience?
So the dipping process will get rid of all the rust and leave me the solid bits to work from then? What would you do regarding the deep pitting that is on the wings etc in the photo, would a skim of filler be sufficient?
I really want to do this car justice but it's the biggest challenge I've ever taken on and I admit to being a little daunted by it.
What is the average dipping cost and turnaround time in your experience?
Phil - Because the process removes all the rust from the pits you can just skim over - should it be pin holed then you will have to remove that section and weld new steel in - any areas that are sound but very deeply pitted could be lead loaded (I can advise / talk you through any process that you are unsure about) - I understand that lead times for dipping are currently heading towards the end of this year but turnaround times are normally circa 10 days - cost wise about £1500 + vat but so well worth it even though you have to get the shell & panels to Preston & then collect them once completed
What would be the best way to get rid of the rust blisters all over the car? I'm thinking the best way is to get the car dipped, will this neutralise the rust..it's not deep or perforated but obviously needs sorting.
I got some panels dipped and primed for my Morris. With the help of grumpynorthener
The bonnet had extensive rust in the frame. I cut out the rust after dipping and priming, and the Ribble process got deep into the frame with both rust removal and their electrostatic primer. See how deep it got behind the bit I cut out after dipping.....
Not the cheapest solution, but highly recommended by me.