BC/CC is on!!

[sanders7981]

After what seems like forever... I finally got the BC/CC on.  I went with Nason Big Bad Orange, and Univeral Clear from SPI.  Being that this is my first time painting, I have a few runs to wet sand out but if it is anything like their Epoxy I am sure it will level out great!  I used an FINEX 3000 HVLP with 1.4 tip, worked great for the BC.  Probably would have been awesome for the CC, but I lacked experience to get it dialed in perfectly in ocnjunction with my spraying technique.  The attached pics are of just the BC.  Havent loaded the CC pics yet.    

[jaak]

Wow! Bodylines look nice and straight      

Yeah, runs are no big deal they can be buffed out! Can't wait to see CC pics, how did you like SPI UV clear? I have never tried it, but hear nothing but great things about it.

Jason

[Indygenerallee]

Looks great in base!!   

[sanders7981]

Wow! Bodylines look nice and straight      

Yeah, runs are no big deal they can be buffed out! Can't wait to see CC pics, how did you like SPI UV clear? I have never tried it, but hear nothing but great things about it.

Jason

Thanks for the comments!     

I think I read your resto thread and learned about the tape method for the body lines.  LOTS of blocking done before I got to this stage, but it paid off!  All the panels are nice and flat with the excpetion of a small 1/8th in. or less diameter gouge in filler on the hood.

  For a first time user it was extremely user friendly and worth the money!  I applied 3 good solid coats on it and still have about a third of the gallon left.  If I sand through, I definitly have enough to go back over it.  Like I said, inexperience in shooting CC, maybe my choice of spray gun too, was the reason for orange peel and runs.  The gun worked great for BC, so I will chalk up the orange peel/runs to my lack of expertise. 

  I did wet sand the SPI White Epoxy and Sealer coat (reduced Epoxy) and it came out glass smooth with some minor scratches left, but the CC filled about all of them in.  I have only found one that didnt fill in, but I think it will come out in the wet sanding.     

[Silver R/T]

Looks pretty good. I have Finex gun and it sprays good for a gun under ~$100
I prefer Sata for clear. Next time try using 1.3 for your clear. Remember with clear spray it the way you want it to look, wet coats are they key and proper overlap.

[Patronus]

Awwwyeah,, check it! Months and months of sanding and then...booom, its orange. Nice job.

[Cooter]

I gotta say all that blocking looks to have definately paid off!! Looks awesome.

[bill440rt]

Looks BRIGHT and beautiful! 

Nice crisp lines, looks like you got your panels lined up very nice as well. 

[Silver R/T]

Looks BRIGHT and beautiful! 

Nice crisp lines, looks like you got your panels lined up very nice as well. 

That's the way its supposed to be. Ive seen some idiots trying to line up aftermarket panels on a car that's been freshly painted *cough cough* my former boss.

[sanders7981]

Looks BRIGHT and beautiful! 

Nice crisp lines, looks like you got your panels lined up very nice as well. 

  I got them lined up as good as I could.  The front fenders are both new, and it was a bitch lining up the passenger side fender.  I had to pry the fender forward to get the door to fender gap decent.  Ther hood is another concern, I need to install the hood latch and make sure the hood is not going to make contact on either side.  I have a good 1/4 inch on eihter side, but it slightly narrows toward the front to just under a 1/4 to 1/8th.  Again, I pulled out the fenders as much as I could and tightened it.   I may have to revisit that particular gap.  It looks good in pics and in person based off opinions of neighbors, but since I did all the work, I know where all the little imperfections are.  I am just happy that I was able to get to this point. 

Now on to the suspension!!    

[Dino]

Looks BRIGHT and beautiful! 

Nice crisp lines, looks like you got your panels lined up very nice as well. 

  I got them lined up as good as I could.  The front fenders are both new, and it was a bitch lining up the passenger side fender.  I had to pry the fender forward to get the door to fender gap decent.  Ther hood is another concern, I need to install the hood latch and make sure the hood is not going to make contact on either side.  I have a good 1/4 inch on eihter side, but it slightly narrows toward the front to just under a 1/4 to 1/8th.  Again, I pulled out the fenders as much as I could and tightened it.   I may have to revisit that particular gap.  It looks good in pics and in person based off opinions of neighbors, but since I did all the work, I know where all the little imperfections are.  I am just happy that I was able to get to this point. 

Now on to the suspension!!    

Don't worry too much about the gaps, you did good, it looks awesome.  Remember the gaps were probably much worse when it rolled out of the factory.  Also don't forget that if you have a quarter inch gap next to the front of the hood, you may end up with a lot of space between the grille and the fenders.  Once it's all assembled is the time to go over it and find a happy medium. 

[sanders7981]

Don't worry too much about the gaps, you did good, it looks awesome.  Remember the gaps were probably much worse when it rolled out of the factory.  Also don't forget that if you have a quarter inch gap next to the front of the hood, you may end up with a lot of space between the grille and the fenders.  Once it's all assembled is the time to go over it and find a happy medium. 
[/quote]

Thanks bro.  I figured that I would have to mess around with it all once it is assembled.  I think installing the hood latch/lock may give me a better idea of where it will sit in the end. 

[sanders7981]

Pics of the clear.  I hope to get started on wet sanding today.

[Silver R/T]

Looks nice, which clear did you use?

[sanders7981]

Looks nice, which clear did you use?

I used SPI Universal Clear.  I still have just under half a gallon.  I am thinking about doing a "flow-coat" after I wet sand it.  I'll have to see how it looks after I get it all done. 

[Dino]

Looks nice, which clear did you use?

I used SPI Universal Clear.  I still have just under half a gallon.  I am thinking about doing a "flow-coat" after I wet sand it.  I'll have to see how it looks after I get it all done. 

If you want to add clear after sanding you'll have to do the whole process again.  One coat won't work.  If there's enough on there now just sand and polish. 

[sanders7981]

Looks nice, which clear did you use?

I used SPI Universal Clear.  I still have just under half a gallon.  I am thinking about doing a "flow-coat" after I wet sand it.  I'll have to see how it looks after I get it all done. 

If you want to add clear after sanding you'll have to do the whole process again.  One coat won't work.  If there's enough on there now just sand and polish. 

Thanks for the info.  There should be enough on there, but I think I have enough to add atleast 2 - 3 more coats if I go that route.  I will just have to buy more activator from SPI. 

[Dino]

Looks nice, which clear did you use?

I used SPI Universal Clear.  I still have just under half a gallon.  I am thinking about doing a "flow-coat" after I wet sand it.  I'll have to see how it looks after I get it all done. 

If you want to add clear after sanding you'll have to do the whole process again.  One coat won't work.  If there's enough on there now just sand and polish. 

Thanks for the info.  There should be enough on there, but I think I have enough to add atleast 2 - 3 more coats if I go that route.  I will just have to buy more activator from SPI. 

Great!  In that case you can do all your sanding and not worry if there's not enough on there.  Try a hidden spot and see how far you can go.  If it's too thin then just scuff it and reshoot.

[Silver R/T]

Looks nice, which clear did you use?

I used SPI Universal Clear.  I still have just under half a gallon.  I am thinking about doing a "flow-coat" after I wet sand it.  I'll have to see how it looks after I get it all done. 

Did you have a gallon to begin with?

[sanders7981]

Looks nice, which clear did you use?

I used SPI Universal Clear.  I still have just under half a gallon.  I am thinking about doing a "flow-coat" after I wet sand it.  I'll have to see how it looks after I get it all done. 

Did you have a gallon to begin with?

Yep. 

[Silver R/T]

Doesn't sound like you've put enough clear on there. Charger is a big car. I would think a gallon would be gone by the time you do 3 coats all the way around.

[sanders7981]

Doesn't sound like you've put enough clear on there. Charger is a big car. I would think a gallon would be gone by the time you do 3 coats all the way around.

I thought the same too, but I guess its more like 1/3rd of the gallon left.  I layed on the second and third coat pretty wet and heavy.  Then I went back over a few spots making a semi fourth coat and light misting over the entire car. 

[Dino]

Doesn't sound like you've put enough clear on there. Charger is a big car. I would think a gallon would be gone by the time you do 3 coats all the way around.

I thought the same too, but I guess its more like 1/3rd of the gallon left.  I layed on the second and third coat pretty wet and heavy.  Then I went back over a few spots making a semi fourth coat and light misting over the entire car. 

That explains the finish, don't mist it, you can only do that with base coat.  Clear has to be wet, borderline running wet.  It soulds like you have enough on there to sand and polish so pick a panel and try it out.  Don't polish the edges.

[hemi-hampton]

Same thing I was going to say. LEON.

[Silver R/T]

I'm sure it will turn out great. Wetsand it with 1200-1500 and then put additional 2 wet coats and wetsand it again. It will look like show car

[69 OUR/TEA]

Sanders,first,if you are going to be redoing the job(flo-coating the clear),from what I see in the pic,the mist coat you did wrecked it,or because of your environment you sprayed in with very little air movement also took part in the final outcome of the finish,it looks dead/dry.I know you guys doing this on your own,whether its trying to save money or accomplish it yourself,all don't have access to a spray booth,so there are some steps you can do to help out the lack of air movement.
One,don't be wetting the floor down with water creating lots of humidity in there,the ISO's in the urethane paints pull moisture in and affect it,but most part is applying the next coat/coats without it being ready is the big killer.And by this,I mean you should be able to lightly run your finger over a part to check for how dry it is before you go on to the next coat,if not you are trapping more solvent in there and that is a number one killer of paint jobs,ending result ,AKA die-back followed by solvent pop.
In your case by what I see,not 1,200-1,500 grit but rather like 800 to knock down the peel and give a good mechanical scratch for new clear to adhere to.
What I suggest and recommend in your environment,lack of air movement,is get 2 different reducers,maybe a medium and a slow,medium for the first coat,1/2 and 1/2 for the second,and then the slow for the last.So it will dry  from the bottom up,not skin over on the top.BE CAREFULL with the inexperience you have with this,DO NOT SPRAY IT HOW YOU WANT IT TO LOOK,it WILL be all over the floor!!!!Let the reducers do their jobs and flow out the clear for you.
And proper gun pressure and distance is crucial,6-8" off panel,nice and square to the panel,and more pressure will lay out the clear better than less.The Sata 3000 Digital I have is around 26-29psi @ gun,where others,my Devilbiss GTI likes 40-50 psi.Smaller tip also to atomize the clear,1.3 is best,1.5's up,to big,and will get lumpy orange peel .
I can talk all day on these processes,just try your best,and hope anything I said adds some light to the job.
There are many bodymen here on the site,its safe to say we all probably all do things different but hope some of them can agree to some of the tips I gave you.

[Silver R/T]

I would've recommended 800 grit but I kind of doubt there is enough clear on there to go with 800. Would hate to see OP sand through clear in spots.
In any case, it does need to be wetsanded and reshot. Make sure you give it enough time to flash between coats and extend flash time between each coat.

[sanders7981]

69 OUR/TA Thanks for the info.  I really rely on all of you that have the experience.    I am going to skip the flow coat stage... After reading a bit on SPI Universal Clears, I followed the directions they put out in regard to wetsanding and buffing.  I should be good to go. 

I spent all day Sunday wetsanding, knocked down the runs with 600/800, then hit it with 1000, 1500.  Should I go up to 2000?  It is smooth as can be, but I have a 3000 grit sanding sponge/cloth-like thing made by 3M, it says it's to be used prior to polishing.  I am pretty sure that there is enough on there to polish it out and be ok.  I could reshoot it, but I have already torn down the paintbooth and I think would on be in the same boat as before.  I think I will polish it once I have time and money to do so.  

Anybody got a Dewalt polisher I can borrow ?    

[bill440rt]

If you feel you have enough material, hit it with 2000 then 3000 if you can.
You'll spend much less time with the buffer. If there's enough material on it you'll also lessen the chance of burn through as you'll be spending less time with the buffer trying to remove coarser sanding grit scratches.

[Patronus]

Definetly use the 3000. I just bought the new Dewalt, love it!