Paint question: under hood, trunk, jambs

[foothilltom 33]

Hi guys, I am getting *really* close to paint and I have yet another rookie question. Thanks in advance for any wisdom.

 

Regarding the underside of the hood, trunk, trunk lip, door jambs, etc....

 

Do I paint this with the same Urethane Base Coat and Clear Coat I plan to use for the exterior, or is it more practical to use a single-stage color coat on these parts and forgo the clear coat (to save cost)?

 

As I type this, it does seem odd to buy 2 types of paint for the same car, but I figured it was worth asking.

 

And finally, in terms of order, is it recommended to paint the jamps first (base then clear), then mask that off for the exterior job? If this is correct, then I suppose you wind up going through the whole process once for the jamps (and so forth) and the whole thing again for the exterior.

 

Just trying to get my crap together before the big job. Thanks again for all your assistance, guys.

 

Tom

[SELLERSRODSHOP 13]

tom, i will be more cost effective to use the base/clear on both. you won't use much paint in the jambs, & the single stage will require a different hardener also, which in the paint system i use is $80 per quart alone, besides the cost you will incur on the extra paint. easier to do the jambs first then the outer surfaces. i know some people that do the opposite, but i prefer to mask just the jamb areas as opposed to the whole car.

[bnickel 10,004]

definitely jambs first and most people just go ahead and shoot the base clear there as well, though i have been told that a single stage will tend to hold up better in the jamb area than the base clear and i can believe it, i'm starting to get some nicks, scratches and chips in my door jambs in the base clear that was used on mine. i'm thinking real hard about doing the jambs on the cougar in a single stage either enamel or urethane not sure which just yet, though.

[d.reese 13]

Ours was done with the base coat / clear on the jams. the rest the same and wet sanded / buffed all the exterior. You can't tell the under hood, jams and trunk area isn't buffed. I'm with srs on the cost, your going to spend some severe $ for the base / clear all ready if done nice!

Yes on the jams , under hood / trunk area first, yea on the masking off, seems pains taking, but will work best if you do like they did ours! Hood-doors-trunk all off and done by them selves with 4 coats base coat , then 7 coats of clear. The quarters and james , trunk area done by it's self. If I had to do again I'd spent another 400.00 for another gal of clear, and this baby would of been reall awsome!

 

Hey, foot hill send me a PM with your e-mail and I can send some progress pics of this old stang, might help show you some stuff you can use. Also my hats off to ya, there is really a lot on one of these cars to paint!

[SELLERSRODSHOP 13]

tom, i forgot to add earlier, there is a product 3M has that works great for masking jambs. it's a roll of soft foam with an adhesive strip that you run along the edge of the jamb after it's painted & cured. when you shut the door, it provides a "soft" edge seal that won't leave a sharp edge like taping off. i used this when i painted my son's 2000 mustang (which didn't need the jambs repainted) & it worked great! saves mucho in the time to mask in the traditional method. unless it's a candy job, i also paint almost 99.9% of the vehicles with doors, hood , decklid etc. off the car. then i can shoot the jambs & outer sheetmetal all at once. another tip if doing the job apart, is to align all the doors, hood etc. where you want them before disassembling for paint. then drill 1/8" pilot holes thru an inconspicuous point on the hinges. after loosely bolting back together after paint, you can slide a punch thru the hole & have perfect alignment when you tighten the bolts. if you run into any problems, i can send you my cell # & talk you thru almost any problems you might run into.

[jgstang 21]

I know most guys paint the jambs first and then mask off the jambs and do the rest....i do my own paint and have done everything at the same time for years and it works for me! if you think you can do it all at the same time i'd do it that way.i can send you pics if you want to show you how it turns out, i have alot of pics of different colors....i have never been a fan off masking off anything,the car get taken completely appart,on convertibles i have the top installed and let it sit in the sun for a week so it is stretched into place then mark everything then the whole top assembly comes off... i paint the car/doors/jambs one day and everything else seperately the next day.wait for 3 days then color sand everything with 1,000 then 2,000 buff it all out and reinstall and it looks really clean and professional,this is useing the base/clear (2 stage) way.......just my opinion.good luck and have fun!!

[foothilltom 33]

As always, excellent information. I really do appreciate it, guys. And SPS, I appreciate the hint about the 3M product for the jambs. That sounds like a great time-saver. I'll definitely give you a shout if I get stuck. But you're right, this is a lot of work, but I find myself enjoying it now. At first, I was just overwhelmed with everything (little bit of rust here, broken bolt there), but now that I've been through so much, problems don't hurt as much ;)

 

But there are so many things about paint that I just don't quite get, but I'm muddling through!

 

Thanks again, guys.

Tom

[69RavenConv 286]

Any recommendations for a gun (or guns) for the serious amateur?

How about paint? Any favorites brands? Thanks

[SELLERSRODSHOP 13]

for occasional use, i would go with the develbiss finishline or sharpe finex. i use sata jet 2000 guns, but they might be a little higher in price for what you are looking for & i use mine on almost a daily basis, so the xtra cost is justified for me. one thing about sprayguns, you get what you pay for! don't even look at the $19 harbor freight stuff.sprayguns are precision instruments, & frankly, i haven't seen anything precision made come out of china for $19! the two i mentioned above can be bought in the $100-$150 range, with the sata's about $300-$400. go with a 1.4mm tip, it's a good all around tip for basecoats & clearcoats. i use a 1.3 in my basecoat gun, as it will atomize the metallic flakes a little better & have a clearcoat only gun with the 1.4. there again, i use them daily, so can justify the cost.

as far as paints, i use ppg products. you can check into the "omni" line, which has just changed names to "shopline" it's a lower priced production line of ppg. the lower grade basecoats work just fine, but make sure you use a quality clearcoat with the sunscreen uv protection! i use ppg 2021, but it's a little tedious to use if you aren't a professional. might try the ppg 2001 clearcoat. it's a little more user friendly.

[69RavenConv 286]

Thanks so much, it's a real pleasure that you take the time to share your knowledge with us amateurs. I have been eye-balling the divilbiss finishline product, as it looks like pretty good quality for the price - but it's always nice to get a second opinion from somebody in the know. Thanks again!

[bnickel 10,004]

i bought a campbell hausfeld 2 gun set from wal-mart for 60 bucks that has done a pretty good job for me so far but i've only used it for primer so far, have'nt done any actual paint with it yet but so far i'm pretty pleased with it.

 

i'm going to experiment with it on the jambs when i paint the cougar and if it works well on the jambs then i'll use it on the rest of the car, if not i'll look into buying a better gun for the rest of the car. i'm not expecting a show car paint job fo the cougar so this gun may work just fine for what i need.

[Pakrat 1,043]

i bought a campbell hausfeld 2 gun set from wal-mart for 60 bucks that has done a pretty good job for me so far but i've only used it for primer so far, have'nt done any actual paint with it yet but so far i'm pretty pleased with it.

 

i'm going to experiment with it on the jambs when i paint the cougar and if it works well on the jambs then i'll use it on the rest of the car, if not i'll look into buying a better gun for the rest of the car. i'm not expecting a show car paint job fo the cougar so this gun may work just fine for what i need.

 

I'll bet those are the same as the ones I got free with my Husky compressor. Haven't used them on a car yet but I did use them with watered down laytex to spray all the doors and dresser when I redid the baby's room. My wife still can't believe how good they turned out, she was dead set against re-using the dresser when I said I would repaint it but it came out perfect with a very smooth finish compared to a brush or roller so I would have high hopes for it with the right paint and some patience.

[bnickel 10,004]

they aren't bad, of course i wish i couls afford a much better gun and i may still end up buying one eventually to do the cougar but for the primer stages these 2 will work just fine

[dchandler60 10]

foothill what color are you going with?? If your shooting a solid color (non-metallic) then why not shoot all the panels off the car? You will get a great paint job and everything is right there for you. If your shooting metallics, its best to shoot on the car for match. Make sure everything is lined up like you want it ie (gaps) and then drill new 1/4" alignment holes in the fenders; door hinges;trunk lid etc. When you get these parts painted then reinstall and align with your 1/4" holes and installing is a breeze. This seems like a lot of work but really its not, and the results should be worth it. Why spend all this time and not go a little extra to get it right?? As far as guns go Sellars has it right, make no mistake you get what you pay for!!!! I know everyone cant afford a Satajet but man they are great and they can make YOU look great! Check out the new Sata-90 its a new gun there selling but NOT advertising it much and its around 350.00 Make sure your air is dry and clean! Devillbiss 670 Plus is a good gun. HVLP will save you ALOT of material!! Good Luck