Another roller paint job (56k warning)

[Garageaholic]

frank, did you finish that big write up of the entire process you mentioned in a previous thread?my car needs paint bad, and this method seems way cheaper, and i can control my own results.

Actually, i'm finishing up the M30 writeup. The roller paint job writeup (30 pages or so) won't be complete until the end of august.... Sorry, i'm trying to be ad detailed as possible.

[tjts1]

Put down the first coat on the roof and hood.

Sanded.


Painted


Already has a good shine. Pitty I'll have to sand it away before the next coat.


I was being stingy with the paint and put too much pressure on the roller to squeeze the last drop out of it. I got some orange peel. It was also 85f outside with makes the paint dry faster. All my previous coats were early in the morning around 60-65f. It'll all get knocked down when I sand it before the next coat. Only used 2 table spoons of paint to cover the entire hood. I should have used 3.

[atomic]

also when your color sanding you should really use a finer grit than 1000 more like a wet/dry 1500 to get much better results and also the paint since you do not have a way to bake it on needs to cure throughly for several weeks before attempting to sand and buff. The paint when it is fresh is way to soft to acheive good results

[golde30]

It looks pretty good!

I know this is an obvious question, but why didn't you guys use a wagner power painter or something similar instead of a roller? They're cheap and seem to lay down a pretty even coat on houses.

my buddy used a wagner with rustoleum. it came out shiny, but super orange peely and uneven. we ended up sanding the paint mostly off and flat, then drove the car to a body shop to be sprayed. LOL

[jex]

my buddy used a wagner with rustoleum. it came out shiny, but super orange peely and uneven. we ended up sanding the paint mostly off and flat, then drove the car to a body shop to be sprayed. LOL

Did you guys thin the paint to the same consistency as you would if you were rolling the paint on?

[Garageaholic]

also when your color sanding you should really use a finer grit than 1000 more like a wet/dry 1500 to get much better results and also the paint since you do not have a way to bake it on needs to cure throughly for several weeks before attempting to sand and buff. The paint when it is fresh is way to soft to acheive good results

Yes, when you colorsand the FINAL time, you should use 1000, then 1500, then upgrade to 2000, then polish and wax.

I would give it 2 days until you decide to do your final sanding after the final coat. Especially in 80 degree temps, the paint should cure just fine. Alot faster than when I did it with 40 degree temps... In between coats, it's highly recommended by ME to sand with 600 grit. You want to keep the surface scuffed enough that the next coat will adhere well to the properly scored surface. Worry about all the surface scratches after your last coat....

[86espowa]

I am very interested in this method of painting a car.

i will probably have lots of questions for you frank, but i will try and wait for your write up.

[tjts1]

Yes, when you colorsand the FINAL time, you should use 1000, then 1500, then upgrade to 2000, then polish and wax.

I would give it 2 days until you decide to do your final sanding after the final coat. Especially in 80 degree temps, the paint should cure just fine. Alot faster than when I did it with 40 degree temps... In between coats, it's highly recommended by ME to sand with 600 grit. You want to keep the surface scuffed enough that the next coat will adhere well to the properly scored surface. Worry about all the surface scratches after your last coat....

Thanks for the tip! I'm learning as I go along.
After the first coat on the hood I discovered all the pit marks from stones chips and what not. The paint tends to fall into these holes so it leaves a nice black spot around it with no coverage. i went over each one of these with a bit of primer to fill in the holes, then sanded again. Much smoother surface now.



Filled and sanded. It look like hell but its smooth as butter and the next 2 coats should take care of it.

[scabzzzz]

I think this is a really cool idea, and it will yield awesome results.

BUT

I think for the amount of time and effort and supplies that need to be bought, you could just invest in a Sunday newspaper, a cheap top feeding paint gun, and a small air compressor and get better, easier results. Given you prep properly of course! But spot on with the roller paint.. Very cool and interesting read

[AlarmedBread]

Looking pretty good, keep at it!

a small air compressor

Have you ever tried to do anything involving air tools with a small air compressor? Not fun! To paint anything more than small, individual panels you need a very good source of air. Using a roller would be less frustrating than using a 50gallon or so tank.

[tjts1]

Made some progress over the weekend. The 3 coats on the hood should be enough. This paint is tough as nails.


I'll give it a couple of weeks in the sun before the final step of sanding and polishing. One of my neighbors was kind enough to lend an orbital.


2 coats on the roof. I'll install the new sunroof after I get the 3rd and final coat on tonight.


And 2 on the trunk.


My power antenna was dead and leaking water into the trunk. I epoxied an aluminum plate from the inside, bondo and primer. Its like it was never there. The plan is to hook up the antenna wire to the rear window defroster.


In between coats I did a 200 mile trip to Sacramento and back (with all the lights installed). The look on people's faces...

[jex]

Looks good...at least in the pics. I wish I could see how it looks in person.

Is it glossier than a washing machine?

[golde30]

Did you guys thin the paint to the same consistency as you would if you were rolling the paint on?

yes. still came out funny.

[tjts1]

Looks good...at least in the pics. I wish I could see how it looks in person.

Is it glossier than a washing machine?

Its glossier than my old paint. Eventually I'll sand it down and polish it back to take away any brush marks.

[peller]

how much of the original paint are you sanding down before you roll it?