Model Car List
57 Chevy Project

If you haven't chosen your paint color for the body yet here are a few things to keep in mind when doing so which apply to all types of paints whether it's automotive lacquer or enamel hobby paint.

Two types of paint were used on the '57 Chevy - solids and metallics. Metallics are more difficult to work with because of the metallic particles settling while painting and the extra difficulty of applying it to the surface to achieve a balanced finish. If you airbrush each metallic coat application in the same pattern you will wind up with an unmatched paint finish. In other words, if you paint the front of the body working your way back then paint the hood afterward you will tend to have a lighter color on the hood. This is because while you are working the metallic particles in the paint are settling to the bottom of your airbrush color cup. (If you're spraying with an aerosol paint can the reverse will happen). By the time you get to the hood the metallics are coming out denser which will make the paint appear lighter. Spray parts that will be adjacent to each other to keep them matched and agitate the paint often to keep the metallic components suspended.

Solids are much easier to work with. They need to be shaken just as often to keep the color pigments from settling but slight settling won't affect the look of the finish. Also, if you are using a clearcoat and you sand through it into the paint it won't be noticeable whereas sanding into a metallic will damage its appearance.

Finally, lighter colors are more forgiving of flaws than dark colors. Dark colors absorb light which allow you to see flaws in the surface. Light colors reflect light and help to disguise flaws in the surface. If you have done puttying or sanding and you didn't quite get it smoothed out the way it should be it will be far less noticeable with a light color. Keep these thoughts in mind when you are choosing your colors.

So ends the journey into a few of the mysteries of paint! Now let's get messy.....

First up is washing the body with dishwashing soap and cool water to remove surface dust and contaminants then thoroughly drying. I'll be painting with automotive lacquer in a two-tone combination using Model Car World India Ivory and Tropical Turquoise. I usually thin my MCW paint about 5 parts paint to 2 parts PPG Duracryl DTL 105 lacquer thinner and airbrush with a Paasche VL with #3 needle and #3 tip. Room temperature will affect the performance of the paint. Cooler is better than warmer - the paint doesn't evaporate as quickly which helps to minimize orange peel. Room temperature between 70 - 78 degrees is about right. Over 80 degrees is not really recommended. Don't necessarily go by the instructions on the paint and thinner cans as these are designed for full size cars using high pressure output spray guns. Those guidelines do not apply well for small scale airbrushing purposes.

I'm painting the roof first using the India Ivory following the guidelines of my lacquer application checklist which was posted to the group before we started. I sprayed two light coats, let it dry for a half hour, two moderate coats, let it dry for a half hour, two heavy coats, let it dry for one hour, then one final heavy coat. This amount of coverage was enough to produce a good color effect. If you want or need more coats of paint then continue on. If you encounter a situation where you have surface contaminants to be sanded off before you continue then let the lacquer dry overnight. By the next day it will be dry enough to sand safely (another benefit of lacquer) to remove any flaws. I use 3200 - 4000 grit LMG sanding cloths to do this and I avoid picking at the paint with a hobby knife or needle to remove flaws as this more than likely will cause a permanent pock mark type depression on the surface.

I waited two days for the roof to dry. If your lacquer is not dry enough to handle at this point then let it cure longer until you are satisfied. I lightly sanded the body around the upper doors and areas where paint overspray from the Ivory landed on the body surface to make sure it was smooth, washed with dishwash soap and cool water, then dried thoroughly.

I then masked off the roof with two squares of newspaper and masking tape taking care not to tape the paint directly. If you do it can sometimes leave an irregular impression on paint which has not fully cured. Also, do not spray the newspaper or masking tape directly with paint. It's good enough to protect against overspray but it will absorb direct spray if wet enough. I applied two light coats of Turquoise on the body including the inside of the engine compartment, wheel wells, and all edges as well as the other body pieces. Don't forget the underside of the hood and deck lid. When you spray the front end of the car spray the hood also; the rear end of the body spray the deck lid. Do this to help ensure balanced color coverage, particularly if you are using a metallic color.

Variprime primer provides excellent protection against the lacquer paint but if the primer coat is too thin or you begin spraying paint too heavy to start with you may get etching, or ghosting, in areas where you've removed the mold lines, scripts and emblems, and the door locks. Check for this after each paint coat application. If this occurs you can't fix an etching problem by covering it with more paint as this will not work. You have to go back to applying more primer. Keep this in mind and use patience in applying your paint.

After the two light coats were applied I let it dry for a half hour then applied another light coat then a moderate coat. After a half hour of drying I applied two moderate coats. An hour of drying then I applied two heavier coats. One more hour of drying then I applied one heavy wet coat. Check for surface flaws during each coat of paint applied and never sand the last coat of paint. Let this dry for about an hour, carefully remove the masking from the roof area if you are painting a two-tone combination, then let it dry overnight.

I did not encounter a serious problem with orange peel so I did not need to sand between paint coats to remove any. If you have an orange peel problem it will most likely occur first on large flat surfaces (hood, deck lid, roof). If you want to sand down orange peel at any stage allow the paint to dry overnight before doing, sand, then continue on. Again, do not sand the final coat of paint.

Remember that these steps apply to airbrushed automotive lacquer paint. If you're using aerosol can paint or some other type of paint like hobby enamel then rely on your own experience with these to apply the paint.

I was going to continue on with the clearcoat application steps here but I'll describe that in the next posting so this one can be up and available sooner. I tend to get a little lengthy here but I feel painting the body will be the most difficult part in constructing the model so that's why I'm spending a bit more time on this part of it. Next up will be the clearcoat application.

-Leon


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