PREPARATION

Cleanliness is all-important! Try to make sure no oil or CFC’s are floating about.
After preparation hose down garage floor and it is advisable to keep the floor
damp during the painting of the body (to keep dust down).
Preparation is all about patience.
Remove all trim, glass, etc or mask up according to your skill!
Having a bare body shell to paint is easier than masking everything & risking edges
around the windscreen for example, but I for one appreciate it’s a daunting task
taking everything out!

STRESS CRACKS.

Two schools of thought here, I find both work so it’s down to individual skill with
gelcoat/filler.
Method 1, grind out cracks with an angle grinder, or similar going all the way back
to the matting, then rebuild with gel & re-profile with 80 grit production paper
(dry)
Method 2, score cracks into a “V” (with a sharp screwdriver for example) drill the
ends of each crack with a small drill & fill with body filler, then re-profile with 80
grit production paper (dry). This method allows for easier repairs if you don’t feel
up to reshaping gel coat.

HOLES.

If you can get access behind the hole then use matting, then fill from the front
leaving the filler proud & re-shape with 80 grit prod paper. Small holes (such as
rivet holes) should be counter-sunk then filled as above. Ariel holes for example
can be filled using ready mixed chopped strand then finished with filler, but I
personally wouldn’t use this method for anything larger.

RUBBING DOWN
.
Decide how bad the paint is,
Is it original?
Has it been resprayed before?
If in any doubt take the paint back to the gel, multiple coats and/or a mixture of 2
pack & cellulose will not give you a good base to work with.
If you are thinking about a respray in 2 pack and are spraying at home or near
other homes then DON’T. 2 pack is designed for industrial use, is not healthy to
people with asthma, or washing lines with a plastic coating on etc. (this comes
under the keep the wife/mother/girlfriend happy heading)
You will also need special breathing equipment and a compressor that is up to the
job. 2 pack is also harder to rub down, and it is difficult to rectify mistakes.


D.A Sander.

If you have a compressor big enough to cope with a D.A. then use 180 grit for the
rougher bits, finishing off with 320 or 400 grit. All swage lines and curves should
be rubbed down by hand. If not then buy a good rubbing block and start rubbing!
If you must use paint stripper, make sure its OK for glass fibre. Make certain all
traces of stripper are removed. (Hint, I never use chemicals on glass bodies)

ETCH PRIMER.

Not as necessary as people think, but use it if you like, after any repairs are
finished. As usual follow the makers guide.

SPRAY PUTTY.

The type I use is U-POL DEEP COAT. It is great for covering repair areas or for
giving a bare shell a good coat to work with.
If you have a repair finished off with 80-grade paper, 2 good coats of putty will fill
it and after flatting will be ready for base coats. (Follow the makers guide on the
tin)

PRIMER

If you have decided to paint over the original paint, rub it down then repair as
required. Spot prime any repairs and rub down with 320 wet/dry.
If you go for the bare shell option (I would, but its easy for me to say that having
all the gear!) I recommend 2 coats of spray putty (just follow the makers guide on
the tin) spotting any repairs first. Don’t worry about runs too much at this stage.
Use the putty as a trial run for the final coats.

PAINT SEQUENCE.

Start with the roof,
Spray a line down the centre of the roof, then work back towards yourself to the
gutter. Move to the other side of the car and do the same. Make sure the gun is
about 7-12 inches from the roof and as square on to the panel as possible. You are
aiming to put a good wet coat on the roof with a 50% overlap at each pass.
From the roof move to the rear, coat the hatch aperture from the top working
down, keeping the edges of the hatch and rear-closing panel wet.
Once the rear is done move to the side you started from and paint the rear wing
from the roof down, ending at the door B post. Then do the same for the opposite
side.
If you have removed the doors, fill in the door shuts and move to the front
scuttle/wiper panel, paint this, then paint the bonnet recess.
Start from the engine bay and work back to yourself across the wing top then
down the wing, keep a wet edge on the front panel.
Do the same with the other wing then finish the front panel. Paint the bonnet,
doors etc making sure they are well off the floor. Repeat the process, starting with
the roof.
Go and have a cup of tea, coffee, beer. (This is not compulsory)
Leave the car overnight if possible to dry out (or at least follow the guide lines on
the tin for re-coating)

GUIDE COAT.
Any cellulose will do for this, but preferably the same or lighter colour than the
finished job. Mix guide coat to 70% thinners & 30% gloss, and then spray lightly
over the shell. You are aiming to mist coat the car, not colour it fully.

RUBBING DOWN AGAIN!
Rub down the whole car with 320/400 wet & dry using plenty of water and a good
rubbing block. Do not use circular motion (this always shows through the top coat,
that’s why DA’s are random orbital) any imperfections will stand out in the guide
coat. You can then spot fill as required with spray putty and rub down with 400
W/D.

BASE COATS.
Mix the colour 50/50 with good quality thinners. Spray pressure should be about
50 to 60 PSI. at the gun.
Before painting remove all the masking paper and re mask.(this stops any loose
spray putty on the masking from falling on to the fresh paint)
Clean the body with clean fresh water.
Blow off any excess water, paying attention to gutters, door edges, intake ducts
etc.
Use tack rags (sticky muslin cloth, available from the paint supplier) and lightly rub
over the prepared area.
Make sure you are wearing cotton overalls or a throwaway paper suit, (nylon
attracts static therefore dust)
Using the same sequence as before, coat the car with a good wet coat making sure
you overlap 50%. Put plenty of paint on the edges of all the panels and swage
lines. Once you have been around the whole car do it again starting from the same
point. This should take about 2 to 3 litres of mixed paint.
You are aiming for a nice wet finish without too many runs. If it looks like the
Gobi desert, you’re putting it on too dry. This means you either have the gun too
far away, are moving too quickly over the panel or the air pressure is too high, or
all three!
If it looks like Niagara Falls then the opposite applies. Don’t worry about runs at
this stage. If you have got them, then leave the car overnight. Flat out the runs with
600 paper & block




FINAL COAT PREPARATION.

Once you have rubbed out any runs, flat the whole body with 600 paper and block.
You are aiming for a uniform flat finish. Check the body for any faults and rectify
them now. (Spot prime, flat with 600, spot with colour, flat with 600)
Wash the body with clean water, leather off & blow down. Tack rag using light
strokes.
Mix the paint 60% thinners 40% paint. Make sure you mix enough to coat the
whole body twice, (about 3 litres mixed).
Use the same sequence as before, putting on two coats back to back. Aim for wet
finish.

METALLIC PAINT

A bit more involved than a straight colour,
Use the same method as above only increase the air pressure by 10psi.
Increase the overlap on each pass to 70%.
Paint the door inners, door rebates, engine bay, bonnet underside,
Re-assemble the doors & bonnet.
Starting from the roof, work down the sides of the rear wings.
Paint the front scuttle, bonnet, wing tops,
Paint from the front of one side to the back in fluid passes top to bottom.
Repeat for the opposite side, then fill in the front and rear panels.

FINAL FINISH

If you are happy with the finish then leave it for a few days and use T Cut.
If you want a better finish then flat with 1200 paper (use a little hand soap to
lubricate the paper). Wash the car then use polishing compound (Farecla G7)
Then finish with T Cut. Do not use wax polish for at least 2 weeks
You could end up with lots of little white dots all over your nice shiny paint job.
This is because the polymers in the wax bite into the new (soft) paint and react
when wet. A lot of tedious polishing may remove the spots, but will also remove
paint. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

FINAL STATEMENT

As mentioned before, the methods described above work for me.
Others may have different ways of doing it; the world would be a boring place if
we were all the same. I hope this is not too confusing to follow, I have tried to
write it from the layman’s point of view, however if there is anything you are not
clear about, feel free to e-mail me

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