simplest/cheapest way to set myself up for shooting primer?

[greg]

Any suggestions.  Im just in my two car garage which the kids and my wife also use for day to day stuff.  Im thinkin maybe Ill strip and prime my car for paint but leave paint to pros.  I never done this and am interested in simplest setup for shooting primer. thank.s

[Bruce Reynolds # 18992]

Gday Greg,

It is an easy task to set yoursaelf up for painting, as all you need is a compressor, regulator/drier, hose, spray gun, paint and thinners, and away you go.

But, dont forget that the best paint jobs start with a perfect preparation.   That preparation includes the rubbing, priming and puttying, etc, etc, etc.

The finishing coats are the easy part, well, almost the easy part, so dont start under the misapprehention that just slapping on a bit of primer is all that is required.

Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le).
60 CDV

P.S.   Plus, the over-spray gets into every nook and cranny, as well as the things you are painting.

[JIM CLC # 15000]

05-23-05
Greg,had a neighbor who rigged-up a paint booth in his garage to paint(spray) furniture useing clear plastic sheets. He tacked it to the ceiling and put the sheet on a roller so he could roll it-up when not in use. And covered one wall and both ends of the garage.(Wall and door). Seems to work fine for him.
You will also need some-sort of ventilation or else have a darn good breathing mask because the fumes will make a 10+pack-a-day of your lungs. Can it be done? The short answer is yes, if proper precautions are taken. Invest in a Painters suit. They are throw-away-made of paper.(used by house painters)
Good Luck, undress in the garage, Jim

[Brian Rachlin]

Greg,

The most important part of prepping a car for paint is the first coat over the bare metal and bodywork.  If you are having a car painted professionally, get a price based on you giving them the car with the chrome, mouldings, and other parts removed.  You should clean the car, degrease jambs, and maybe strip and sand the car, and bring it to the body shop for priming and paint via flatbed.

A few reasons for this:

1.  Contaminents on the metal, under your primer job, may take up to a year to create problems and lift the paint, or cause cracking.

2.  Your primer may or may not be compatible with what the body shop uses for their paintwork. Painting is a system, involving special primers, thinners, additives for temp and humidity conditions.  The top coats have to bond chemically with the primer.

3.  Quality epoxy type primers are toxic.  The fumes can ruin your lungs, and make your family sick.  Thats why bodyshops have paint booths, and the right type of breathing equipment.

4.  Dust.  You will have dust and dirt in your primer job.

Dont waste your time on this one.  Any decent body shop will not want to shoot paint over a home-primered car.  You can still save money by removing all chrome and other parts, cleaning and vacuuming all of the dirt, leaves, and other junk out of the underhood/cowl area, and other grunt work, but leave the final bodywork, primer and paint to the pros.

Brian

[Jim Eccleston CLC 16079]

I concur, absolutely.
Even the best paint cannot hide poor bodywork, and even the thickness of a few layers of paint can cause waviness and distortion, especially in a dark color. Do it right, and do it once. The few extra dollars you spend by having it done properly will soon be fogotten, but a crummy job will be a constant reminder and accusation.
My 61 coupe is back on the road after a 9 month hiatus. Progress seemed glacial at times, and it was tough to be without it. But the shop uncovered some areas that needed attention. They did it right. Even though the cost was higher, the result is well worth it.

[Joe R #20442]

Greg-

Drop me an email to my home address (joerobin65@aol.com).  I did this 2 years ago on my 63 and will relay my experience.  If you have the funds to pay a reputable shop to prep and paint your car, its surely the easier way to go.  But there are alternatives if you are willing to put in the effort, and it doesnt need to look any worse than what some guys spend $3000 having a shop do.

Joe Robinson

[denise 20352]

   I dont do professional restorations, just acrylic enamel and acrylic lacquer for my daily drivers, but I shoot primer with a $20 imported paint gun.  I use the regulator that came with my compressor, and a cheap little water separator, because there usually isnt much water to separate here in the desert.  I use several coats of sandable grey or brown, and I machine sand with 180 in between.  Then I hand sand progressively finer to 400 and wet sand with 800 to make sure that all of the swirl marks are gone before I shoot the color, with my color gun.  You dont want to put primer in your good gun.

   The thing that I hate the most about it is cleaning up.  You can do the primer outside, and if you wet down your driveway, its not hard to clean the pavement.  Its cleaning the guns, and pouring and mixing the paints, that I hate.  If you do any kind of painting inside your garage, you have to hang plastic sheet everywhere.  Its not like painting with a spray can...you will be in a total fog, and the paint or primer will get on everything that it can touch.

   Follow the directions for mixing enamel reducer or lacquer thinner, and have two extra gallons of lacquer thinner around for cleaning things up.

   Better yet, just take it to the body shop.  haha

-denise

[Brian Rachlin]

I would not recommend shooting paint or primer in a home garage situation.  The solvents used in todays paints are nothing like what we used to shoot back in the 70s and 80s.

I used to be partners with a guy that owned a body shop, and we bought and sold lots of cars, did repairs, full paints, etc.  He used to spray the cars in acrylic lacquer, and we  never used any resperators, and got a nice buzz from the thinner fumes, but todays stuff will actually destroy your lungs.  The hardeners in the paint will damage your lungs for sure, and if you have a garage that is attached to your house, you will put your whole family, including pets at risk.

At best, you will end up with a passable paint job, after you wetsand and buff the impurities out of the finish, but most likely you will end up with a crappy finish coat, and a big mess, possible health risks, all to save a few hundred bucks?

Even if you prep the car as I mentioned and go to a Maaco when the have a sale, you will get a much better job.

If you could by acrylic lacquer and the proper thinners, I would say go for it, but I am afraid of this modern paint for all the reasons I mentioned.  Believe me, I am not conservative when it comes to trying anything myself, but this is not a do-it-yourself thing anymore.

Brian

[Porter 21919]

Greg,

I do autobody refinishing, Bruce gave you some good comments. You need a fair amount of equipment ,experience and knowledge.

A good job is in the prep work, the actual shooting of the finish topcoat paint is the easy part.

You should describe to us what condition the body is on your Cadillac and then we can have a more intelligent discussion.

Porter

[Porter 21919]

Greg,

What year and model is your Cadillac, what condition is the body in, etc.

We have members here with autobody refinishing experience and will make recommendations accordingly.

Porter