Body work / Paint questions
 

To all of you who know body work really well I have a few questions. My dad and I cant seem to come to agreement on how my car should be done, and my body guy is so scatter brained it is kind of hard to talk to him.

As many of you know I am having the T-type repainted. The car was not bad before but with the little body work that needed and few paint flaws it was better to just paint it.

Anyway this car is not going to be any show car but will be driven frequently. I do however want a nice paint job that will last a long time. So my questions are these:
-Other than the trunk which was peeling bad (old trunk from other T) nothing needs to be taken down to bare metal right?
- Would you prime over the old paint after prepping or just shoot more color and clear over it, maybe spot prime?
- I keep hearing different things about letting primer cure, and paint and clear cure. Some say at least a month or paint will dull faster, some say a week or two before wet sand and buff. So many different suggestions out there.
-I guess I am asking those of you with body work experience, and knowledge how would you do YOUR car if you were "restoring" it, and making it a nice "semi-daily" eventually weekend cruiser...

At this point there is not that much in to it yet but depending on which route I want to take a little more or a lot more might need to be done, and my limited body repair/paint education is not helping....

Painting a whole car is a major job. No need to prime as long as there's no bare metal. So spot prime. Be sure to make sure all the wax is off the surface, so lots of sanding. Make sure any rags you use to wipe it down does not have any fabric softener, if it does you will get fish eyes in the paint. Make sure the surface is really smooth. Even small imperfections will show up once painted.

what about curing time?

When I painted my hood I cleaned my paint gun, then started mixing up the next coat. I may have taken my time a bit, had a few drinks of soda, but that's about it.

what about before you wet sanded and buffed?

DANTHURS is correct, prep work is 90% of a paint job, use the proper chemicals and steps to make sure the body is clean and straight, when in doubt, clean it again. Besides guide coats when block sanding, some water on a primed surface can show what the body will look like when painted.

before color sanding and buffing? Allow new paint to dry at least 24 hours before wet sanding, though the time will vary depending on temperature, humidity levels and how many coats of paint were applied. Simply, just be sure the paint is good and dry before wet sanding.

Probably best to ask the paint reps where you are getting your paint. What brand/system is being used?

What steps are being done after you sand to bare metal/ repair work?

Depending on how much spot priming you are doing, a sealer may be a good idea before you spray the base, ensures a uniform color to spray over and better paint adhesion depending on the product and flash time. May not be needed but something to consider..

Sanding to bare metal is in no way necessary and often makes for more trouble than you might think.It is a must to sand/scoff the old paint to get proper adhesion. Make sure it is dust free and a prep solvent used before painting. Priming is only necessary where you have sanded to bare metal. Some primers and paints if miss match as to the "carrier" solvent" can be reactive when one is put against the other, give primer a day. As Golgo recommends, at least a day before wet sanding. Two would be better just to take into consideration temps and humidity. Wash car thoroughly with a mild detergent, rinse well, and allow to dry before you begin buffing. Everyone has favs. The shop I hang at (Dreamakers Kustoms) and did my GXP twice now swears by Diamont paint http://www.rmpaint.com/en_UK/products/range/diamont.xml and Farecla buffing compounds http://www.farecla.com/. Both are top level quality products. They are a Custom Shop with as many awards as anyone on the East Coast.