Car Painting Basics 125 Steps To Perfect Paint

Written by Cam Benty on April 9, 2008

VIEW ALL 9 PHOTOS

Do-It-Yourself Tips And Tricks To Make Your Hot Rod Arrow Straight And Ready
For Paint.
Applying color
OK, youve sweated out the details and now its time to receive your reward.
While it may seem like its taken forever to get to this point (and, frankly, it
has), applying a fresh coat of paint is where the magic begins. But there is
nothing as frustrating as getting to the final step of the painting process and
having something go wrong that erases all the previous painstaking efforts.
The best insurance here: check with a professional should you have any
questions. Shooting test panels and keeping your spray gun clean will also
help ensure that the final color matches your vision.
The Basics
There have been countless kinds of paints applied to cars over the years.
Today, the two-step acrylic enamel or urethane paints are preferred. Lacquer
has been all but outlawed in most states, so original Corvettes in OE lacquer
are a thing of the past. But have no fear, the new paint products are excellent
and will give tremendous results. Finishing the paint process with a clearcoat
topcoat will add durability to the paint surface and add to its depth when
admiring your work later.
Both acrylic enamels and urethane are applied similarly to lacquer finishes,
but fewer coats are needed over those legendary 20-coat lacquer jobs youve
probably heard of from old guys still crusty with overspray. This is because
more paint is applied with each new-style paint coat because of the higher
viscosity of the paint (usually a half to one part thinner to one part primer). In
most cases, it takes three coats of base color and three topcoats of clear. The
best bet is always to enlist the help of a local pro to supply some guidance.
Gunning for You
If youve been napping for a few years, youve probably missed out on the big
change in spray guns. For the most part, old syphon spray guns, which
required high-pressure lines, are not used. Actually, they are not the preferred
style of gun today for a variety of reasons, the least of which is the wrath of
local pollution-control officials, who have outlawed their use.
So whats the alternative? HVLP, which stands for High Volume, Low Pressure,
and is the most common spray gun used today. Instead of drawing paint from

the bottle fitted below the spray gun system, the paint is gravity-fed into the
gun through a tank, which sits above the mechanism. Before you start
complaining about this new system, realize that these guns are far more
efficient than the syphon spray guns delivering as much as 80 percent of the
product to the surface yet requiring as little as 10 psi of line pressure to
operate. Syphon guns often needed between 45 and 70 psi of line pressure
with an efficiency of as low as 40 percent. Regardless, a 5hp compressor is
still considered minimum support for an HVLP spray gun.
Ready to Shoot?
Prep and safety are the keys to achieving not only a great final product but
also to living through the process. Purchasing a cheap but complete paint suit
is a great way to keep paint and other toxic products out of your personal
system and clothing. Wear a respirator with two air filters, and some kind of
head covering and goggles are a great idea. Keep your area clean and youll
be rewarded-more importantly, youll create less work-by keeping dust and
dirt out of the painted surfaces. There are few things more frustrating than
inspecting your work and finding one small flaw in an otherwise perfect
panel. -Cam Benty
Note the clean and well-lighted spray booth. It is critical to monitor the
temperature in the booth as well, as it will affect the amount of thinner and
material used, drying times between coats, and the final results.
Mark Oja of Paul Gonzalez Custom Cars is a master painter. Note the proper
use of safety suit and respirator. We recommend gloves and goggles as well.
Each panel was primered and block-sanded with 600-grit paper prior to
painting. A table such as this is great to keep the parts from moving while
painting. Covering the top of the table with masking paper will keep it from
receiving extra layers of paint and primer in future paint efforts.
You just cant be too clean when you are about to paint. This panel was
cleaned with soap and water and then grease and wax remover to eliminate
blocking debris. A tack rag gently wiped over the surface is great, too.
Complex pieces like this decklid require compressed air to get out the last
bits of water and dust.
Simple things such as plugs will help keep threaded inserts clean and free
from paint or primer.
We used Sherwin Williams Ultra 700 Red Metallic Urethane for this project.
Heres a simple step often forgotten-stir the paint. There is a lot of material
that floats to the bottom of the can, so make sure you stir it thoroughly and
often. Filter the paint as it enters the paint gun reservoir. Note that this is a
HVLP gun. Paint filters are fairly standard, but dont forget to grab them when
you pick up your paint. Note the protective gloves, which can be changed
often.

The bottom side of the panel is painted with the basecoat, making sure to
cover the edges. The entire panel will be painted with the basecoats, top and
bottom, and then the top clearcoats will be applied.
Spray gun nozzles are adjustable (the inner fittings are changed) depending
on the paint being used. Ask your paint professional which one is right for
your project. This is a 1.6 nozzle-for those who were wondering.
Three coats of base color paint were applied and then three coats of clear.
Note that we worked the panel from each side into the middle, making sure
to cover the edges. The gun should never be closer to the panel than 18
inches and can be tested beforehand to make sure the pattern is appropriate.
If the gun spits at any time, stop and clean out the nozzle with acetone and
start again. Avoid contact between the air hose or spray gun and the wet
painted panel or vehicle-or you will have to repair it by letting it dry and
sanding out the flaw.

Cam Benty - writer