Painting tips needed...

Ya'll,

I'm taking my 67 chevan apart to paint it. Any tips from some of ya'll that have done this before???







Thanx!

JM

Ditto on what Don said.

And just remember. Good prep is key! A new paint job will show "every" flaw under it!. A good prep job = A good paint job!

Mine is stripped and I'm doing metal work right now. Haven't painted it yet.
1. bag and tag everything! Take pictures too to help you reassemble.
2. Clean stuff and note any missing bad parts for a shopping list.
3. There is an old saying; a good paint job is 90% preparation.
4. Fix all rust.
5. Use quality supplies. You don't want issues after all that hard work.
6. Primer and paint will not stick to shiny old paint. Every surface must be scuffed or taken to metal.
7. There are a lot of areas that have limited access. Think about how you are going to seal areas like the rockers, behind the ribs inside, the roof edges inside, and inside the doors.
8. Speaking of those tight areas, make sure all the drains are clear and sealed with paint or undercoating. Again, prevent rust!
9. If you can afford it, new seals all around is a good idea, and you can get that top coat of paint to fully seal all areas. Sure makes it look better too.
10. Remove stuff or mask even when just priming small spots. It's a lot of work to get primer and paint off stuff.
11. Block until you are sick of it, then block some more. Guide coats will help you see where you need to block even more. Also make adjustments to door gaps as needed.
12. Let the final coat of primer fully dry so you don't get any solvent pops or shrinkage. With winter coming, it's going to be hard to let it sit out in the sun, so plan ahead or keep blocking until it warms up!
13. Look it over in many different lights and angles. If you have access to a hoist, raise it up and look up at the body. You will find more stuff!
14. If this is your first, get someone you trust and have them mentor you. There are a ton of different ways to the final result, so pay attention to someone who is sucessful and follow that way.
15. If you are going to cut and buff, do it after the paint has set up and before assembly. This will make a big mess, which is why you want to have all the areas sealed and coated, so that when you wash down the freshly painted body, it won't start rusting. When buffing, mask off areas that are hard to clean (like the inside) so that the junk from the buffing doesn't splatter all over causing more work.
16. Assemble carefully! Clean out any threaded holes that got painted with a tap before trying to assemble. You have probably seem the bike and car shows on TV where they cover the paint with tape when working close to an area. Also have all those cleaned and tagged items sorted and lay out each job. Pay attention to how stuff fits before tightening. Many nice restorations actually test fit between primer and paint to make sure stuff fits right when it can still be fixed. Test fit any seals carefully before assembling or gluing. Do not rush them, allow them time to set up properly. Think about any part or fastener that goes on from the outside. Is it sealed? Is there a gasket? Is it as nice as you can afford and all clean before you install it?

Yep, didn't know the technical term!

Guys,

These are all excellent tips! Thanx!!!

I am taking all the hardware from the doors off (locks/windows). I am waiting on a friend to come down from VA tomorrow to do that. I also grinded all the "caulking" of the joints on the doors/roof. I will rust proof it, seal it and put some more caulking before I paint. (paintable/weather proof caulking.) The ribs spot welds were almost all undone so I took all of them out removed the sufface rust, rust proof them, sealed and primed them. I will spot weld them again before painting. I bought the paint from Eastwood, "Rat Rod Flat Black". (http://www.eastwood.com/rat-rod-flat-black-paint-kit.html) Has anybody used that paint before?

Again, thank you all! If there is any more tips/links that you can send me it will be appreciated. Hopefully, I will have the paint and the rest of the stuff done before the van nationals (Ohio/July) so I can go and meet some of you in person. I will probably be deploying again in Aug/Sept so I need to get this did before then.

Peace-out,

JM

Redo any door hinge pins that need it while it is apart. Bill

Bills66,

I have one that needs replace but I'm havin a hardtime removing the pin. Is there a trick to it???

soak em real good in a penetrating oil and see if that works if it doesn't heat them red hot with a torch and beat em out. Bill

BILLS66,

I got that sucker out! Thanx...

BTW, once you get the primer down and start working the bondo and the sanding blocks, it's a good idea to wear latex gloves to keep your oils off the stuff. Keeping clean in a dirty environment is tough, but you don't want any contaminants that will mess up the primer/ paint.

I got a great tip . when you start the primer and paint make sure ther is no silicone in or around your shop . if the silicone is fresh you will get fisheye . Im sure thats not the look your going for.

gkpost,

I will make sure, thanx. I read somewhere about "fisheye" but what is it?

I see you have 66 also?

Fisheyes look just like they sound, caused by contaminants on the surface ( oil, water, silicone, or other junk ). There is a product to help eleminate them, but don't use more than recomended !

Jumpmaster I was out of town for a while all you need to know about fisheye is how to prevent it and that it sucks and will make a lot more work out of a big job in the first place. Ask the guys at your paint supply Im sure they'll bend your ear with horror stories and what you need to know so you dont F up. P.S. my van is a 67 I thought the 66 had headlights over the grill not in the the grill. Icould be wrong I'm new to the van thing but I'm good with the paint.

Everyone has offered great tips. I cannot stress enough how important it is to degrease before you sand and again before you prime and again before you paint. Wash your hands before sanding and wash again during the process. Keep your hands clean. Especially if you sand after eating anything.

Roger KC, thanx!

(Man, and I thought deployments where stressful...lol)

Almost done with the bodywork. Breaking for a few weeks to get maried! (Good thing I got my toys already!) Will post the finished pics later...

Thanx all ffor the tips!

Get the "Fisheye" eliminator - thats compatable with ur paint. Remember - Painting is like Baseball= " No Drips, No Runs, No Errors"!!
I should add this - tyhe old ways were to before & after all body prep - we used to wash the vehicle -with warm water and tide soap & clorox. This took all oils & grease out of the painting & body work!! Yes=It really works.

my 2 cents just go get a wax degreaser and dush the van top to bottom not saying twinpilot,s way wont work . just sugesting what has worked for me. Bear.

another thing to use is an inline disposable filter just before the
paint gun in the air line, your compressor will put oil in the air
line and land on the painted surface causing fisheye also.

almost done putting it back together. thank you all for the tips!

Right On!!! Looks like a "Hot" rod for Georgia... hope you have A/C!

All I can say if you clear coat it send it off somewhere!!