The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Need knowledge on painting!

I have been sanding and filling and sanding my 55.
I am ready to spray it with a coat of primer.
What should I use to clean the body prior to painting it. And when I am ready to paint it with a color finish is there anything I need to know that would help me avoid problems?

Enamel reducer is great for the cleaning job. You will also need to etch the metal. Any jobber that sells automotive paint supplies can head you in the right direction. Be prepared for sticker shock. Good paint products are expensive.
While it's been almost 40 years since I've done it for a living and can't help you with modern custom painting techniques the basics are the same. Preperation, preperation, preperation! Anyone can be trained fairly quickly to pick up a paint gun and spray an adequate finish. The skill is in the preperation AND knowing what to do if something goes wrong.
That is far to extensive to go over here. I've rarely seen a first time body work project that turned out well. Be prepared to find a less than perfect job when you are done. Good bodywork is an art that only comes with experience. I've seen a LOT of "professionals" that have trouble making repairs that are undetectable when painted & the paint has cured. Good Luck.

There are a number of auto degreasers that are available for this purpose as well. Consult the shop you are buying your paint from - it is likely they carry a good cleanser. Don't leave a single fingerprint on the truck - the finger oils may cause trouble.

Then, take a tack cloth (or several) and wipe every inch to remove the dust within the last 5 minutes or so before you get to shooting the paint (this is a good job for 10-12 year old helpers).

Don't forget to get your shop super clean and as dust free as possible before you get rolling to minimize imperfections in the paint. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

For the best advice, go to the search function. Search the paint & body shop for titles containing basics by bolter MARTINSR. Brian Martin is a professional in the paint business and has written some great tips on this and other sites. Here's a link to his article on cleaners. http://www.stovebolt.com/bboard/cgi-bin//ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=001078

Roger, After cleaning, wipe down with a tack rag.Make sure your compressed air supply has a good water seperator and just for cheap insurance, add a disposable filter at the gun.
The newer 2 stage paints are really easy to use, just follow the mixing instructions. The base coat has no gloss and flashes off very quickly, this reduces the chance for contaminates to settle in or getting sags. The clearcoat then adds the shine. this will have a bit longer flash off time, once properly cured, a light buffing will remove any surface contaminates and give it that professional look.

You can also use a more traditional 1 stage paint - the acrylic enamels spray easy and work very well. You might also take the garden hose to the garage floor to flush out the dust.

http://www.hotrodders.com

look in the 'knowledge base'

great site with great folks.

-W