The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Dupli Color Disaster??? Help.

So I have been a professional painter most of my adult life and have tons of commercial painting experience, but this is a bad problem I'm not sure of the answer. I have an email in to Dupli color but thought I would try here also.

I am having my engine rebuilt. While the block and head were in the shop I took all the parts and cleaned them, primed with dupli self etching primer, and put two coats of their engine enamel on. I was planning on spraying the entire motor one more time after it was reassembled. BUT!!! The darn paint alligators real bad. I don't want to paint all the nuts and bolt separately. What can I do? I was thinking another primer coat may work. The can says after 7 days you can still re coat. But I' will ruin my work if I try to re coat now. Man, I spent a week painting parts and do not want to start over.

You could try an inter coat before hitting it again. similar to what graffics guys do to protect the color coat.
what was the flash time between the self etch and the color coats? If the self etch was still off gassing maybe that could of bit you?

FWIW you are showing me why I stay away from duplicolor and self etching primers in the first place.

Good luck with it in any case.

What kind of flash time after primer? It's possible you were painting too fast without allowing proper flash time on the primer or applying the enamel too wet and heavy. Some paints are more finicky about flash times than others. In either case, it sounds like the enamels solvents got after the primer and loosened it's bond.

The thing is this is the third coat. I primed with self etch and waited 24 hours or less. Then put two finish coats with three hours between coats. Then I waited 4 weeks and hit it again and now that has made the paint wrinkle.

Any scuffing/prep before the last coat? Was the wrinkling in the last coat only, or were the originals from 4 weeks ago wrinkled as well?

Saw this not long ago and we traced the problem to the color coat. Check the original cans and look at the ingredients. Our problem was with Rustoleum, bought the cans a few weeks apart and the during that time the store had replace "new" paint with the "old". There was a slight difference in the chemical make-up of the paint...lesson learned - Buy more than enough to do the job at one time, you can always return what you don't use!!
Either way we scraped it all off as the alligatoring was sooooo bad. Good Luck

I didn't sand between coats. That could be it, but usually with spray paint you dont need to. I don't think they tell u too on the can either.

I bought a case of the stuff. Plus three from the self at FLAPS. The case could could have been a different batch. But that shouldn't matter???????

Its like the solvents in the can just melt the last coat. The first three went on fine, but there was a minimal ammt of time between coats. Then I let it set up for 4 weeks. I tried shooting dupli self etch prime over the engine enamel and it was worse. This really screws me. I'll need to strip all my parts and start from scratch !!! Valve cover lifter cover and oil pan. And the bell housing and flywheel cover. Clutch cover too. I'm just gald I caught this before they reassembled my motor.

Is there a better engine paint?? I must have spent 80 dollars on dupli color paint. I little P.O'ed about that.

I have found that the temperature of a part is critical. If it is too cold the paint wrinkles. I often have warmed up a small part with a heat gun.

Warmth!! That could be it!!!!

Dan, I think you waited too long between coats. Most enamels , urethane clears & singlestage urethanes will attack themselves and lift if there is too much time in between coats. But of corse if it is too cold the paint will dry slower and you will have to wait alittle longer between coats.

The best thing to do now, is strip it and start over. Then when you start over, make sure the temparature is warm. if you have a heat lamp, that usualy works well. Start with a couple of coats of self etching primer. You dont need to put it on heavy, a transparent coat is all you need. Then let it flash off about 15-20 minutes. Then follow with your first coat of color.
Put it on a little on the dry side, but not too dry.This will give the second coat something to bite into and not run. Then let it dry about 10-15 minutes or till you can drag a finger over it without putting a mark in it.
Now you can go wetter with the next coat, then let dry for another 10-20 minutes or till you can touch it. keep doing this with any more coats you may need.

Now, if you need to recoat this at a later date, you will need to scuff it, use a gray scotch pad. This will make the recoat stick and not peel. Make sure you put the first coat on a little on the dry side, that way it wont attack it and lift it.
Whatever you do DO Not go over it with self etching primer, as you know what will happen. self etching primer has acid in it and is made pretty much for bare metal only

Good luck! hope this works out for you.

Oh by the way how is that 248 comming? I also have a 248 that want to rebuild. Im curious to know what Im in for as far as cost goes.
Keep me posted.