remove or mask for paint job/ maaco questions

[myfinalcoffinx]

Hey guys,

I'm taking my '82 in to get painted on Monday. Before then, I will take everything off that I think needs to come off as to hopefully not get paint on anything. Is there anything out of the ordinary that you guys would recommend taking off before paint as to prevent it from becoming blue?

 

Also, does anyone have recommendations about maaco? how about their "presidentail" paint job? I've had work done there before, and was happy, but I've also heard some horror stories, so just wondering what you guys think.

 

peace

[erik litchy]

me id take off the grill, headlights, tail lights, mirrors, wiper arms, bumpers, antenna, door handles, and any trim that comes off

 

at least do some prep before you come in. often they dont even sand before they paint and it peels off

[SkankinPickle]

yeah what he said, but on second gen (EA-81) door handles you can leave them on and still have it look great.

 

also:

gas door and bracket

out side window scrapers

the chrome piece above the license plate

and door trim if you can(be careful on this stuff)

definately a big plus if you sand the surface real smooth first, them usually only do a light sanding before paint.

[myfinalcoffinx]

I've got most of that stuff except for the outside window scrapers. what do you mean by that?

 

Also, how would you recommend getting the trim off of the doors. The rocker panels are easy, I just drilled the rivets out and took them off, but I can't quite figure out the best way to get the trim off...

 

aaaandddd, what grit sand paper would you recommend? or what type of sanding in general?

 

yeah what he said, but on second gen (EA-81) door handles you can leave them on and still have it look great.

 

also:

gas door and bracket

out side window scrapers

the chrome piece above the license plate

and door trim if you can(be careful on this stuff)

definately a big plus if you sand the surface real smooth first, them usually only do a light sanding before paint.

[thealleyboy]

I would take off as much trim as possible before they shoot your car. I would then prep the entire paintable surface - scrubbing it down with detergent and a scotch brite at the very least. If you can do more, like a wet sanding - even better.

 

I am not a huge fan of MAACO, but you can probably get a respectable paint job if you stay on top of them, and let them know what your expectations are. No matter what they tell you, you will only get one thin coat of finish paint. Their prep work will be the bare minimum, and they rely on the "seal coat" to cover the blemishes. Use a credit card for payment incase they blow it. You do not have to pay your credit card charge until the work is done satisfactorally.

I had planned to document a DIY "Alley" paint job, before my project caught fire. If you have a garage, compressor, gun, and can live with a non-metallic enamel, you could do a $100 paint job yourself that'll put MAACO to shame. I will document and post the results after my next paint project.

good luck, John

[idosubaru]

i just posted this somewhere else. here's a friends $64 paint job. i woudln't believe it if i didn't know him and his parents! 64 dollar walmart paint. looks awesome....for what it is!!!

 

http://www.xt6.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1440&highlight=paint+job

[All_talk]

It looks like you're ready to do it real soon, if I wasn't so backed up with other work I would offer you a good deal on spraying it. Or at least rent you my booth and gun for a small fee.

 

Anyway, like John said, wash it first with dish detergent then a good rub down with fine (grey) scotch-brite, you can even do the detergent wash with the scotch-brite. If you are going to do some sanding use 400 grit or finer with a DA sander, end with at least 600 if you're hand sanding.

 

I find removing trim is often easier than proper masking and certainly makes for a better paint job, but you have to be quite careful with reassembly.

 

Gary

[Seahag1978]

It looks like you're ready to do it real soon, if I wasn't so backed up with other work I would offer you a good deal on spraying it. Or at least rent you my booth and gun for a small fee.

 

Anyway, like John said, wash it first with dish detergent then a good rub down with fine (grey) scotch-brite, you can even do the detergent wash with the scotch-brite. If you are going to do some sanding use 400 grit or finer with a DA sander, end with at least 600 if you're hand sanding.

 

I find removing trim is often easier than proper masking and certainly makes for a better paint job, but you have to be quite careful with reassembly.

 

Gary

 

 

 

600? Oh, I thought that if by hand it was 1200-1500 or 1000 at bare minimum before primer? The reason I question it is, I'm stripping to bare metal and need to feather the small parts of bondo work back in? Please advise.

Thanks,

Mary

[myfinalcoffinx]

yeah, i saw that earlier today. i was AMAZED.

 

simply crazy. i wish i had that kind of time, i'd do it too.

 

i just posted this somewhere else. here's a friends $64 paint job. i woudln't believe it if i didn't know him and his parents! 64 dollar walmart paint. looks awesome....for what it is!!!

 

http://www.xt6.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1440&highlight=paint+job

[myfinalcoffinx]

speaking of bondo, i put a new fender on my front right, and there are some minor dents in it that i would like removed. how would i go about filling them or what should be done. they are very small, but i'd like to see this done as nice as possible.

 

also, whats a DA sander?

 

sorry about all of the questions, i'm new to this.

thanks!

600? Oh, I thought that if by hand it was 1200-1500 or 1000 at bare minimum before primer? The reason I question it is, I'm stripping to bare metal and need to feather the small parts of bondo work back in? Please advise.

Thanks,

Mary

[555Ron]

Hi, i am wanting to paint my car also... i just found these two articles that might be of assistance...

 

http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14930

http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15695

[FirstSubaruGLwagon]

Macco wanted $650.00 to paint my Subee wagon reguardless of how much prep I did! Shoot! I only paid 175 for the whole car!

( that price was for the basic paint job, WITHOUT THE DOOR WELLS AND UNDER THE HOOD!!!!),(said they would have to sand the hood and top to bare metel,,, that was a lie!,, I watched them paint right over another guys old paint!) I'm real disapointed with the local Macco here!

[thealleyboy]

That pic proves that it can be done in an alley or garage. I'd be curious to know if he removed trim, or masked. Either way, he should be proud of himself for what he was able to accomplish for less than a Bill.

For $650 you can buy the equipment you'd need for a quality paint job. Or you could probably find a real body shop that will do it for that, if it was properly prepped. Think of MAACO as your last option.

As far as anything finer than #600, I would use these between coats. 600 gives you the right amount of "bite" so that the paint takes hold, and is plenty smooth enough. A small electric palm sander (especially if it has a dust bag) is excellent for prep if you don't have air equipment.

good luck, John

 

[FirstSubaruGLwagon]

DA.= Dual Action,,, It rotates and at the same time it orbits in an eliptical pattern , thus reducing circular swirl marks.

[All_talk]

Mary, My grit recommendations were for pre paint, IF you are sanding between coats, as John said, 600 is good. 1000 to 5000 grits are used to level topcoats before buffing, but only lacquers (which nobody uses anymore) and clears should be finish sanded (not positive about single stage urethanes). Sanding enamel topcoats will remove the sealed outer skin and they will oxidize very quickly and require constant buffing and waxing to keep any level of gloss (don’t ask me how I know ).

 

Myfinalcoffinx, hard to tell you how to go with fixing the dents without seeing them. The general rule for plastic filler is no thicker than 1/8” build after sanding, if it’s thicker than that you still have metal work to do. Filler built up in thinner layers will hold and last better than one thick slab.

 

“DA” was covered by FirstSubaruGLwagon, they are the proper tool for the job and have a great advantage. A cheap one won’t last well but for one paint job if will work fine (you need a BIG compressor to run it), and there will still be a LOT of hand sanding.

 

Gary

[Seahag1978]

Oh ok... I'm using a chemical stripper to get the old layers off... about 3/4 of the way done. The heat here is unbearable and can work about an hour at a time before melting.

 

Then it needs a trip to the body shop to have the hood that (DHL busted up) fixed and fitted to the fenders and vent cowling (donors from other cars).

 

Now any suggestions for removing paint from white wagon wheels besides sandblasting?

[thealleyboy]

If the wagon wheels are not rusted, chemical stripper might do the job.

But those rim are almost always corroded at the weld seams at their age. Most likely, you'll need to blast em to get back to clean metal.

BTW, make sure you start off with the best 4 rims you can find. Even sandblasting can't make badly pitted metal smooth again. The pits will still show thru the paint, unless you build up the surface with lots of primer coats.

good luck, John

[Seahag1978]

If the wagon wheels are not rusted, chemical stripper might do the job.

But those rim are almost always corroded at the weld seams at their age. Most likely, you'll need to blast em to get back to clean metal.

BTW, make sure you start off with the best 4 rims you can find. Even sandblasting can't make badly pitted metal smooth again. The pits will still show thru the paint, unless you build up the surface with lots of primer coats.

good luck, John

 

 

These rims are in great condition other than where the paint chipped off at the lug nuts and the extreme outer edges. Some bonehead tried to "dress them up" with a rattle can with the tires still on! So the rust came right back through.

 

There's overspray on the tires, any ideas how to get the paint off the tires? There's still miles and miles left on them.

[75subie]

use a propane torch and brillo pads (not sos)

first heat up the area where you want to paint off, them wipe it with the brillo pad.comes off like butter if heated up at the right temp.its really pretty easy, i just stripped a whole motorcycle frame this way, and every little thing came right off.

jon