Rattle can paint job help

[Ladeef]

I want to clean up the paint a little on my 510 wagon, here is a pic:

 

Basically I'm looking to just clean it up, and maybe roll with a primer job for a while or add some color with a rattle can.

 

How should I prep this surface for a quick spray? it seems to be rattle can over the original paint.  I just want to scuff up the paint enough to get something to stick.

 

800 grit to scuff? let me know your advice.  I'm ok with doing a bunch of sanding but don't want to take it down to the metal quite yet.

 

 

[housew]

just plasti dip it till your ready to do real work.

[Just Joel]

220 and go... A little wax and grease remover wouldn't hurt. Already spray painted, no point in doing anything else.

[Swedishcadillac]

Lots of Dawn soap, clean water and a medium Scotch-Brite pad. Followed by lots of clean water is what my paint guy suggests for cheap paint jobs...

[JoeCool]

I'm going to give this warning. I rattle canned mine satin black two years ago, it looked good then, now it is looking terrible. Paint isn't peeling or anything, but it is fading and chalking. It is also rough to the touch now. I spent a lot of time sanding, prepping, masking, and painting. I spent $200 in spray cans alone, I am not joking. Then again I used Krylon Dual paint which sells for $6.99 a can, but I could have gotten a nice looking paint job at Maaco for $400 with all the prepping I did. Now I have a mess to strip off whenever I want to get a real paint job.

[tr8er]

Joe is dead on about rattle cans costing too much. But I don't agree with Maaco looking better for $400.  You can do it yourself for less, and it will look better than Maaco if you have a steady hand and watch a few videos.  There is a huge learning curve with automotive paint, but it takes very little to get passable results.  And you would suffer the same problems with rattle cans.  Find a guy with a spray gun, work out a rental deal, shoot it in your driveway.  Get a can of paint from the automotive paint shop in town, and get good results for the same price as rattle cans.  

[tr8er]

Oh, if you do go rattle can.  Buy some spray tips online.  Graffiti artists have created a whole line of tips that will make life far better.  they will fit most brands of paint.  I recommend Krylon, and I also recommend buying the expensive can that weighs the most.  The cheap cans have much less paint and coverage for your buck.  I use a spray bottle of wax and grease remover and a rag to prep freshly sanded surfaces.  I sand with 400.  And I rinse with buckets of water with a tbsp of baking soda per gallon.  My water is a bit acidic to start with, and you want a basic rinse to neutralize any spots of bare metal that may be hiding.  The de-grease a panel and lay on the primer and paint.  First coat of paint should be very light.  The existing paint is not exactly the same as what you are going to spray, so this thin coat will promote adhesion, and prevent flaking and peeling.   

[Ladeef]

Great advice fellows, I do have an air compressor but it is a bit of an ancient one.  I fear water might be lingering in the tank so best no to use it?

[TENDRIL]

you can get some inline water/oil separators , put one right out of tank and one on gun,

 

 

 

i say if you do decide to spray real paint get single stage, not base coat clear coat, you can use rustolium but you have to thin it/ reduce it

 

and like mentioned before scotch brite maroon or 180-220  , surface prep/wax-grease remover, and dont start a car or spray any kind of wd40 or oily aerosols after wax and grease, or dawn soap 

[Scgreen620]

I've painted my cars under 300 bucks .. I got a 18 gallon compressor and a 150 dollar gracco gun .. Came out nice

[MikeRL411]

Great advice fellows, I do have an air compressor but it is a bit of an ancient one.  I fear water might be lingering in the tank so best no to use it?

 

Most air compressors have a drain plug on the bottom of the air tank just for the purpose of draining the inevitable moisture condensate from incoming air.  It may well be rusted shut if you have never drained the tank.

[The Resurrector]

If i had to choose between the lesser of two evils I would go plastic dip. Keep in mind when you're pricing a paint job that clear coat has a UV rating, and when you use cheap clear you'll be repainting in five years when it starts to delaminate.  :confused:

[MikeRL411]

 

If i had to choose between the lesser of two evils I would go plastic dip. Keep in mind when you're pricing a paint job that clear coat has a UV rating, and when you use cheap clear you'll be repainting in five years when it starts to delaminate.  :confused:

 

Or if you use "integrated clear coat" from MAACO! It will "last" one year at best.

[wayno]

Great advice fellows, I do have an air compressor but it is a bit of an ancient one.  I fear water might be lingering in the tank so best no to use it?

 

Most air compressors have a drain plug on the bottom of the air tank just for the purpose of draining the inevitable moisture condensate from incoming air.  It may well be rusted shut if you have never drained the tank.

 

Sometimes the water will come out like mud. :(

[graveltrapp]

If you intend to ever use or get a "real" paint job, you may run into compatibility issues with the rattlecan paint. This will require days of stripping and prep in order to get it ready to accept the new paint, and may prove to be difficult at best in certain tight areas which could lead to peeling.

I have seen a number of driveway / Harbor Freight paint jobs that look more than acceptable for the time and money that was put into them with the bonus of adding new tools and skills to your repertoire, not to mention your finger will be so numb and be ready to fall off before you get through the first case of cans.

Save the cans for wheels and valve covers.

Maybe some wet sanding would help freshen up the original paint.

[DaBlist]

Like said best if you don't go with the spray cans but if you do:

 

Always make sure the can is really warm, the paint will spray finer (atomize) laying on smoother and flow out better (gloss).

 

I'm more daring than most and use a hot plate on low for heating my spray cans.

Also don't spray on cold metal if you are trying to get a good shine.

And for those small metal pieces you want to dry fast when assembling things heat them up first with a heat gun or heat lamp and they will dry in a third of the time.

[ryanthomas1]

My advice is this,

 

Clean the whole car nicely, and scuff it up with 220 , or hell I've used medium grade steel wool,

 

Then do another thing of degreaser,

 

In a dry, temperature stable environment, I'd paint with auto primer, 1-2 coats, then scuff it up a bit again, make sure it is smooth, use fine sand paper , then rinse to remove debris, let dry

 

Next apply the base coat using proper technique , I ussually do 3 -5 coats depending on the thickness of the paint ,

 

Then after that dries for 4 days at least to let it cure , I'd do 4 layers of clear coat , the. 2 layers of sealer,

 

It may be a long process but it is totally worth it Becuase it will look great and can be done under 100 bucks, so not to much to complain about,

 

*note, use proper sading technique, it should be a x pattern ,

 

* don't forget to ensure everything is taped up good,

 

* the rood of the vehicle will try your paitence, you can do it!

[JoeCool]

Plasti-Dip it. It looks good, is easy to do, and will cost $200-300 AT THE MOST.

 

http://www.dipyourcar.com

[shacks510]

Plasti-Dip it. It looks good, is easy to do, and will cost $200-300 AT THE MOST.

... and if you don't like it, you can always peel it off.