Respraying panels with spray cans

[Ace_VP]

Hi guys, got a new bonnet and wing for my commodore, had a big dent on the very corner of the wing and then the bonnet next to the wing. Didnt want to stuff around bashing the dent out and then priming and respraying that one section cause the paint isnt the best so it would stand out like dogs nuts. So i picked up a bonnet in perfect condition and a wing to match.

Went down to auto one today and got some paint matched up to the colour code in 2 pressure packs. I havent done much in the way of automotive body work repairs before so im keen to give it a crack. Got some primer, wax and grease remover and some thinners to give everything a final wipe over with.

I got a scoth pad and rubbed back the wing and sanded the odd rock chip until it was smooth and back to bare metal in a decent circle around where the chip was. The paint on the wing and bonnet is in really good condition.

Then i did the bonnet, it had some rock chips on the forward facing edge and the clear coat had peeled back in one small section. Rubbed this right back, gave the whole bonnet a really good rub over with some sand paper.

Degreased both panels, then rubbed back with a clean rag and some thinners. Got it nice and smooth. I gave both panels a coat with grey primer, they came up pretty good i think.

Tomorrow im going to give them both some top coats, taking my time and doing nice even thin coats. From my experience painting other things with spray cans trying to pile to much on in one go doesnt go well.

My question is what should I do between coats? I will let the paint dry between coats as per the instructions but do i give it a light rub back with some fine wet and dry (1200 grit) I only rub it back at the end.

Then, i doubt i will get this far tomorrow, i want to take my time, but when i get to clear coat what do i do to the paint before the clear goes on? Just another light rub back?

Thanks in advance. matt

 

[calais24/7]

Just a tip, leave the spray cans in the sun for a good half hour or put them in a bucket of hot water, Also don't spray if its cold cause some bs about the air viscosity etc, do it on a warm sunny day. It will come out better. Goodluck mate

 

[con7502003]

your on the right track is it matalic or is it a solid colour if its solid you dont have to use a clear but you can if you wnt to but if its a solid like alpine white or alaskan white rub with 1200 take you time buff it to a good shine hope this helps.

 

[Ace_VP]

thanks guys, its a silver blue colour, here is a pic of the car, im doing it the same colour at the moment. if i can get a satisfactory job done with the spray cans i will touch up the other panels aswell and leave it until i can afford a total respray in the colour i decide to paint it.

The cans are sitting on top of our gas heater at the moment back from the front edge so they dont get to hot.

I was thinking of going with the clear coat just for some extra protection and to hopefully get a better shine, i dont think its 'solid' colour. The paint code is 2H041.

 

[Adds_05]

i sprayed my bumpers,grille and sideskirts with cans on my old vn,i think from what i can remember i did a couple of coats and didnt even really rub them back,maybe slightly. then i just cleared over the top. only really noticed in bright sun that there was a difference but as said,make sure its a warm day otherwise the paint will go funny. i had to end up doing the bumper in the garage with the heater going as the paint kept going funny from the cold

 

[Ace_VP]

i sprayed my bumpers,grille and sideskirts with cans on my old vn,i think from what i can remember i did a couple of coats and didnt even really rub them back,maybe slightly. then i just cleared over the top. only really noticed in bright sun that there was a difference but as said,make sure its a warm day otherwise the paint will go funny. i had to end up doing the bumper in the garage with the heater going as the paint kept going funny from the cold

Hi Adds, thanks mate, it was a nice day here today, hoping it will be nice and sunny tomorrow and I will spray them out in the sun and then let the paint cure for a few days until i do the clear coat. Im working day shift monday tuesday and night shift wednesday thursday so I will have another look at them next weekend.

I want to have a crack at doing the whole car with cans and then i will get the coloured changed later on down the track. the paint on the car now isnt to bad but it is wearing thin in places and has some crows feet in various spots aswell. Overall for the age the paint is better than some other VN/VP's the same age.

 

[Adds_05]

as you can probably see,my vn was starting to fade so you can tell a bit more that there was a different colour plus up close you could see a difference but i think it looks better than having parts of the car in primer. i drove around with those bits in primer for at least a year... as for painting a whole car with cans,i'd be a bit careful doing that as it probably wouldnt last long.

 

[bandit10]

2 cans wont be enough to do a bonnet, plus it will look like a dogs dinner, theres no way you will paint a light colour like that with cans and not get it patchy.
On another note, dont leave the base coat days before you clear it, you need to get the clear on with in 24 hours or it will not stick to the base, no need to rub down the base before clear, but you do need to rub down the primer before base 1200 or 800 is fine.

Aerosol cans are about 90% thinners so you will never get a good build with them, they should only really be used for small panels like mirrors/grills. The UV properties of aerosol paint is shockingly poor compared to propper 2k paint, give your bonnet 12months max before it is all peeling, the sun will kill it guaranteed

 

[Ace_VP]

2 cans wont be enough to do a bonnet, plus it will look like a dogs dinner, theres no way you will paint a light colour like that with cans and not get it patchy.
On another note, dont leave the base coat days before you clear it, you need to get the clear on with in 24 hours or it will not stick to the base, no need to rub down the base before clear, but you do need to rub down the primer before base 1200 or 800 is fine.

Aerosol cans are about 90% thinners so you will never get a good build with them, they should only really be used for small panels like mirrors/grills. The UV properties of aerosol paint is shockingly poor compared to propper 2k paint, give your bonnet 12months max before it is all peeling, the sun will kill it guaranteed

thanks bandit. I dont expect it to last forever, i will get it resprayed by a panel beater by then, i just want it to look tidy for now.

 

[88GreenVN]

I did all the prep on my VN ss kit and bumpers with cans of undercoat. (main colour went on with a spray gun tho and I was very happy with the job) Mist coat over the first lot of primer to fix and marks and scratches. Then recoated and light rub with 800 grit to get it nice n smooth. Use 800 for metalic paints - any less (600) will show scratches, any higher like 1200 and you are wasting time. use 1200 for polishing the clear after.

As said above the bonnet may well look a little patchy - but will look heaps better than it does now .