Backyard Spray Job on VN commodore (Black) need info

[hi_ryder]

yes to everything ari said...

but... (for me personally) you can prime over 120 but it depends on how long your going to let it sit and how thick primer your going to lay on (to avoid shrinkage). i normally finish anything im going to prime over with no coarser than 180 grit. bare metal you can finish with 80-120 no problem, but with an existing coating you may get a little shrinkage with 80-120 if you prime over it. also id be sanding off as much of that black as possible, doesn't look like it will be a good foundation at all.

also wet finish anything thats right in sight when the engine goes back in with 600 grit (suspension tops ect). some brands of paint can handle wet 400 scratches with out showing lines in the finish after, but 600 is safer.... have fun man....

 

[ari666]

No doubt the engine bay is probably the hardest thing on the car to paint.

nah not at all. its the hardest thing to prep, simply cos most of the stuff needs to be done by hand to get into tight grooves, divets etc. but getting a panel flat on the exterior is much harder IMO.

how would i get the metal flat and not noticeable with the welds?

grinding disc on the angle grinder to take the head off and flatten it out, flapper disc to get a smooth finish then fine filler to fill and grooves or holes.

So all i need is 2k Primer/hardner thin it down i think you said around 40% thinners to get it to flow good out of the 1.4.

mixtures depend on a lot of things, temperature, amount of hardner, gun pressure etc. its a case by case basis. ive kinda stopped looking at the cup for thinner, ive been adding more hardner than what i should, then probably twice the amount of thinner i should. so 2:1.5 +60% i wouldnt really say thats right, but when i wanna do thin coats its nice. itll run like a mofo if you go too heavy and its so thin you can barely see it at first, but i like to build it, i.e. go over it with 4 or 5 thin coats. ive found a lot less peel doing it this way.

I also need a regulator on the gun or air compressor and a water trap do you suggest any types that work well? or for the water traps just an inline one on the hose before the spray gun?

i have 2 cheapo water traps inline. one came with the compressor and its pretty tiny, the other is about 600ml i think. each and everytime i spray i have to drain the compressor then drain each trap. in between coats i also like to clear the traps (you just press the button on the bottom and it squirts out) they are both pressure regulators, my pressure is about 60 psi up to the gun, then i use the regulator on the bottom of it. sometimes you want lots of air, sometimes fk all. depends on your paint mix, temperature or the panel, temperature of the air, wind, if your spraying into gaps etc (i turn the fan off and turn pressure up to get inside gaps)

the settings on the gun are there for a reason; learn how to use them

you have
mixture: i leave this on full, when assembling the gun, pull the trigger, insert the rod, put the spring and retainer in and tighten till it tries to push the trigger closed then stop. mixtures are controlled with the amount of trigger you give it.

fan: for a wide and narrow arc. these cheap guns tend to have a shitty fan if its on too much. they spray 2 dots at either end of the fan, so on a test piece, turn the fan up full to see what i mean, then back it off till the fan is as wide as its gonna go evenly. narrow fan for gaps and getting in tight places, wide fan for big flat panels.

air pressure: depends of paint, temperature etc. low pressure will throw it on thick and peely, hight will throw it on thin and flat but with the risk of blowing the paint around. so set it wherever it works best.