Rattle canned the roof

[GaPrix]

So this is my third time spray painting something on a vehicle. My last project was the hood of my Jeep which came out decent and now the GP.

 

I used rustoleum clean metal primer, flat black color and clear. I must have done something wrong in a couple spots I have some small cracks in the color that developed after sanding it...I couldn't reach the center of the roof very well, sanding there became difficult. Which left speckle/orange peel towards the center roof area and along the edge line (I got tired/lazy). Everything was done by hand which is very tiring. I also made a rather big mistake as I did not mask off the weatherstripping along the door/roof...whoops. Two flakes of old stripped paint flew up from in the weatherstripping, couldn't sand it out without burning through primer, so I decided to leave it. Turned out decent for a rattle can job took about 2hrs a day start week. I'm going to repaint the hood/louvers in a few weeks which should be easier as I don't have to tape off as much, though I don't know how to go about painting the louvers, yet. I'm guessing plastic paint?

 

[94 olds vert]

Looks good enough. As for the louvers paint with plastic paint. They are just held on with screws from the inside of the hood. Would be a lot easier to paint with them off the vehicle.

[carkhz316]

The last pic makes it all look pretty decent. Also, you don't need to sand the color, and really shouldn't ever. You're only and always going to end up with any and all orange peel in the last coats of clear. Its a waste of time to do any type of color sanding.

[GaPrix]

I wasnt sure about that, I went ahead and leveled it anyway.

[94 olds vert]

You can sand primer and clear but never the color coat. In 2-3 weeks you could use a mild rubbing compound that will help remove some orange peel.

[GaPrix]

So what negatives could arise from that?

[94 olds vert]

If you dont know how to buff a car then you could leave some swirl marks. Fresh paint is easy to mess up if you dont know what you are doing.

[Heartbeat1991]

Why would you use a different paint for the louvers? If you're doing a rattle can job, don't even bother to take them off. Scuff everything with a scuff pad and spray it as is. The trim at the edge of the hood near the windshield comes off pretty easily. Just pull it towards the rear. It slides right off.

[GaPrix]

I know how to buff, I just have to do it by hand...

 

Even if its a rattle can job I want it to look half decent and not flake or something soon afterwards. I'd assume since there is spray can paint made for plastic it must be somewhat better to use for its intended purpose?

[94 olds vert]

Plastic parts bend more so the paint needs to be flexible.

 

Hood louvers dont bend that much compared to a bumper.

[Imp558]

Enamel really shouldn't be used on an automobile, Lacquer will yeild a nicer finish. Auto body supply places sell a descent paint in spray cans for many vehicles, and they can mix up small cans of paint that you can spray from a gun or airbrush too.

[GaPrix]

Should I use lacquer when I do the hood? I vaguely recall reading something like lacquer was a 'harder' paint once dry.

[l67ss]

You can sand primer and clear but never the color coat. In 2-3 weeks you could use a mild rubbing compound that will help remove some orange peel.

 

umm...yes you do sand the color coat...thats how the clear sticks to it

[Heartbeat1991]

umm...yes you do sand the color coat...thats how the clear sticks to it

 

 

??? I've been painting for a long time. You never sand the base coat. The clear sticks just fine.

[rich_e777]

Looks good:thumbsup:

 

I`m going with a flat black for my car and slowly but surely its getting there, I need to get some body damage fixed in the rear quarter panel before proceeding any further. I thought about using rustoleum but decided to go with Valspar outdoor paint. It holds to the front fascia very well and I only scuffed it up with some 150.

[GaPrix]

Thanks all, I'll probably start on the hood this weekend, it's getting cold and I want this done.

[Imp558]

Well, it would buff better. Enamel is not for car finishes.

[Heartbeat1991]

I would be very leary of painting a hood with rattle cans. It won't look right. And the hood is the most noticeable panel on the car. A local body should likely wouldn't charge more than a couple hundred to do it right.

[GaPrix]

Several hundred I cannot manage.

[Heartbeat1991]

Several hundred I cannot manage.

 

I didn't say several. . I said a couple ;-) If you were closer, I'd shoot it for you. A quart of paint is about $35 and a quart of clear isn't much difference.

 

You can always sand it back off and have a shop shoot it later, too.

[GaPrix]

Unfortunately around here it's at least 250-300 a section. I got a quote on a fender and that was 200, from one of the more reasonable shops that i know of. Not counting, maaco or those spray and go types.