any tips for a DIY paint job?

[sicaz66]

painting my rig and need some pointers.when applying bondo do i need to prime it first? there were a few spots where the old paint was starting to rust underneath the bondo.what is the best way to fix a dent? i have a guy that will spray it and do a flame job for free! ;D to advertise his business.(it`s an airbrush biz and he`s never done a car yet).so i decided to let him spray the whole bronco.

 

[2badrotties]

Do not primer under bondo. Use PPG epoxy primer ( DP-40 ) on all bare metal and YES you can bondo over the DP. PPG paint rep says the plastic will adhere BETTER than putting over bare metal. The DP will also give you corosion protection. It's very hard to tell someone how to fix a dent they are all different. Some can be pushed out others have to be pulled out. I will tell you this and allways remember it ...... FIRST IN , FIRST OUT ! This means look at the dent and try fixing it from where you think the impact started ( the spot that was hit FIRST ) never start on the outside of a dent and work inward. I have a Unispotter that welds small pins to the metal and then you use a special dent puller to pull on the pins. You then break the pins off, grind, skim coat of plastic. If you must use a screw type dent puller , make sure you seal the other side with something and cover with DP or rust proofing or something or the moisture will come through from the back side and cause rust under the plastic (bondo). When you prep the truck to paint make sure the primer looks as nice as you want the paint to look. If you paint over a road , it will still look like a road no matter how much sanding and polishing you do. Wow, this is long, sorry.

 

[Madgyver]

Hey sicaz!<br> I hope you enjoyed your trip to the islands.<br><br>2bad pretty much laid it out for you on your question. I can add that the Unispotter is a great tool but if you don't have access to one you could do the old school method to pull out dents using wire coat hangers. Just tack the ends of the wire to the dent that you are working and keep the ends close together so that it is shape like a big U, get something heavy like a short piece of pipe and place it in the U and bang it out, Make sure you have room in the U to swing the pipe. This may take a couple of tries but it works. After most of the dent is out work it with a body hammer and dolly (I got mine from Harborfreight) Finish it off with bodyfiller to smooth it out. Epoxy or ecthing primer is the only type of paint I apply body filler over other than bare metal.

 

[sicaz66]

all the dents i could get behind were easy it`s mainly a dent in the tailgate that needs repair .i don`t want to just fill it with bondo) also don`t want to drill holes for the old school dent puller.i`ll try the coat hanger.the islands were a blast we`re already making plans to go back. ;D

 

[2badrotties]

Did you try that bullshi# dent fix thing they show on TV ? Just remember YOU can buy it right now for $19.95 but us body shop guys have to pay over $300 for the same tool. HA, HA, HA, HA, what a bunch of suckers !

 

[Madgyver]

[quote author=2badrotties link=board=5;threadid=11861;start=0#87436 date=1038773513]<br>Did you try that bullshi# dent fix thing they show on TV ? Just remember YOU can buy it right now for $19.95 but us body shop guys have to pay over $300 for the same tool. HA, HA, HA, HA, what a bunch of suckers !<br>[/quote]<br><br>I seen that suction cup thing!! What A JOKE!!!!!!!

 

[BroncoJAK]

Don't want to sound like a know it all but, it's "first in last out". A dent is a stretch in the metal. If you pull the center out till it is flush, by the time you have the outside pulled, the center will then be pulled out further. The PPG DP products are good, and less expensive than what we use in the body shop today, but I would'nt put anything more than metal glaze over it. If you only have spots of bare metal use a self etching primer like Standox 1-K it is available in a rattle can. New paint sticks better to clean, etched, old paint better than anything. I'd still use a sealer primer to pervent lifting of the old paint. These can be any color even transparent. 2bad is correct in what is under the paint is far more important to the appearence of the paint job than the paint itself. Not only to the smoothness of the job, but color as well. ei painting white over black will make the white appear brighter. Lighter colors are more forgiveing. Darker colors don't cover very well. So a uniform color underneath will help the color look the same all over. Talk with a local paint jobber, he'll help with what products to use. Hope this helps. ;D

 

[thesnake]

I'm glad I'm not to this point yet. I can already hear my wife's objections.<br><br>snake

 

[sicaz66]

[quote author=thesnake link=board=5;threadid=11861;start=0#87616 date=1038845044]<br>I'm glad I'm not to this point yet. I can already hear my wife's objections.<br><br>snake<br>[/quote]<br><br>i`m deep in this project and still haven`t decided on a color?? ?:? it`s either going to be black again or a pearl electric blue. 8) trying to picture what will look better with the flames?

 

[Waverous]

Considering wrapping the inside of a garage in plastic to make a booth - any suggestions, besides adequate ventilation

 

[CObronco74]

I'm thinking about painting mine myself this winter too, but I'm a little worried. I know nothing about painting cars and don't even have a paint gun yet! Do you guys think this is something I should tackle or just take it to maacco and get a 15 footer? <br><br>Are there any write ups around that you guys know of for hints for prep and spraying? I was also thinking about making a booth our of plastic in the garage, so I'll be interested to see if that will work. Thanks...

 

[sicaz66]

picked up some etching primer today(expensive stuff at $6.00 a can :'( ) also decided to let a local shop spray the black base coat then let the guy do the flame job then take it back for a couple coats of clear. i`ll post pics when done( probably a month or so :-U)