help with paint, please

[cwillis]

So i have been searching and reading and praying for guidance. . . . but i still need help.

I have an 84 Burb that i want to paint. The current paint is peeling off and it looks like ****. ( i think alot of people have this problem)

I want to strip it down to bare metal or dang close and do it right. I dont have much money at all. Can you guys help?

Where do i start? Can i used a wire wheel to make this faster? What about stripper? I try to stay away from chemicals as much as i can, so does it really make that big of a difference?

What kind of primer do i use? I dont have an air compressor yet. Someone told me to use "Self Etching" but i want to use the $1.29 high build sandable primer and just sand it well.

I was planning on sanding and primering one section at a time, trying to work on the dents as i go.. . is that okay?

we can stop here for now because that much will prob take me a month before i am ready to shoot color.

 

[cwillis]

uh. . .so i went out and started hitting the "Little bondo repair" that is "pretty small" that the PO did.

is this normal?! WTF, OVER?

what do i do?!

 

[USSkoval]

What's up there just below the side glass? Is it more cracking bondo, or just some pine needles or something? You're going to need a grinder for sure. TIP: that cheap "high build" primer is a joke, don't waste your money on it. Even when it comes to spray paint, if you want it to look OK and last a little while, you're going to spend some money.

 

[cwillis]

its a tiny wet rust spot i was hitting with a screwdriver to see how deep it was. its tiny ans its just rust/water mud smeared. its about the size of a quarter and on the surface.

I plan on using an HVLP gun and hopefully a booth to do the color spray.

i will prob use spray paint primer. what kind do i use on bare metal? on bondo?

do i prime the bare metal before i use filler or just put it right on?

Thanks
Chris

 

[cwillis]

wow so the bondo is almost 1/2 inch thick in some spots!!!

this is rediculous, and changes everything. I cannot afford to fix this the right way. (cutting all the rust and bondo out and replacing with a new or used panel.)

my choices are (none are good):

grind down the cracks and the rust underneath and rebondo.

grind down the rust and cut out the worst spots and replace with new sheetmetal. bondo match the rest.


but then i have to make it all straight to repaint. . . i really dont know what to do.

 

[cwillis]

so if you found 1/2" of bondo on a big panel - what would you do?

 

[jonrpick]

so if you found 1/2" of bondo on a big panel - what would you do?

I know next to nothing about body work, but I have rust holes that need to be repaired on mine. I've never done it before, but I will.

My plan is to simply buy a used Mig welder, practice on some scrap sheet metal, and have at it. I'm going to read up on the process, and watch videos as much as I can before that time comes. I'd recommend the same to you. I read an article recently in a magazine about doing a home paintjob on the cheap. They had pretty fantastic results. You don't have a lot of money? Fine... You'll pay with sweat equity. Why do you think a good paint job is so expensive??

Is that just a big dent that was filled in rather than popped out correctly?

If so, go to Youtube and just type in "removing dents". Seriously, there's a lot of stuff on there. Some very low-tech. I just saw someone popping out big 'uns with a hair dryer and dry ice. Another guy used "dust remover" as the cold source. I have a can of 3M Dust Remover next to me. It's difluoroethane (a refrigerant). It gets damn cold when you spray it on something.

Anyway, you basically heat the area, and cool it off FAST. The rapid contraction of the metal pops the dent out. It's worth a shot.

[youtube]miNykNl-0NM[/youtube]

This one won't embed because the owner disabled it:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UUSkwlyDrKw

 

[cwillis]

thats awesome. never knew about that temperature trick before now. thanks!

i guess i could try to weld in a new panel. i think finding a cheap one will be tricky though. . .

will my little flux core welder be opkay for body work if i grind alot?
thanks
Chris

 

[jonrpick]

thats awesome. never knew about that temperature trick before now. thanks!

i guess i could try to weld in a new panel. i think finding a cheap one will be tricky though. . .

will my little flux core welder be opkay for body work if i grind alot?
thanks
Chris

I know nothing about welding, so I can't answer the last question. About the patch panel... Goodmark has the entire panel, which includes the window opening. Way more than you need.

I'd suggest seeing if a junkyard will let you cut out the needed section from an otherwise trashed Sub.

 

[cdoggwsu]

I'm not a welding expert by any means and someone more knowledgeable may be able to answer better but as long as it isn't structural any decent weld will do to hold body panels together. Just don't leave any gaps and make sure to leave a decent sized bead and you'll be able to blend it just fine.

 

[Merv]

Not sure if the Flux core will work, Don't see why not just never used it,. But make sure your not makin a "bead", one tac at a time and never in the same area jump around alot and take your time as to not warp it.

 

[86haubs]

You should be fine with Flux core. I recommend ONLY going down to the metal where it is absolutely neccessary, aviod using anything other than sandpaper if possible, hit it with a coat or 2 of sealer primer, then hit the truck with a filler primer, finishing your primer with a coat of sealer again. The last coat of sealer is not needed, but will help to give you a better looking paint job when finished.

 

[Chevy911]

That rust doesn't look all that bad, I've got the same in my blazer for sure. Pick yourself up one of those hand held sandblasters (they're pretty cheap), or a pressure pot one if you think you'll be doing more sandblasting in the future, they're more efficient. blast that area, if you blow threw the panel or find super deep pits replace it, otherwise your making more work for yourself. you can even blast it and then epoxy primer it while you find time to repair it. My blazer has spent nearly 4 months in the salt with only epoxy protecting it, and no visible changes can be seen. This gives you time to get that dent pulled out better, or you can simply put the filler over the epoxy if you want, it will seal the metal and prevent that rust from happening under the filler.

 

[Chevy911]

Sorry I just realized that you do not have an air compressor. I would however go into an automotive paint seller, and tell them what you want to do, as for sandblasting and epoxying. I'm sure they can get you the materials, and more than likely get you in touch with someone who works put of their garage to get that panel blasted and primered.

 

[tipoil]

first put the grinder(whit a coarse sand paper 36 or 40 grit) in the bondo,that way you will see all the damage area.

if u don't see big hole then find someone that can sandblast it for u,being careful not to blast it too hard(will warp the quarter(all wavy)

after that if u find small hole(like a pen or smaller)dent the hole a bit and fill them up whit ur welder(small tack)and u can use a coper backing plate to help u fill them up.

put "all metal" over the weld,then bondo to make thing nice and level,epoxy primer ,high build primer and paint

if u have a big dent try to push it from the inside whit a pick(drill the iner quarter from the inside (1/2 hole and when ur finish use plug from rustproofing hole) then bondo prime and paint.

if u need to change the panel.lmc truck has patch panel that can help u.

if u need to put a patch panel in ... put it over the old one,trace around it leave a goon 1 inch over lap then tack weld it (the best job is to fully weld it but a lot of small good tack will do to .not the best but i've don it a lot and it will do if ur not going to keep this truck a long long time)all metal -bundo-primers-paint.

when ur done..paint as fully cure(and u have finished that case of beer) remember those 1/2 hole on the inside ??? it the back area of the repair whit a good rustproffing of somekind and plug these hole whit the 1/2 plug.

there u have it the cheapest way to do a "nice job" that will hold a few year .

the sandblast,all metal,epoxie primer and rustproofing the back side of the repair area are the keys to make the repair last!!!

ps when sanblasted, the steel will rust quickly(humidity) try to put something on it like "el cheapo can primer" and use thiner to wipe it off when ur ready to work on it.

hope it helped a bit