Howdy all, I'm trying to do a budget paint job on my car, using the last paint as a base. A friend who is a painter has been advising me along the way. The car is about 98% sanded down with 600 paper, all the dings and scratches repaired, so now I'm almost ready to proceed with final prep and paint. What are issues with unknown reactions (peeling,cracking, wrinkling, bubble, etc.) when using the old paint as a base? I had a few issues when primering repair spots( SEM out of the can) such as blistering, shrinking in the areas, although my friend suggested I might have laid the primer on too thick too fast. Has anyone painted a car this way and had any problems that could have been avoided had they done this or that? Also doesn't sealing the surface before priming minimize or prevent any other reactions when the paint is applied? I'm assuming from the look of the old paint, and the age, that it is laquer(with clear over it) Any thoughts? Chumley

 

Can it be done, of course....on a budget, I would do the same. Should you expect longevity.....I wouldn't. Consider it like building a house. The house is only as good as its foundation. If the foundation is bad, the house will crumble. You don't know whats under the current paint, therefore, you don't know how long it will last. If it is lacquer, it is reversible, meaning it can soften when "fresh solvent" is applied. Big trouble. But, you can still get away with it by applying the new paint very carefully. Sealer would be a good start. Apply a couple light coats, with ample flash time in between. Reason being, you don't want to "solvent soak" the current paint on the car. Once the proper film build is achieved, you can apply the color in the same manner. Flash time is important. Obviously, clear should be applied as normal. Watch for any break throughs as these will be the biggest challenge to cover w/o problems. In the end, patience will give you you best chance at a decent paint job. Good Luck......as a little tip, if you could get your hands on waterborne primer, apply that down first, allow to dry, then sand, that pretty much could eliminate further topcoat issues. It is not aggressive and won't soften the current old paint job.....of course, don't apply this over bare metal!

 

Thanks for the info, I learn a lot just reading some of the posts on this topic. Is "flash" time referring to drying or curing time?

 

"Flash" is the amount of time between coats.....each coat should be allowed to "eggshell"(will dry to the gloss and texture of an eggshell), before applying subsequent coats.