Paint spraying

[rodney3010]

I'm considering spraying my Fulvia myself. Without wishing to re-invent the wheel has anyone in the past posted any tips and hints (apart from don't - let the professionals do it)? If not, any advice - primer coats, how many coats, recommended tools etc?

[Philm]

I have painted my 2 Fulvia Sports now, 1 is a full bare metal restoration and the other just needed local cosmetics. Some basic questions for you to consider;

1. Is it a full strip down respray or a partial panel job?
2. You can only spray cellulose at home and I would advise that you stick to solid colours.
3. You will need a good compressor and a decent spray gun or two- ideally 1 for primers and 1 for colour coats.
4. You will probably need 1 coat of etching primer onto any bare steel followed by at least 2 coats of high build primer. These 2 coats will need flating back.
5. It will take 3-4 coats of colour (around 3-5 litres before thinning) then flatted back.
6. You will end up spending the thick end of £6-700 on tools and materials if you are going to be filling, priming and then painting and have no starting point in terms of equipment
7. You will not be able to paint in a home garage until May I would expect because of low air temperatures

The longest task will be preparing the body prior to painting and this is one area where a professional will be much quicker and efficient in terms of materials. How much space do you have? you really need a double garage that you can devote to the project. I would advise you to do it yorself but be realistic about the time it will take to get to the end result. If you decide to go ahead then I would be more than happy to give some more detailled guidance on tips and materials.

[Tim Ray]

Hello
Good timing on this thread
I'm having my Fulvia Coupé resprayed here in France at the end of March by a freelance Dutch guy.He will prepare the car in my barn and use a local paintshop's "cabine" on a Sunday for the painting.
I will keep the original colour of dark metallic blue.
Can anybody please help with advice on their preferred manufacturers and sources of paint? I can purchase from either UK or France. If car paint prices are anything like those of house paint in France,it will be considerably cheaper in the UK.
Also,when preparing the car, is it better to remove the stainless steel trim around the rear of the car, or mask it off? I don't know how it is fixed. Is it just pushed on ?
Any advice would be gratefully received.
Regards
Tim

[Richard Fridd]

 if i remember correctly the rear trim is indeed pushed on ,and is held on with retaining clips which have a strong grip on the flange provided by the  panel joint.the coupes i have had in the past have suffered from rust in this area caused probably by the clips scratching the paint leaving bare metal for trapped water etc. to attack.same applies to the front trim. i hope yours is better condition than my old cars!also if the trim becomes distorted when removed it does not seem to fit back on without'springing off' again.i have cellulose paint on my car which is possibly no longer used?

[fay66]

if i remember correctly the rear trim is indeed pushed on ,and is held on with retaining clips which have a strong grip on the flange provided by the  panel joint.the coupes i have had in the past have suffered from rust in this area caused probably by the clips scratching the paint leaving bare metal for trapped water etc. to attack.same applies to the front trim. i hope yours is better condition than my old cars!also if the trim becomes distorted when removed it does not seem to fit back on without'springing off' again.i have cellulose paint on my car which is possibly no longer used?

Tim
I've just had a look at the Tavoli parts list page Tav.73A/1 and it indicates that the mouldings are held on by retainer 2222266 x 15, unfortunately it doesn't show a picture of the clip, but having worked in motor manufacturing Richards description sounds correct, however if you take the mouldings off carefully so as not to damage them to get at the retainers, and to see if you have any damage to the flange, then any motor factors who deal in paint shop supplies, should be able to supply you with something similar, although I suspect that you may find they are ok and can be reused, as all the moulding fittings on my 2c, admittedly different are stainless steel.

Brian
8227

[Philm]

Cellulose is still available, at least here in the UK. Some suppliers may ask you to sign a declaration that it is for your own use only though. I used Max Mayer products throughout other than filler and etch primer which were both UPol and I would thoroughly recommend these manufacturers. One tip I would give you is that if you are going to be sanding large surfaces of body filler get a body file and sanding strips. It is no the cheapest method (a box of sanding strips is around £30) but the time you save.......
As for removing trim, it depends a lot on if you are changing colour, I left the aluminium window trims in place on my Sport when I resprayed the one side, just take your time masking it all up.

[rodney3010]

Thanks for the advice Phil. It will be a full metal respray and room isn't an issue. Nearer to the time i will take you up on your offer and ask more detailed questions.
In the meantime I propose to start collecting the relevant tools. What make/size would you say is a 'good compressor' and spray gun(s).
Thanks again

[chugga boom]

I'm considering spraying my Fulvia myself. Without wishing to re-invent the wheel has anyone in the past posted any tips and hints (apart from don't - let the professionals do it)? If not, any advice - primer coats, how many coats, recommended tools etc?

without trying to be an authority on the subject, i was a panel beater / painter profesionally for over 10 yrs, my thread on the ardea pickup maybe of use to you over the next few months asit will be going into paint, i can show you step by step filler prep, prima prep and top coat, there are many tricks to the trade the most important being good lighting, i'm right handed so always have light to my right when painting so i can look down the panel and pick up a good reflection of where i've painted, guide coating is a simple but very effective way of preparing either filler or prima, simply use matt black paint over your filler or prima and flat off with a block and paper until it has all gone, this makes the surface smooth and flat, any dents , hollows or pin holes will still show  black so in effect you cant miss anything, i always use 2 pack as its far more stable than celulose or oil based paints, however it is a little more dangerous to paint, celulose is probably easier for you to work as a beginer, dont worry about runs the can always be flatted out after provided you put enough paint on, spay guns and compressors are important as are water and oil traps on your airline, i always use either SATA or DEVILBISS spay guns, dont go for a HVLP as you will need a huge compressor to run it propperly, best gun (in my opinion) for yourself is a devilbiss JGA , great gun, easy to use and reasonable price, there are a veriety of caps and needles available for either base coat or prima or hs top coats, 30 cap and needle is a good alrounder for solid colours, laquer and prima, bit big for metalic base coats, i also recomend 3M fly masks for painting as they have a charcoal filter in so far better for your health, any questions please ask happy to help, james

[rodney3010]

Brilliant, will look out for the Ardea pick up thread! Thanks for the info. learnt more in last couple of posts than any amount of reading relevant mags could teach

[Jai Sharma]

Just to confirm the trims are indeed just pushed on and there are small "v" section clips inside the trims to hold them on. Hopefully you will have some solid metal for them to push onto!

[roddy]

Suggest you DO NOT use the o/e type of clips to fix on the bright metal strips.   The barbs on the inner faces are sharp enough to tear through new paint right to the metal (which of course is their designed purpose - to give a good fixing), and the rusting process starts right from day 1.   Far better to fix any bright metal with an adhesive sealant - I use Sikaflex 221.   Available in white, grey, black.   Intended to attach panels, act as a seam sealant, etc. it also sticks to glass, wood, rubber.   Put 'blobs' into the trim at various points, and push on to the seam.   Fix in place with masking tape as it can take 24 hours to fully cure.   Other brands are Tigerseal, U-Pol, and all available from a motor factors / sprayshop suppliers.

[Tim Ray]

Many thanks to everyone who posted their suggestions ref. removing / fixing the bright trim parts. It is much appreciated.
Will report back when work commences.
Regards
Tim

[frankxhv773t]

I did an evening class once a week for ten weeks in body refinishing. It was exceedingly usefull. If you can find something locally I would recommend it.

Frank

[Terry]

I have a very old (antique?) compressor, and several spray guns available, if anyone wants to borrow them. No warranty implied, but I achieve a pretty good finish. Never used two-pack, as it contains nasty isocyanates.
Based Wiltshire, near Marlborough

[frankxhv773t]

"Suggest you DO NOT use the o/e type of clips to fix on the bright metal strips"

I remember seeing in a classic car magazine a few years ago somone was making universal sprung trim clips. I can't find details now but they were a wire spring a bit like a paper clip or hair grip that you fasten to the body with a self tapper. They came in a variety of sizes to suit all sorts of trim. Something like that might be usefull if you can track it down.