Painting fiberglass??

[Car photographer]

Hi everyone
I've been trying to find out the best options for painting my kit (fiberglass)
But I seem to get conflicting answers - some say use etch primer, some say don't, some say 2k some cellulose - does anybody have any proper experience or knowledge of the best options to get a good finish and avoid cracking in the future.

Also not sure whether to try doing it myself or finding a local expert to take it on - any ideas or reccommend painters in the Birmingham area?
Cheers
Paul

[tricky360]

Dna are in Birmingham , they should know who to talk to to get a glassfibre car painted

[Roadster]

Im guessing you would like a classic looking colour and finish

If you are planning to do yourself you could use coach enamel it self levels and is nice to work with.

http://www.craftmasterpaints.co.uk/
I painted my Roadster Connaught green the D type racing green.

I just sanded the body to remove the shiny finish, I used craftmaster primer and then enamel with the largest brush I could.

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd431/retroroadster/retroroadster/f2c66fc1-48aa-4af9-8d3f-d78fc91c6db1_zpszvvra5oq.jpg (http://s1219.photobucket.com/user/retroroadster/media/retroroadster/f2c66fc1-48aa-4af9-8d3f-d78fc91c6db1_zpszvvra5oq.jpg.html)

[Car photographer]

Im guessing you would like a classic looking colour and finish

If you are planning to do yourself you could use coach enamel it self levels and is nice to work with.

http://www.craftmasterpaints.co.uk/
I painted my Roadster Connaught green the D type racing green.

I just sanded the body to remove the shiny finish, I used craftmaster primer and then enamel with the largest brush I could.

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd431/retroroadster/retroroadster/f2c66fc1-48aa-4af9-8d3f-d78fc91c6db1_zpszvvra5oq.jpg (http://s1219.photobucket.com/user/retroroadster/media/retroroadster/f2c66fc1-48aa-4af9-8d3f-d78fc91c6db1_zpszvvra5oq.jpg.html)
Sounds interesting how does it come with flexing of the fiberglass over time - does it withstand cracking better than normal paint?

[Roadster]

The lay up and the curves on the shell meant there was minimal flexing.
However they use the paint on traction engines and locomotives so I would say it should hold up ok.
For the 2 years it was with me I had no issues.

[Car photographer]

Cool, thanks

[molleur]

Good link on fiberglass prep and paint

http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/additional-how-to/car-paint-fiberglass-preparation/

[Car photographer]

Cheers

[Paul L]

Car Photographer - Here is a link on hand painting a car (which I intend to follow):

http://www.rodsnsods.co.uk/forum/tech-features/hand-painting-car-98714

Mister Towed & Swifty are just two of the Sammio builders who covered their painting experience in detail.

Mr T often says his lack of painting experience left him with something that looked like "old" paint. :cool:

The thing to remember is that old racing cars didn't alway have perfect paint originally.

Good luck, Paul. :)

[Car photographer]

Cheers, yeah I've considered that it might look more authentic that way - not sure which way to go yet

[Roadster]

Cheers, yeah I've considered that it might look more authentic that way - not sure which way to go yet

What colours are you considering?

[EL PRIMER]

I would listen to Jeff H 's advice on the Tribute forum . You are getting first hand info from a guy who's been painting classic and modern cars for about 30 years .
''A mate of mine said...'' advice or advice from someone who doesnt paint for a living can sometimes lose a bit in translation

[NeilF355]

I've been trying to find out the best options for painting my kit (fiberglass)
But I seem to get conflicting answers - some say use etch primer, some say don't, some say 2k some cellulose - does anybody have any proper experience or knowledge of the best options to get a good finish and avoid cracking in the future.




Hi Paul
To put in my two penn’orth I think one of the reasons you get conflicting answers on etch primer is that no one has really done a proper comparison so it’s all a bit subjective. Personally I don’t bother with an acid etch primer, I use a 2K high build primer followed by a guide coat and a lot of blocking off before I put on the colour.

As far as colour coat goes I used a 1K with a lacquer on my first spray job but for the next three I have used a 2K and compounded it to get the finish I wanted. I also find that 2K is a lot harder finish and seems to resist chipping a lot better than 1K.

I’ve never sprayed a whole car with cellulose so I can’t comment on it. I once used a waterbourne paint on some alloy wheels and found it very difficult to use so I would never ever use it again.

I did find that putting too much paint (I ended up with 15 coats on a bonnet once) results in cracking of the paint, but in my experience most cracking is due to the underlying gel coat or grp so different paints don’t have much effect.

Finally as regards a DIY or Professional job, I think that the key to a good finish is the preparation. If you are going to prepare the car yourself then you will probably need to have all the gear (compressor, spraygun, mask/air fed visor) to spray primer anyway so you could spray the colour coats yourself. I found it the most satisfying part of the job, apart from looking at the finished car!
Neil

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d1y757hp8apl8eu/11174977_10206765011900527_5432495161597189193_n.j pg?dl=0

[DaveP]

Great response Neil. More importantly - wicked car !

Dave

[rossnzwpi]

Fantastic work Neil. Is that a GTO based on a Porsche 944?
To the paint question I'd just add that getting a good gun and compressor is important too. I've found that a lot of the cheap ones don't give great results. Then practice practice practice. Isn't that what the donor's panels are for? :blabla:

[Car photographer]

Thanks everyone

[NeilF355]

Is that a GTO based on a Porsche 944?


Well spotted, it's the 944 S2 which has the 3 litre engine to get the correct engine capacity...I'm just short 8 cylinders :ohwell:

[phil.coyle]

Going back to the days of mini marcos and the Marcos 1600 etc. we always used a polyurethane paint on gelcoats, mainly because it etches itself into the gelcoat and being polyurethane it's flexible. It was also used on 19ft fibreglass yachts without any problems, try SML marine paints or Jotun for more help or confusion?

[Car photographer]

thanks

[smash]

Im guessing you would like a classic looking colour and finish

If you are planning to do yourself you could use coach enamel it self levels and is nice to work with.

http://www.craftmasterpaints.co.uk/
I painted my Roadster Connaught green the D type racing green.

I just sanded the body to remove the shiny finish, I used craftmaster primer and then enamel with the largest brush I could.

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd431/retroroadster/retroroadster/f2c66fc1-48aa-4af9-8d3f-d78fc91c6db1_zpszvvra5oq.jpg (http://s1219.photobucket.com/user/retroroadster/media/retroroadster/f2c66fc1-48aa-4af9-8d3f-d78fc91c6db1_zpszvvra5oq.jpg.html)

Wow I didn't realise you could get a flat finish with a brush - and they use it on steam engines? So that'll be Traction Racing Green then! :D

[Mitchelkitman]

Im guessing you would like a classic looking colour and finish

If you are planning to do yourself you could use coach enamel it self levels and is nice to work with.

http://www.craftmasterpaints.co.uk/
I painted my Roadster Connaught green the D type racing green.

I just sanded the body to remove the shiny finish, I used craftmaster primer and then enamel with the largest brush I could.

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd431/retroroadster/retroroadster/f2c66fc1-48aa-4af9-8d3f-d78fc91c6db1_zpszvvra5oq.jpg (http://s1219.photobucket.com/user/retroroadster/media/retroroadster/f2c66fc1-48aa-4af9-8d3f-d78fc91c6db1_zpszvvra5oq.jpg.html)

Agreed that looks good. I advocate brush painting. Lots of people just sneer and say it's rubbish, but this is generally because they have tried to brush paint with cheap brushes and unsuitable paint (ie paint intended to be sprayed) - unfortunately they don't have an open mind. My wife says I have such an open mind you can see daylight if you look into my ear!:lol:
I can understand how some people won't use brushed paints on bodywork, but why they will only spray chassis is beyond me........ You get a much thicker (protective) coat with a brush, much quicker and no overspray, and it's out of sight, so if you use a crappy brush it won't show anyway ..... Still, each to his own!

[Car photographer]

I'm even more confused now - I just spoke to craftmaster paints and they said they don't do a fiberglass primer and he doesn't know if their primer would even work or not - has anyone got any ideas what type of primer I should get?

[molleur]

Any 2K polyester or epoxy primer should be best.

[Roadster]

Car Photographer I used craftsmaster high build primer.

I knew my Fibreglass was rigid with no flex. I tested the primer on the underside of the front section first and the adhesion was good.

I can only speak about my experience.
I have sprayed cars with and without etch primer and I find that as long as the prep is good (sanded and spirit wiped) I didn't notice a difference.

[molleur]

The high build primer is likely a 2K polyester.

[Mitchelkitman]

There are also many single pack enamel type alkyd yacht paints which have GRP primers (I suspect the craftsmaster to be similar even though they don't sell it specifically for GRP) - international Paints, Teamac, Epifanes, Hempel are brands that spring to mind, and their topcoats are very good.
It's (as previously stated) mostly in the prep, cleanliness and swift application!

[Car photographer]

Thanks guys - although I spoke to a paint shop today that seemed pretty reasonable costwise - so I may go with them instead - still deciding on the pros and cons

[NeilF355]

Thanks guys - although I spoke to a paint shop today that seemed pretty reasonable costwise - so I may go with them instead - still deciding on the pros and cons

Have they seen your car and is the price just for spraying?
If they need to do some prep work first then the costs can escalate.

[Car photographer]

I told them I'd try and do the basic prep work - filling and sanding etc

On that note - anyone got recommendations forthe best filler to use on fiberglass?

[Roadster]

Are your panels rigid or do they flex?
Rigid- then most fillers will adhere to the keyed surface.
Flexible- try to use the filler used on plastic bumpers.

How much filling do you think you have? The panels look good in the pictures

[Car photographer]

They are pretty rigid but flex if you push them obviously, so maybe it's best to use the flexible stuff - what is the bumper filler called - do you know?

[Roadster]

I think it was just alled Flexi filler but isopon do a bumper filler.

I have a local paint shop that I buy my consumables from.
Leonard Brooks, ive used them for 20+ years and his advice has always steered me right

[Car photographer]

Cool, thanks

[Car photographer]

Found this stuff on amazon - seems about half the price of the isopon stuff - anyone tried this stuff? - Silverhook BIG31 Big Boy Plastic Flexi Filler

[Marc F]

Roadster - is that Brooks in Harold Wood by any chance?

[Mitchelkitman]

There were a couple of articles in Complete Kit Car last year about painting with a brush using marine enamel.