Rust And Paint

[Ezy03]

Hey guys iv used the search button before posting this but haven't found exactly what I wanted to know, anyway here it goes...

I'm considering buying a project car and it has some rust spots minor ones that are bubbling underneath paint work and some big ones like holes in the doors. The car nevertheless will need a new paint job, now question time;

1 - iv heard about the dips they do to get rid of dirt on the body after its been strip of paint and it cleans the metal up and rids of rust bits anyone know what exactly this is called if they understand what I just said lol

2 - the minor rust I'm guessing it will be shave back and apply with fiberglass and hardener and make smooth and apply primer and went sand a coupe of time to make smooth and flush and then respray, wondering is this the best method?

3 - about the bigger holes that the rust has eaten up, what to do there?

4 - piece of string put aside, how much would I be looking at paying for a good respray if I do prep work ie sand back fill most of the rust spots that I can and remove any dings that I can do myself?

Any of the four answered would be great

Edited August 22, 2011 by Ezy03

[Yo-Yo]

sorry can't add anything constructive here, I was just curious what kind of car you looking at for your project?

[Ezy03]

Lol yoyo, nws but its under covers atm, unvieling when and if I buy it after I put a bit of pricing together which hopefully ill get an idea of after a few of those questions are answered.

[Jonno34]

keen to know the answers to the questions myself

I've been quoted 6k for a good respray (without doing the prep myself) on the skyline - this was probably the most expensive place i've been quoted at.

i think a generally accepted figure for the average respray is about 4-5 for a good quality job.

unfortunately no idea what it would be if the prep was all done beforehand

also heres an idea: in perth there's a place called m'mates place, i believe they have a DIY spray booth. you could probably save a whole ton on labour costs etc there if you do it yourself

this place offers resprays for $699 - http://www.europaintaustralia.com.au/

not too sure what the quality would be like though :|

hope some of that information is slightly helpful

[wilorichie]

It's a lot harder to respray yourself... It's easy to get the paint on... but doing quality clear coats requires some practice... It's harder than it looks!

[Ezy03]

I don't plan on respraying my self just prep work ie sand back to bare metal and fix the rust that I can, but first i need answers to those questions just to get a general idea on price

[Ezy03]

I don't plan on respraying my self just prep work ie sand back to bare metal and fix the rust that I can, but first i need answers to those questions just to get a general idea on price

[wilorichie]

Not sure about Q 1 and Q 4

But:

2 - the minor rust I'm guessing it will be shave back and apply with fiberglass and hardener and make smooth and apply primer and went sand a coupe of time to make smooth and flush and then respray, wondering is this the best method?

I would call your minor rust just surface rust. Anything more than that, I would call that part of Q3. But, it is fairly simple to remove.

Sand with low grit sandpaper - Remove most of the surface rust with this. Get some liquid rust cleaner and scrub it with rough wet and dry sand paper - This should remove the rest of it. Now you should have a rust free surface that is fairly scratched. You can use primer filler or spray putty then primer (about 3 or 4 coats) - Which should then be sanded and smoothed.

3 - about the bigger holes that the rust has eaten up, what to do there?

You need to cut out all the rust completely and refill with steel/weld or bog. Then of course do your normal putty/primer/sand. This is actually quite a bit harder than it sounds. I've never done it myself, I feel it would be too touchy. On my 33 I had it done professionally - I wanted the patch welded and I wouldn't be able to do a good enough job for a car to be painted over.

[Jonno34]

good info richie ill try and fix the little spots of rust on my bunkie with your instructions

[Ezy03]

Thnks , that's what I thought for the small bits thanks for confirmation , also with both big and small, would the overall product look all flush and no difference when the whole car gets its respray, being that some metal would be newer than the rest etc.

[Ezy03]

Thnks , that's what I thought for the small bits thanks for confirmation , also with both big and small, would the overall product look all flush and no difference when the whole car gets its respray, being that some metal would be newer than the rest etc.

[75coupe]

you shouldnt be able to tell that new metal has been welded or dents have been filled in once the final spray has been done, otherwise what would be the point right...

oh look a nice new spray job finished but I can still see where new metal has been welded in???? that dont make sense...

please dont use fibreglass to repair rust spots or dents...

please always cut major rust out

but if you need to ask these questions, you either havnt research enough on rust repair and prepping for painting or you just shouldnt consider doing any of it yourself and in that case dont attempt a restoration if your wanting a decent result...

asking for tips is a good thing, but this is like body repair 101 stuff and restoration of a car as bad as the one your describing sounds isnt an easy task without good knowledge or experience...

[Ezy03]

As I said mate I have been looking around but haven't exactly found what I'm looking at, thanks for your answer it will help me overall and atm I'm confident I can sand back and patch up small bits but still need to do more work, also ill enroll in a course or two to get some pro help and learn more that way. Also I have a pre pre project car to work on and test things out before putting the work on to the actual project car just to help avoid things and see where my limits are, again I'm asking those questions to build ny knowledge of the area and have a basis on prices from peoples personal experiences and notes.

I do apologize for errors in this post , posted via phone with shotty keypad

[Jonno34]

^ good thinking mate, thats what im doing with my excel using it to gain some experience in some short tafe courses on all the skills id need to restore a car well, and then ill go out and get me a nicer classic

[75coupe]

Yep Ive been there done that....

Had a cliassic that needed a restore, thought yep I can learn do some courses work up to doing it myself, well after starting it and working out it would cost in excess of $25K and thats doing all the labour myself and then realising that to do the work on it and learn new skills at tafe I simply didnt have enough time in the day if I wanted to fund life and the project.

I did end up doing a heaps of metal work and welding courses.

I did gather lots of books and knowledge on prepping and painting.

And also figured out the cost is huge not just in time but money.

then I noticed that most people who have done restores are either panelbeaters or mechanics, or have good friends that are.

or they are very well funded or drug dealers... the ones that dont fit in that category are few and far between and in all these cases they usually have friends or connections that can lend a hand or knowledge...

I dont mean to be negative, but its is pretty realistic.

[Jonno34]

^ i knew the costs would be very expensive, but im not thinking of going for something extremely expensive, and plan to put good money to buying a good example/starting point for the car to begin with.

im also thinking of playing with something cheap, like an old datsun or KE corolla, or if i can stretch the budget a UC torana.

I can get nice examples of these for a good 3-5k, and what looks to be a very nice original 1 owner UC torana for about 8k ...

does this sound like a slightly better idea or in your experience would even this turn out to be extremely costly?

[75coupe]

hell even modifying my skyline works a tad more expensive than I originally plan for each time...lol..

Im very fussy about cost and always hangout for good deals, and most times get new parts for alot less than shelf price, but it takes time...

whatever cost you come too, add another 50% of that on top...

a KE corolla would be a cheaper exercise for sure but things still cost and there are always hidden costs and then there are the mistakes or the under budgeting to worry about...

its not impossible, but its not easy... and cost heaps and takes time... more than what you imagine

[Ezy03]

That expensive even though I'm not looking for show car quality, just a good rust free body and a good interior. I do know a few people who were ex panel heaters and mechanics as well that will help out when I need help or that would give advice on how to do things.

[Ezy03]

That expensive even though I'm not looking for show car quality, just a good rust free body and a good interior. I do know a few people who were ex panel heaters and mechanics as well that will help out when I need help or that would give advice on how to do things.

Also I have around 10k to spend on the car (without cost of the car) and atm im thinking that should do

[Ezy03]

That expensive even though I'm not looking for show car quality, just a good rust free body and a good interior. I do know a few people who were ex panel heaters and mechanics as well that will help out when I need help or that would give advice on how to do things.

Also I have around 10k to spend on the car (without cost of the car) and atm im thinking that should do