When it's time to get the body painted should I get a hot rod shop to do the work, or can any paint and body shop do the work? Any of you Texas boys(Dallas/Ft.Worth area) know a good reliable shop that can do the work?
Thanks
I did mine myself. Took the longest to do the prep work. Lots of sanding, filling, sanding, sealer, sanding, primer and more sanding. I painted mine in the garage ... no paint booth, just drop sheets over everything. The painting took less than a day, but the prep work took months. That is where the cost is if you have someone do it for you. The paint itself was fairly cheap ... about $35 a quart and I used a quart and a third. Four coats of high build primer, sanded, three coats of single stage acrylic urethane ... waited one week then scuffed that up, put on ghost flames and then five coats of clear.When it's time to get the body painted should I get a hot rod shop to do the work, or can any paint and body shop do the work? Any of you Texas boys(Dallas/Ft.Worth area) know a good reliable shop that can do the work?
Thanks
i painted mine with low gloss blk from tractor supply 9.95 a quart only tookone quart. the prep took me several weekends but i learned as i went. sannd fill rub and just keep on till you like it. you can buy a cheap cup gun for 30 bucks set your gun un some scrap and then spray. i rattel canned my frame goood thing to had to do some tweeking and added shocks. don't be scared just do it.When it's time to get the body painted should I get a hot rod shop to do the work, or can any paint and body shop do the work? Any of you Texas boys(Dallas/Ft.Worth area) know a good reliable shop that can do the work?
Thanks
I spent months "researching" and about drove myself nuts! Everyone on the Internet has an opinion and most of them suck. What works for one will not always work for another and everyone has their special way of doing this or that. When it comes to the subject of what paint to use, make sure you have plenty of beer handy when you try to figure that one out. I got to be very good friends with the guys at English Color and even their factory rep. The factory rep helped me every step of the way.Well, I'm thinking Yellow. Can anyone suggest a book or videos I could pick up to learn more about this. I do have the street rodder, but I haven't got to the paint article yet. That 3K to 5K price may have convinced me to try to do the prep myself.
Thanks, all for the enlightenment.
I second everything he said! Whatever you do,don't use Auto Air Colors to paint your body-you'll be spraying and using a heat gun for days!I spent months "researching" and about drove myself nuts! Everyone on the Internet has an opinion and most of them suck. What works for one will not always work for another and everyone has their special way of doing this or that. When it comes to the subject of what paint to use, make sure you have plenty of beer handy when you try to figure that one out. I got to be very good friends with the guys at English Color and even their factory rep. The factory rep helped me every step of the way.
I would go to the library and look for books\videos paying close attention to "fiberglass bodies\panels". Most of the books you come across are aimed at metal and some don't even mention fiberglass. Try Barnes and Noble or even Half Priced Books. There are some good ones at Amazon, but there are some bad ones ... and there are not cheap. I bought a $49 video and it wound up being a commerical for some guy and his custom paint shop.
I can outline and tell you what\how I did mine, but it might not be just right for you. Take your time and research it out. If you can get to be friends with someone at a body shop you can learn a lot. Don't be shy about asking questions.
I let mine sit for a year before I even put primer on it ... just ran around in the gelcoat. Drive it for a year that way to work all the bugs out and you don't have to worry about messing up a paint job while you attend to mechanical issues.Well, in my research today, I kept hearing that fiberglass body sure better be cured, before ya do anything. So, do any of you think I should set it out in the hot sun for a couple of days?
This body looks pretty smooth already. I'll start looking for info while I'm doing all the other 100 things ya got to do to build one of these hot rods.
Fun fun fun!
I second everything he said! Whatever you do,don't use Auto Air Colors to paint your body-you'll be spraying and using a heat gun for days!