Painting a Thing Panel by Panel?

[ernieballbass]

Hey guys. I hope the moderators don't mind me posting this again. I originally posted on the paint and body section of the forum. I didn't really get a lot of advice on it. I figured I would try here...



currently, my daily driver is a 1974 thing. mechanically, it's in great shape. the body is showing some issues though. there is definitely some rust bubbles, and fiberglass patches are starting to crack (po, not me).

i have this idea in my head that i can do the body work and paint the car myself...i blame thesamba...i do have some welding experience. i've been watching every "legit" how-to video on youtube for the last 3 months. there will me some mistakes i'm sure, but that happens with everything you try to learn.

it will be single stage white. i have heard that it's a very forgiving color for a person with little experience. i have a local ppg supplier right around the corner which is nice.

my question is how to go about this. my original plan was to repair/paint panel by panel [earmuffs, doors, fenders, then body]. in fact, i had that method approved by someone at a local body shop. BUT, there is some information to the contrary here on thesamba. i've read that temperature/humidity affects the color and i might end up with multiples shades of white.

would i be better off doing bodywork and primer panel by panel (with sealer), and then shoot everything with paint at a later date?

thanks in advance. i hope i don't come across as an idiot/dreamer. i'm semi-handy when it comes to the mechanical, but this would be my first attempt at paint and body work
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What I lack in brains, I make up for with good intentions.

[Semper_Dad]

There's always this option:

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Walküre Restoration Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=737492

[77kafer]

ernieballbass said: would i be better off doing bodywork and primer panel by panel (with sealer), and then shoot everything with paint at a later date?

yup.
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Supposed to be 77käfer, but there are no umlauts on an american keyboard

Overheard on 27 June 07, one lady to another when they saw my Harli in a parking lot at West Point, "maybe he found it on the clearance aisle at the Volkswagen dealer"

[sirswank]

assuming you're spraying it, it will also be less wasteful and less of a pain to clean up if you paint everything at once.

[Deckard]

You can totally do it. No paint booth needed. Heck, no garage needed either...

http://jalopnik.com/5805154/how-i-painted-a-bmw-in-my-tiny-new-york-apartment

[NOVA Airhead]

I did my Thing panel by panel. Pulled the fenders, windshield frame, engine lid and front hood and doors. I did all of those off of the car and then painted the rest as I completed body work and addressed rust - front, left, etc.

I used John Deere Yellow rattle cans which is a good match to the original yellow offered and my car had.

The result came out good.
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Ghia Owner Emeritus

[ernieballbass]

[rizzag]

Give your original plan a try. What's the worst that can happen? At the end you have a few shades of white and you need to do a scuff and shoot of the whole car? It will still probably look better in the mean while and you can use it at the same time.

Is it the best way to do it? No. But sometimes the best way isn't feasible and you make do.
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flossin, tossin, dippin, and trippin

[Riffster]

I read over in the paint section that it's NOT a good idea to leave a car in primer too long, though perhaps that's less important with an epoxy primer?

Anyone have any experience with how long is "too long" to leave in just primer?

Also - I would presume that after a couple of weeks, you'll need to scuff what's already on there before putting on the next coat?

I ask because I was planning to use the panel approach as well - deal with each piece and paint in primer until I could get around to shooting color on the whole thing. (Or should that be, "the whole Thing"?)

-Larry

[Ron Domeck]

We have a saying in the body business," if it ain't right, paint it white" The Domeck Brothers do paint all parts off the car but at the same time like all in one weekend. You will waste a lot of paint if you paint at different times. With white you will have a good chance that all the parts will match if you buy all the paint at one time. Don't buy a quart then later buy another later because the mix can be off. We also have a saying "resale red"

[Wildthings]

I couldn't care a gnat's ass if my Thing has a perfect paint job. Hopefully it will get painted this winter and it will likely be panel by panel as I see no reason to down a car to give it a bit of paint. Yes I will waste whatever paint is left on the disposable brushes and rollers I will use, big deal. As far as appearance, by the time it gets a good coat of dust on it my paint will rival the best out there.

[MRJEL]

[ernieballbass]

Well, worst case scenario I can scuff and paint the outside over again. I might give the panel-by-panel idea a shot. If it was any other color besides white, I don't think I would try it.

Wife says I have to paint the house first. But after that, it's go time
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What I lack in brains, I make up for with good intentions.

[MRJEL]

[ernieballbass]

[Wildthings]

[strelnik]

[jjohnson67]

Look at his sig. Love it!

[BNMike]

[quote="strelnik
My plan is to paint the car in flat beige as a desert vehicle. Buy all the paint at once, do parts quickly within reason[/quote]

I'm going to paint "Hermann" in one of the African shades, probably in pieces in the garage, as I get the parts prepped. I'll make sure I have enough of one batch to keep the color reasonably constant.

BNMike

[stevehenderson]

Get rid of fiberglass and since its there take it down to bare metal. Do the body work shoot the epoxy primer 2k thick guide coat sand in your garage. Put it back together. Rent a booth and spray it with urethane base and clear all at once. You will be glad you did. Dirt in paint sucks. Little compressors hoses most home don't work. It dose not cost that much to do it right and your Thing can be worth even more than what you spent.