First time painter, opinions appreciated

[JSMZ]

HI everyone,

So this is my first attempt at auto painting.... hopefully all goes well.

I spent some time at the local auto body supply store today and I was told what primers I need for what im doing and such, and I would like a second or fifth opinion

My project is an '88 5.0 mustang LX.. going back to factory color... pictures at the bottom for reference as to what im working with.

No holes, just extreme surface rust, and some hail damage.. 5 or 6 little dents.

This is what i was told to do.

1) wire wheel surface rust down to metal, then DA with 80 grit.
2) use MP170 epoxy primer to cover those spots.
3) DA 80 grit on everything, remaining paint and the new epoxy.
4) wipe down with wax and grease remover
5) spray entire car with MP282 2k primer surfacer.
6) spray entire car with a coat of the MP170 epoxy primer
7) spray with my base coat ( 3-5 coats )... its a metallic
8) shoot 2-3 coats of clear
9) wet sand with ..i forget what grit ... and buff.


Let me know what you all think.

[Serge]

I have worked with quite a few mustangs in my life...and that model is pretty common, and pretty cheep...yours is pretty far gone and will cost you a pretty penny to restore, not counting countless hours.

At this point, its probably wiser and cheeper to find one in decent shape, with little rust (there are tons of them down south...) and give yourself a simpler project.

Has the car been in an accident before? Its been repainted and the rear hatch gap looks funny. What happened to the poor thing...?

The car you have has to be dismantled completely if you want to do a decent job. I am pretty sure that rust has creeped up pretty well under every thing that is attached to the car. Pay attention to the windshield surroundings....sorry, no...pay attention to all of the openings...for rust creep.

I would give it a once over with 80 grit paper on a buffer (check out Len's stripping kit) to get the paint and first coat of rust off...and then start inspecting all that rust.

I would not bother with the hood, I would just replace it, they are cheep compared to the time you will have to put on that one.

Wirewheels are not my first choice for removing rust on cars...on wheel barrels yes, but on cars...they dont do as good a job as media blasting...I am pretty sure you will have serious pitting once you remove the surface coat...Anyway, if you leave any under that paint it will come back to haunt you real soon...

There is alot of work on that car...

I suggest you read the basics pages on this site, they pretty much lay out what you have to do step by step...

[RyanBayles]

1) wire wheel surface rust down to metal, then DA with 80 grit.

Wire wheels arent safe at all i would look into purchasing lens
stripping kit if you have a grinder

EDIT: Your finish is in horrible shape your going to want to take
then entire car down to bare metal (figured i should move this
up so theres no confusion)

Do step 4 NOW

Do any body work now, finish it off smooth and degrease again

2) use MP170 epoxy primer to cover those spots.

Spray the entire car with epoxy i will tell you why in the next step


3) DA 80 grit on everything, remaining paint and the new epoxy.

80 grit will remove the epoxy you just sprayed skip this step
Spray your epoxy and while it is flashing mix your 2k surfacer

Ok now why you spray the entire car- Your finish is in horrible
shape your going to want to take then entire car down to bare
metal

4) wipe down with wax and grease remover

Do it where i said above not now

5) spray entire car with MP282 2k primer surfacer.

Spray the car when the epoxy has flashed, longblock the 2K
with 600 grit

6) spray entire car with a coat of the MP170 epoxy primer

This isnt a must do if your 2K has good topcoating ability

7) spray with my base coat ( 3-5 coats )... its a metallic

Metallic is hard to spray for a 1st timer, i did it for the first time
a few months ago, it requires alot more gun control than solids

8) shoot 2-3 coats of clear

Correct, inspect and tack your base first

9) wet sand with ..i forget what grit ... and buff.

I start with 1000 then move to 1500

[JSMZ]

thanks guys.

Well i would find a different one to work on, but I have a couple reasons for wanting to do this car.

1) I bought the car from the original owner, who bought the car when he was around 30 or 35.

2) 118,xxx adult driven miles on it.

3) i paid $1000 for it, and it came with two brand new power mirrors, two
new door handles, new headlight assembly, new windshield and door trim, and all new hatch, door and sunroof seals.

I asked if it had ever been in an accident and was told no, a carfax check didnt show anything.

Its getting pretty hard to be the second owner of a mustang this year that hasnt been beat into the ground by some teenage kid.

I never asked what happened to the paint but I did ask if it had ever been repainted, and was told no. I pulled the carpet back and the floor has no rust, checked about everywhere i could without taking it apart in his driveway.. and it seems the only rust on the whole car is what you can see in the pictures... well i take that back, the rear end and the original shocks and stuff is all 20 years old

Yeah i noticed the hatch the first time i opened it, i took a look at the mounting bolts and they look like they came a little loose over the years and it shifted while opening and closing it with bad lift supports.


I appreciate, the opinions... what i was told at the paint shop didnt sound quite right to me.... probably just trying to get me to buy more product.

[stealth1]

I would do the following.........

1. strip to bare metal with buffer mounted stripping kit

2. apply 2k epoxy then do body work

3. then apply 2k urethane primer

4. after primer has cured, block it out as usual

5. apply 1 coat of 2k epoxy as a sealer

6. apply 2-3 coats of base within epoxy re-coat window

7. apply 2-3 coats of clear

8. after clear has cured for a day start cut and buff with 1000 grit wet

9. next 1500 grit wet then 2000 and then buff it out

10. apply a glaze/polish and enjoy your car !


Best of luck with your restoration....................

[ColtranesFavThings]

Hoods a goner. Roof is not too far behind....lots of other rust patches.

Rust is really a bad thing its also on the inside of the panel....it can come back or reappear later....that's why the 2nd poster is telling you it's such a tuff job....and even with its completion you still face rust possibly re-appearing. You will definitely need rust treatment like Len's picklex or the other cheaper one. Altho I would unfortunately agree with Serge almost entirely.

There are some real pros on this site let's see what they think.

I don't know if its possible here but maybe you can set a thread for people to make votes....that way you get a collective idea on what most think should be done at a glance from viewing the graph on the votes. Ultimately it is your choice.....I just did some rust repair far from what you face....and it's no walk in the park especially for a newbie...hence the amount of work mentioned.

[Chris L]

Are you taking the car apart? glass,door handles etc..?If not,it will be easy to gouge or accidentally scratch something you need.Second,if you sand the rust off,be careful what kind of da you use,too much heat and you can warp that tin can.Once you get as much rust cleaned as possible,i would get some picklex from Len,or at least something like rust mort,something with phosphoric acid to put in those pits,once its dry(follow directions),follow that with your epoxy,then bodywork then 2k.

[Roch_Greg]

I'll throw in my 2 cents. Firstly there is nothing wrong with wanting to keep a car to work on as long as your aware of the amount of work and $$ it's going to cost you do get it done, which will be a lot cheaper than having someone do the job for you but nevertheless it will cost.

For the heavy rust I would start by getting a body hammer or a ball peen one and "lightly" tap all that rust. You don't want to dent the metal but see if it gives. If it gives then the metal is rusted through and you'll need to either cut and replace sheet metal or just replace the whole panel.

I would do this first cause that will dictate how the rest of the project will flow. There's rust and then there's rotten out panels. The first can be dealt with cheaper and easier than the second.

Door's panels (or just bottoms), fenders, hoods, and quarters can be replaced the roof and windshield pillars on the other hand are another matter. They can be replaced and I've seen it done, but it takes a lot of experience and the right tools. Patches can be fabricated and welded in, I've done it and other board members have as well.

I would pull the windshield and any trim around the doors and start with the roof. Get a quote to have it blasted as that's the best way to deal with the rust your looking at there.

If you can get past that without breaking the bank or your will, then the rest won't be that bad. Like I said replace the panels/hoods if you have to with one's from the bone yard that are in better condition.

One thing I wouldn't do is strip the whole car at once unless you have some place to keep it indoors.

GregY