I just thought of some more 'secret' hints that I stumbled across while using the Brightside paint and it they are equally applicable for the Tremclad/Rustoleum guys.

Discovery ONE : If your paint on a panel goes to h*ll... try a fluid soaked roller...

While working on the trunk lid things went bad. The paint started drying too quickly and started getting tacky. I tried to work the paint with extra rolling to try to level it out.. but it just got worse. I walked away from the car mad as h*ll because I figured I was going to have sand the trunk down and start it over ( when the rest of the car was already basically finished. I guess you can guess how pizzed off I was.

So I got mad and I figured that since it was screwed up there was nothing I could do that would make it worst. So I had a little light bulb go off in my head. I went to my paint tray and I dumped a ton of brushing fluid in with the remaining little bit of paint that was still in the tray. I would say the mixture was about 70% brushing fluid ( ketone ) and only 30% paint.

I lathered up the roller with a full load of this mixture and I started reworking the trunk lid.

MIRACLE UPON MIRACLE.. the paint on the trunk lid began flattening and spreading beautifully. This saturation of brushing fluid was able to save the day and the trunk lid turned out perfect.

So I mention this story just in case one of the panels you are working on goes to h*ll in a hand cart. Curse at it for a minute and then try a highly saturated roller to try to remedy what might appear to be a lost cause.

I suspect this 'last ditch' suicide effort might also work for the Tremclad/Rustoleum applicators as well. If the paint on the panel you are working on appears to be suddenly welling up and turning to orange peel... or if the roller marks are too visible and not levelling out... or if the surface has gotten too tacky before you had worked the surface with your roller to the point where you were satisfied... this might work for you to save you from having to sand down a pile of your work..

DISCOVERY TWO : If the paint on a panel goes to h*ll - reach for a rag as a last ditch measure

When I was originally applying the Tremclad paint to my car... I had a similar problem occur on the front driver's fender. I had just added a layer of Tremclad. Right before my eyes I could see that everything on that panel was going to h*ll... it looked like an instant case of severe orange peel. I cursed... I swore... I walked away knowing that I would have resand that panel down again and basically restart it.

So I decided to quit for the evening... because I was sooooo pizzed off at myself. I took a fresh cloth and soaked it with mineral spirits and started to clean my hands. Then that little light bulb went off in my head again. I took the mineral soaked cloth over to the panel and began WIPING IT DOWN in long steady swipes. It took the crappy layer off and left me with the previous layer - in perfect shape and ready to just dry out and repaint it.

Sometimes the greatest discoveries are done totally by accident or from sheer frustration...

DISCOVERY THREE : Two rollers work better than a roller and a foam or bristle brush

This probably ranks right up there with my other accidental discovery of using two rollers... one to roll the fresh paint and a fresh one to just roll over the fresh paint to level it, pop bubbles and work out any track marks left by the 'painting' roller.

DISCOVERY FOUR : Don't bother with 6" foam rollers

Ooooh... one last tidbit of info that I thought I would share. My experiment with the six inch high density foam roller was basically a failure. Although it seemed in theory to be better at laying down paint... it turns out that the FOUR inch high density foam roller gives you far better control. The only value you might find with the six inch roller is to use it as the secondary roller ( as described above ) to go over the paint laid down by the FOUR inch roller. But frankly you might as well use the four inch roller for the painting and the secondary rolling. I truly believe that the dual rolling works out better than the roller and brush method...

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Well I've been away for a few days and the pages sure did pile up. But I made major progress. I used my grinder and twisted wire wheel and got the little roof I have (t-tops take up the rest), doors, rear quarter panels, truck, front fenders, and half the hood stripped to bare metal. The rear quarter panels are straight as glass but the doors and roof need some serious bondo work. that's what went on today and I'll hopefully sand that down and do a final coat of bondo.

A word to the wise, the wire wheel worked great to take everything down but if you use it for at least five hours a day for about a week, you'll piss off your neightbors pretty badly. I found this out the hard way. Also, when using the wire wheel, go prependicular to bodylines and you can use it nearly everywhere. If you try to go parrallel over the lines of the body, you'll tear it up. I'll be sure to post up pictures tomorrow.

Marq, looks great! I remember back when you posted original pictures that looked of terrible orange peel. Seems like you figured that camera out and did an awesome job. Polish that and everyone will be all over it.
Exit, do you have any progress shots?
Also, is the general consensus that you should spray bomb the doors?

No progress shots lately. I'll post some more once I finish the engine bay and door jambs, then I'll wait a few weeks and wetsand then polish and take more pics. I wish I had done more when the weather wasn't so hot..

Was the second roller used dry? If it was, when it got loaded up with paint did you clean it? In other words you used a second roller instead of the brushing it after rolling.

Well, my paintjob is on indefinite hold because I need the car. I was planning to finish the paintjob by last Saturday, but a large thunderstorm came through St. Louis as I was putting my fourth coat on and knocked out the power for a couple of days.

I'm attaching a picture I took of my car immediately after the thunderstorm.

Started on my Jeep Cherokee last night... just starting on the psgr rear quarter to refine technique. I have started with Safety Red, as the other rustoleum reds seem too dark. However, as warned by exit, it does have a hint of orange to it. Nevertheless I took it out into natural light today and I am liking it on the small portion I am working on. Orange peel is not noticeabe until I get about 2 inches away and stand at the "right" angle. So... I am definitely happy so far.

Before I move on to the rest of the car I need to finish a few dimples I am repairing, and I am also going to use the spray bomb safety red to get jambs and the like before I hit the large panels.

More info (and pics) when I get further along.

Hey guys, I was planning on picking this up ( http://www.wagnerpaintcrewtv.com/Public/HowItWorks/index.cfm )to paint my moms house. How do you think it would do with the Rustoleum painting a car?

roe

Well kiddies, the owner of my borrowed test piece (the hood on a riding lawnmower) came and reclaimed it two night ago, so I never got to finish it. BUT, I got the technique down I believe. I will be doing my coupe in two weeks when i'm on vacation. Woohoo! pics for sure.

So I had a friend who does newer little light trucks come up to me and ask me if I knew about the Mopar website with the rustoleum paint jobs. He has no idea I'm a longtime moparts member. I can't believe how this thread just keeps going and going and going. I saw it months ago and it's still active. Must be a record. 69Chargeryeehaa must be up for some sort of automotive sainthood for the interest he's generated across all segments of the automotive hobby. You're like a working class hero, helper of the little guy, friend of the common hobbyist. I think I'll even try it myself. Never thought I'd slather Rustoleum across the quarter panels of a 1972 Dodge Charger, but I think it's on it's way. Even if I don't like the product or get frustrated, I can always go get the expensive paint job I was originally going to have to get anyhow. and now it's off to go find the cliff notes summary of this whole process. I'm not even gonna ask as I'm sure it's been summed up more than a few times. I'm a believer.

Heres some of the features:

1. 25ft high pressure hose

2. Sprays everything from thick latex paint to thin liquids like stains. (so should handle thinned rustolem right???)

3. Full size filter in the handle of the gun to prevent tip clogging

4. Reversible tip: in case the tip does clog it can be reversed to "blow" out the clog and keep spraying

5. Pump is the same type of piston pump that professionals use, for reliability. System works at 2750 psi


THose are some of the things that I thought sounded pretty good. But I dont know much about spraying etc...so I thought that I'd ask you guys. I figured it would be at least as good, if not better than the handheld versions that people have been getting great results with. I was planning on getting it anyway to paint the house, but if you guys think it would work with Rustoleum for a car, then it would make my decision to buy it easier by knowing that I could use it for the car as well.

I have one of these:


It is similar in features to the Wagner mentioned above. While it is awesome for spraying stain on a cedar fence, or even latex inside a house, I wouldn't spray a car with it. If you are going to deal with the mess of spraying, you might as well use a real paint gun. Even a cheap paint gun is better.
The sprayer pictured above gives minimal control of the spray pattern... only pump pressure and paint viscosity. A real paint gun is more adjustable and will atomize the paint finer.

I haven't experimented with the roller process yet, but it appears much easier to master than spraying. A spray gun will allow you to make a huge mess in a hurry, in much the same way rotary polishers will allow you to do a lot of damage in a hurry. In the right/skilled hands, they are a quick way to get excellent results. In the hands of a beginner... maybe or maybe not.

If you do choose to spray, consider using a faster drying thinner to help avoid runs. Also, spray a few thin coats and allow them to get tacky before spraying the last glossy coat. Also seek out spraying techniques on some of the other forums that deal with more conventional paint and body work, like: http://www.autobody101.com/forums/