Hi all. I've been lurking here for quite some time gathering information about how things should be done. I really appreciate the efforts of everyone before me and the moderators for keeping the various threads alive.

I do not have a Chrysler.Mopar vehicle, so please don't hold it against me. Though my first car was a 1971 Dart 2-door with a 318.

I am painting my car with Interlux Brightside (white) using an HVLP sprayer.

I've removed everything I could. Windshield (to correct other damage), bumpers, lights, trim, quarter windows etc.

I scuffed the entire car with a Scotch bright pad and repaired what few rust spots the car had and filled in with spot putty. Where I have exposed metal, I primed with white Interlux Prt-Kote primer.

I'm thinking I probably should not have used white primer as it's kind of hard to see where I've painted (oops)

I waited about a day after priming and I sanded the primer with 320 paper to flatten it out and put down 2 coats of paint thinned down with 10% Interlux 216 thinner.

Question, should I sand the primer? Or is the texture of the un-sanded primer better for paint adhesion?

The car is 20 years old and overall the original paint is in good condition, though I don't know what kind of paint it is originally (Volvo) I do know that it was a basecoat only and not a base/clear application.

So far I've painted the trunk. I have some orange peel. I know it's something of an inevitability, but what suggestions are there to lessen it's appearance? Add more thinner? More paint and less air in the mix? The last time I painted a car, lacquer was was still the way to go. I don't recall this much orange peel. It's not that bad, but it is noticeable. I have the gun set to lay own a vertical pattern using about 38-40 PSI. I have up to about 90-100 PSI @ 15CFM available to me.

After painting, I'm planning on basically reassembling the car(lightly) and wait for it to harden up for 30 or so days. Then I'll wet sand it then polish it out. What's the preferred polishing compound these days? I have a dual action polisher as well as a 5" 8" (D/A) buffer and a single action polisher with a wool buffing pad.

I know much of this may have been covered, but I was hoping if there were recent developments or updated procedures that anyone might have available.

I won't clog up this thread with photos, so here is my photo bucket link to the painting project page:

http://s366.photobucket.com/albums/oo110/Ursan_780/780%20Project/780_Painting/

Thanks all.

It has been a while since I've mixed any paint up, but I think 10% is too thick, not enough thinner. I also sprayed one of my coats, and did not have terrible orange peel. I was using mineral spirits.

Thanks exit. I'll bring it up to 20% and try a small area and see what happens.

Ursan: You need to play with your gun until you get the least- orange peel possible. Thinning about 10% sounds right as long as it comes out of the gun pretty well.
It is a good idea to sand your primer using a hard block and sand it until it is FLAT with no texture to it. A final sanding with 400 grit is great to ensure there are no scratches showing up in your color coat.
As for buffing a single-action buffer with a wool pad (I'm kindof assuming that single action is the same as a rotary) and some coarse compound (in the real auto-paint world we use Meguiars M105 or the consumer grade product- ultimate compound) after a good wetsanding with 1500 and then 2000 grit sandpaper works very well. You'll get even better shine if you follow this with a DA polisher and some fine polishing compound (such as Meguiars m205 or scratch-x) and a softer pad. This will remove any swirl marks from your rotary. A final coat of wax and you're all set.

Since you have all this equipment, it is kindof a bummer you didn't simply spray catalyzed automotive urethane. It would have cost you about the same (~300 dollars for primer and color coat with all the activators and reducers) and probably lasted you much longer. Well anyway, good luck with the rest of your paintjob.

Joeshmo, I got the gun dialed in thank you.

My steps were to prime those areas that were bare metal. The car originally had 4 (four) layers of primer plus the base. It wasn't clear coated from the factory so in accordance from Interlux, I shot directly onto the cars original paint which I had gone over with a scotch pad and or 320 grit paper. Where I had the primer I also sanded..

The procedure was:
scuff original paint and primer (using a block)
(Friday)apply paint
allow to dry 12-18 hours
(Saturday)wet sand 800 grit
second coat
allow to dry
(Sunday) wet sand 800 grit
third coat
allow to dry (again, 12-18 hours)
(Monday)wet sand 1200 grit
fourth coat. Leave alone for 48 hours in nice warm garage.

I'll wait a few weeks to wet sand 2000-2500 and give it a final buffing.

The main reason I didn't do the catalyzed paint is my concern over painting directly over the existing paint and using special primers. The gallon of interlux, solvent and 2 cans of primer came to less than a single gallon of the catalyzed paint not including what ever specific hardeners and primers it might have required, at least according to the pricing over at The Eastwood Company . Plus I don't have access to a respirator or anything else like that.

At the moment I'm just starting to re-assemble the car. The trunk went back on last night. Just handling the paint it still feels like it's not quite set even though I did the final coat this past Monday (today is Thursday)

How long should I realistically wait before wet sanding and polishing?

The reason I ask is I can't replace the drip molding until the polishing is done and therefore I can't replace the rear quarter windows. Or if I do, I can't seal them into place as they need to be.

I can use the car for a short while with them just screwed into place, but I don't want to press my luck.

I just today shot four coats of medium-wet single stage automotive urethane on a section of my hood. The rustoleum is roughly a year old and has been sitting outside for a year. There were no adverse reactions between the urethane and the oil-enamel. I will post a comparison picture of the unbuffed urethane and the buffed rustoleum if anyone is interested but it is kindof a sad comparison. All I can say is that rustoleum black is not black at all but is more of a gray.

Started wet sanding and doing the polish tonight. Wet sanded with 1200 grit paper to flatten things out. Then I follow up with Meguiar's 105 and then finish off with Meguiar's 205

can i get a matte/satin finish using Rusto's Smoke Gray? do they have other satin paints besides white? i want to paint my car flat gray.

Holding up like a beast!!!!!!!
still haven't wetsanded/buffed. guess i'm too lazy.
These pictures do not do any justice to the paint, almost makes me not want to post them.
Scratchy Scratchy. No scratches in the paint though!

Been a while since I checked this out, you guys are doing a great job.

Painted the same way i painted my red 4x4

So, been a long time since i was on here....but i still keep getting emails on how the paint is holding up, ect....so here is a pic that was taken a few months ago so it's recent and shows the paint condition after 8 or so years....give or take. And this car gets DRIVEN!!! the paint still looks like the day i did it!!!

streetvanfan - thankyou so much for all the kind words
I'd also like to thank MOPARTS for tolerating this thread!!

But ya, i still have that case of clear in my basement, and a case of more orange paint!! i experimented with the clear coat stuff and it was really nice and when i thinned it just a bit, it went on like glass, basically no buffing....which kinda turns this into a base/clear process but i haven't painted anything large with it, i just tried it on a old VW engine lid. The results were very very nice. I could picture just laying down what would be the base, and wetsanding it with 800 or so until completely dull and perfectly smooth, and just hit it with the clear...it would make it very easy!!!

But the brightside option looks very nice...i would like to try that one day to compare. I never thought about that stuff, but i have used it on a boat before a long time ago, not sure if it was brightside or not, but i remember the results were very amazing, smooth and very shiny.

Charger, just wanted to tell you that I have read every page of this 5+ year thread. You are a pioneer and trendsetter. I can't believe your bug looks that great after all these years. It literally looks identical to the pictures you posted in 2006. Beautiful work my man, and that Charger? All it's missing is a black 01 on the side of the doors and flag on the roof (as was stated 5 years ago. haha)
Anyways, amazing jobs you did. I have started work on my 1983 CJ7. I practiced on my doors, and although not perfect because I had to work outside, and the last 2 coats were put on while it was WINDY, and they got dust and a few tiny bits blown onto it, it still looks fantastic.
I hung the doors today even though I haven't wet-sanded and put on another coat if it needs because of the wind blown contaminants, but because it is so cold today and I needed to use Jeep to pick up kids from school, I just couldn't keep them off any longer. lol. Picture does show some stuff sticking to door, but I can wipe those off as it's just random leaves and such that is currently blowing on everyone's cars. Anyways, here is picture of it on my jeep I just took this afternoon. Makes the rest of my Jeep look like crap. haha. I owe it to you my friend. Maaco said minimum of $2500 to paint my jeep without the top. I am only in this Jeep for $120, and that includes a gallon of black (I know, hardest color cause shows everything), bondo, tape, rollers, trays, tack cloth, mineral spirits, grinders, sandpaper, other tools, etc... You saved me a ton. If you're ever in Denver, I'll buy you a beer!
http://imageshack.us/f/855/20111007114158.jpg/

Two coats Brightside seattle gray sprayed with an hvlp gun, sanded down to 2000 grit wet, cut with 3M compound and hand polished with Klasse 3 in 1 polish. I'm sure I'll find some areas that need to be blocked and re-cut/ polished when I get it into better light, but I'm very happy with the results.

here's another