Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

[Fred Y.]

I've seen & heard many posts regarding the amount of time one should wait before hitting the car with some 2000 wet sand & then a polish compound on Lacquer--------I know St Louis did it the same day ( in 5-min or less--lol) , but I shot mine this AM & I obviously don't have a 200 deg oven to push it through. Any consensus among more experienced members out there who have used lacquer ? I have it sitting in my shop @ 75 deg now. I don't think I want to ask about the stinger yet----at least not today.

Thanks to all ----Fred

[Dick W.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Lacquer probably 30 days to be safe. Modern two stage catalyzed paints, next day

[Fred Y.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Fair enough Dick. The wait is going to be tough-------HOPEFULLY worth it. I think I may drop the body back on while I wait. I'll just cover everything.

[Edward B.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Overhaulin doesn't wait, but they claim to do everything in seven days.

[Dick W.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Overhaulin doesn't wait, but they claim to do everything in seven days.

I have started cutting the next day using a DA sander on modern catalyzed paint. No sweat. I waited 30 days after the first car we painted in Deltron. Every tried sanding concrete?

[Fred Y.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Well It seems as though the concensus us to wait a silid 3 weeks. I'd say with the colder weather were experiencing in the NE probably doesn't help for a faster cure time.
I'd say a little patience now will hopefully pay dividends in the end.

[Bill S.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

With lacquer you want it completely dry so it shrinks. Back in the day sure you could wet sand and buff the lacquer the next day and it would look great but 30 days later after it finished drying you could see sanding scratches that showed up as the paint shrank during further drying. As the solvents out gas the paint shrinks and will show all the imperfections and sanding scratches once that happens you can wet sand and buff.

[Fred Y.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Thanks Bill.
I'm glad to have this knowledge base to back me up. 30 days it is. I may as well let it off gas & shrink & then give it a 2000 grit wet sand & then polish.

The only task I've been considering is dropping the body back on the frame before I sand it out.
I can easily cover all my chassis work up while I wait and I like the idea of getting the body off of the cradle and back in place on the chassis so that can settle back in while I wait.

[Richard G.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Just so you know;
"obviously don't have a 200 deg oven to push it through"
GM did this to re-flow the pain on the steel cars but not to the Corvette. Fiberglass wouldn't take the heat, or GM didn't think so.
So they were buffed by hand.

[Fred Y.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Well I know that the corvettes did Indeed go through an oven after painting, (somewhere in the 150 neighborhood) this certainly baked the paint & sped up the out gas process. This is why I need to sit tight and wait a month.
Worth the wait !

[Fred Y.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Well I know that the corvettes did Indeed go through an oven after painting, (somewhere in the 150 neighborhood) this certainly baked the paint & sped up the out gas process. This is why I need to sit tight and wait a month.
Worth the wait !

Thought I'd show a pic a couple hours after completion yesterday. I had a bright Sun at my back & was just using my cell camera so It's not a super picture. The very very fine metallic used in the marina blue gives it just that slight silver hue. And this is yet to be polished. I think we nailed the color on the nose. Metallics ,for sure are much more tricky. The inside of the fin area thankfully laid down perfectly flat with only the slightest amount of orangepeel. I can see why they spent less time at that DOI point to polish, but we also know it was to get the cars off the line ASAP. Hope ya like it !

[Richard G.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Thanks for the information. learn something new every day.

[Michael F.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

FRED, I have to ask, how do you know they used an oven, were you there?

EDWARD, interesting about overhaul, of course never any follow up to see how paint jobs stand up

[Fred Y.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Michael, many threads on this. I'll let some of the much more experienced members expand on this. The cars went through a curing booth or oven (as it were) to let the paint both cure & settle down.
No, I was 5 at the time.

[David H.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

FRED, I have to ask, how do you know they used an oven, were you there? ...

Michael,

A couple of good resources. First, John Hinckley’s excellent presentation on Mid-Year Corvette Assembly. Second is link to a very interesting book, Peter Licastro’s “ Birthplace of Legends” Story of Corvette Production at St Louis. BTW John Hinckley’s article indicates oven temperature as 280 F.

Dave

http://www.michiganncrs.org/resources/CorvetteAssyProcess.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/Birthplace-Le.../dp/0963055585