Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

[Jack M.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

And this comes from GM documentation:

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Corvette Exterior Paint Process

PRIMARY SANDING - All body panels and bonded joints that received acrylic lacquer are dry sanded to prepare surfaces for painting. A filler material (called putty rub) is applied to the entire body to fill minor imperfections. PRIMER - Two coats of primer are applied (the first red and the second gray) and are oven baked for 60 minutes at 280 degrees F. WET SANDING - The body is wet sanded to provide a smooth surface for the sealers. Most of the gray primer coat is removed with the red primer acting as a depth signal for the sanding operation. The body is dried to remove all moisture. SEALER - One coat of sealer and one coat of color acrylic lacquer are applied and baked. DRY SANDING - The body is dry sanded to prepare surfaces for the final acrylic lacquer. LACQUERING - Three coats of acrylic lacquer are sprayed on the body to build up the required paint thickness. The paint is "rested" for eight minutes to permit it to partially set up and to remove excess volatile paint vehicle. INITIAL BAKING - The body is oven baked for 30 minutes at 140 degrees F to harden the paint which permits the subsequent operation. Small interior and exterior parts are painted to complete the body paint schedule. FINAL BAKING - To assure a durable, hard, high luster finish the lacquer is oven baked for 45 minutes at 250 degrees F. Reheating the lacquer permits the paint film to soften and allows surface blemishes and sanding scratches to disappear during the thermo-reflow process. FINAL SANDING AND POLISHING - The body is lightly oil sanded and polished to bring painted surfaces to a high luster finish

Chevrolet Engineering Center - September 1965

[Fred Y.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Decision to let it sit and cure-----done.
Thanks Jack.

[Mark E.]

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,

As another data point for you: Over my lifetime, I've painted about 10 cars in acrylic lacquer (as a hobby), and color sanded then buffed about 30 cars with this paint when working in a body shop over a couple of summers in the 1970s. My experience is what Bill shared above.

From your photo, it looks like you removed the body from the chassis? If so, maybe continue with restoration and assembly before working the paint.

[Fred Y.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Mark,
Thanks---I'll take everyone's knowledge & experience base for sure. We just got hit with ANOTHER 6" of snow this AM,so the wet ground outside makes transport to my back shop to sketchy. Yes Sir, I painted her off the chassis as original. My only thought was to take the painters polyethylene sheet & cover the chassis except for the body mount points & after wet sanding carefully remove it. This too would give the body some time to settle back in on its mounting platform.

Someone probably already mentioned it , but I'm assuming that the body's were sanded & buffed on the chassis anyways---Correct ??

[David H.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

... but I'm assuming that the body's were sanded & buffed on the chassis anyways---Correct ??

Frank

No, exterior completed before body drop.

Dave

[Fred Y.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Got it Dave,

They MUST HAVE had to make door shim & hood fit adjustments once it was on the chassis-----

I suppose having had the luxury (as it were) for the paint to bake out in the ovens made the wet sand & polish process a lot easier.

[Michael F.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

thanks all, I like to keep informed and educated. I should have know this since I had my first vette, a 67, in 1970 at age 20, ops showing my age lol, thanks again.

[Ron G.]

[Fred Y.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Ron,
Just double & triple checking; good conversation here-----------I want to do this ONCE !

I'll see you at the meet on the 29th

Fred

[Steve B.]

Re: Length of time before I wet sanding & buff

Fred, considering you are using modern lacquer paint my 2 cents is the longer you wait to wet sand and buff, the better off you will be.