Painting in winter

[Tim S.]

NEED ADVICE: I'm about to send my 61 body for painting, and have decided to go with base/clearcoat. In looking over my notes, I find that the different shops have given me wildly inconsistent reports about curing times for the gel, prime, base and clear coats. Depending on which report I accept, the time for the full job ranges between one week and three months.

I'm not concerned with the length of time per se and want a quality job, but the substantial differences in these estimates make me think either that the shops are using different materials or techniques or that they may not know what they're talking about.

Can anyone shed any light on this before I make a painful and expensive mistake?

Thanks,
Tim

[Joe R.]

Re: Painting in winter

Tim,

The shops use different suppliers for their paints, thinners and clear coats so the time is affected somewhat. Not by weeks or months.

Some shops DON'T know what they are talking about!

The best information you can find is from past customers of the shops you are interested in. Ask the shops for a list of their satisfied customers and take a look at the cars and interview the owners.

Then you can make an informed decision.

JR

[Bruce B.]

Re: Painting in winter

Joe is right, check with past customers.

Also remember, different coatings (sealer, primer, color, clear) require different cure times at different temperatures.
Also consider that many coatings MUST be followed by the next coat within a specified time period. As an example, If you color and don't clear within 24 hours the painter might have to scuff and color again depending on the paint he is using.

[Joel T.]

Re: Painting in winter

NEED ADVICE: I'm about to send my 61 body for painting, and have decided to go with base/clearcoat. In looking over my notes, I find that the different shops have given me wildly inconsistent reports about curing times for the gel, prime, base and clear coats. Depending on which report I accept, the time for the full job ranges between one week and three months.

I'm not concerned with the length of time per se and want a quality job, but the substantial differences in these estimates make me think either that the shops are using different materials or techniques or that they may not know what they're talking about.

Can anyone shed any light on this before I make a painful and expensive mistake?

Thanks,
Tim

Tim,

I had my 1965 completely repainted 2007-2008. They basically did the job which you are talking about; base coat/clear coat, primer and gel coats. My recollection is that we were talking about at least 10 coats overall with wet sanding in between. The job took months not weeks. There was also considerable assembly and disassembly of the car during the process so that panels were painted with their correct orientation; i.e. horizontal versus vertical...

If you are interested I can shoot you a PM with the name of the folks who did the job... I am sure that (as NCRS members) they would be happy to give you a more detailed picture of what is involved.

Good luck,

Joel

[Tim S.]

Re: Painting in winter

Thanks guys. Joel, I would be interested in talking to the guys who did your car if you want to send me a pm. Thanks.
Tim

[Jim H.]

Re: Painting in winter

You should let the gelcoat dry properly if you have to gelcoat. I know I was told allow it to sit for 6 months before painting over the gelcoat.

[Stuart F.]

Re: Painting in winter

Tim;

I noticed you titled your thread "Painting in the Winter". Does the season have any affect on the job? Shops less/more busy? or cold air exposure, concerns for relative humidity?

Can you ask the shops for references? (seems easier to find their former customers that way).

Stu Fox

[Tim S.]

Re: Painting in winter

Thanks Stu. The reason I used winter in the title was in regards to temperature, humidity, etc. I guess it doesn't matter as long as the painting and curing is done in a temperature/humidity controlled environment. Tim

[Stewart L.]

Re: Painting in winter

I would recommend finding a shop with a spray booth that has a enclosed air make up unit that will control the air tempature during painting and a bake cycle to bake the materials, gel coat, primer, and paint after each individual application. If you don't, no matter how long they sit, the first 90 or 100 degree day that the car sits outside on a blacktop parking lot, the materials will start to shrink back then. I have been told by paint company chemists that Base/clear materials are designed to be baked on at about 140 degrees. Different materials have different temps, so ck with the manufacturer. I have also seen clears that are not baked on that stay soft and create problems during polishing. The time frame in the shop can be affected by the amount of body work and prep that needs to be done. A body person can spend a lot of time prepping and blocking. The actual painting does not take that long.
Stewart