Body/Trim: prep and spray advice

[radiomark]

Can anyone give me a step by step guide to preparing and spraying a body panel.
I bought my 240 se about 3 years ago for £100 with the bonnet completely without laquer.now the wing tops are starting to go as well.
Even if its not perfect it will look better than it does at the moment

[stevo48]

Are you planning on fully respraying the bonnet and wing tops from scratch or just re-lacquering them?
If spraying from scratch then there is a good chance you will not get a perfect colour match due to old against new paint.

Materials you will require, plenty of wet n dry sanding sheets of varying grades, car body filler and or knifing putty, base coat primer, filler primer, paint, lacquer and thinners. Several rolls of masking tape and boat loads of patience.

Start by masking off your windscreen as this will save cleaning overspray off later.
Using a fairly coarse wet n dry paper and lots of water start rubbing down the bonnet and wing tops until you get the surface as you want it ready for primer.
Make sure all surfaces are clean and dry then apply a thin coat of primer, allow to dry.
When primer is dry check for surface imperfections and fill as required then sand down again making sure you feather the edges to get a smooth finish.
Spray with primer again allow to dry and check for any further imperfections.
Once you are satisfied with primed surfaces, use a very fine grade wet n dry with water to flatten primer ready for paint, dry and make sure no dust residue is left on surfaces to be painted.
Apply first coat of paint sparingly,allow to dry,apply second coat and allow to dry,repeat this process until you have the desired finish.
Allow paint to harden for at least 24hours before applying lacquer, apply lacquer in thin coats allowing each coat to dry before applying the next.

If you take your time and work indoors or out of the wind you should get a really good finish.
Good luck.

[radiomark]

Thanks for that.
I'll be doing the full paint job.
It would be easier to get a second hand bonnet in blue but a scrap one will be hard to find and picking it up even harder as I dont think it will fit in the car,so the only other way will be to tie it to the roof.

[tc]

Originally Posted by stevo48

Are you planning on fully respraying the bonnet and wing tops from scratch or just re-lacquering them?
If spraying from scratch then there is a good chance you will not get a perfect colour match due to old against new paint.

Materials you will require, plenty of wet n dry sanding sheets of varying grades, car body filler and or knifing putty, base coat primer, filler primer, paint, lacquer and thinners. Several rolls of masking tape and boat loads of patience.

Start by masking off your windscreen as this will save cleaning overspray off later.
Using a fairly coarse wet n dry paper (320 grit) and lots of water start rubbing down the bonnet and wing tops until you get the surface as you want it ready for primer.
Make sure all surfaces are clean and dry then apply a thin coat of primer, allow to dry.
When primer is dry check for surface imperfections and fill as required then sand down again making sure you feather the edges to get a smooth finish.
Spray with primer again allow to dry and check for any further imperfections.
Once you are satisfied with primed surfaces, use a very fine grade (800 grit) with water to flatten primer ready for paint, dry and make sure no dust residue is left on surfaces to be painted (You could use a tac cloth to be sure).
Apply first coat of paint sparingly,leave for 5 mins,apply second coat and leave for a futher 5 mins,repeat this process until you have the desired finish.
Allow paint to go Tacky before applying laquer.

If you take your time and work indoors or out of the wind you should get a really good finish.
Good luck.

Hope you don't mind but I've altered what you said, don't allow the paint to dry in between each coat of paint otherwise the following one will not bond to it. Certainly DO NOT allow the paint to sit for 24hours before laquering, otherwise you will end up with exactly the same problem you currently have in about twelve months. When flatting down the primer before painting you can use 800 grit wet and dry used dry,the last thing you want before painting is water on the primer.

If your using Aerosols then don't leave the paint too long in between each coat as they will be only thin coats and will dry faster.

[stevo48]

Corrections gladly accepted and advice taken onboard.