Bob Riding Posted January 9 Report Posted January 9 I'm taking apart the dash gauge and radio section of the '51 Suburban, and have been thinking about dash colors and paint. The gauge cluster housing and radio section are made of some kind of pot metal (no rust) and seems like was it painted without primer - a single stage blue, which peels and comes off easily. (possibly a Korean War measure to save material?) The dash itself is obviously stamped steel, which I'm familiar with, but how do you deal with the pot metal? Dr Google doesn't have a definitive answer- some advice is to wash it with degreaser and scuff it up with Scotchbrite. Others swear by products like Krud Kutter which supposedly degreases and etches the metal so as to provide more "bite" for the paint? It's confusing! Quote
kencombs Posted January 9 Report Posted January 9 It looks like a perfect place for paint remover to me. Strip it bare then scuff with red scotch pads. I'm a big believer in epoxy under everything. It sticks to everything and everything sticks to it. One caution though, be careful in your choice of stripper or 'etch' materials as some are not good on white metals, aluminum, zinc etc. Like lye, one of my favorite strippers will eat that up. A strong solvent may remove the paint, try a little xylol or plain laquer thinner. Quote
Bob Riding Posted January 9 Author Report Posted January 9 I started with a supposedly environmentally friendly paint remover Smart Strip, which worked pretty well considering the cold temps in the shop overnight, and it also smells really good. Good to know about epoxy sticking to anything- what about a primer? Quote
Sam Buchanan Posted January 9 Report Posted January 9 52 minutes ago, Bob Riding said: I started with a supposedly environmentally friendly paint remover Smart Strip, which worked pretty well considering the cold temps in the shop overnight, and it also smells really good. Good to know about epoxy sticking to anything- what about a primer? Epoxy primer. 1 Quote
kencombs Posted January 9 Report Posted January 9 5 hours ago, Bob Riding said: I started with a supposedly environmentally friendly paint remover Smart Strip, which worked pretty well considering the cold temps in the shop overnight, and it also smells really good. Good to know about epoxy sticking to anything- what about a primer? If you apply enough of the the epoxy primer no further primer will be needed. It will need a long cure time to sand well though. However if you have some places that need smoothing further some 2k urethane is the best available today. 1 Quote
Bob Ritter Posted January 12 Report Posted January 12 The way I would handle that project, I would drop those parts off at the sand blaster even the pot metal parts, the metal is a little softer but it sands and holds paint just like regular metal. Next if I was going to paint the dash the same kind of blue, I would add a little black to the blue for the insert panels so that they were a little darker. I always use epoxy primer because it fills with a couple of coats and seals at the same time. 1 Quote
Sniper Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 6 hours ago, Bingster said: Which epoxy primer? When it comes to painting with automotive paint it's probably best to stick with one brand so that there are no compatibility issues. Your local paint supplier is probably the best source for that information. It might cost more than a couple of rattle cans from Autozone, but it'll be a do it once and be done with it deal. One suggestion, don't use gloss paint on interior parts. 1 Quote
Sam Buchanan Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 (edited) 36 minutes ago, Sniper said: When it comes to painting with automotive paint it's probably best to stick with one brand so that there are no compatibility issues. Your local paint supplier is probably the best source for that information. It might cost more than a couple of rattle cans from Autozone, but it'll be a do it once and be done with it deal. Also get familiar with the data sheet for the epoxy primer. Most have strict mixing requirements and need to have top coat applied within a limited window of time so it will crosslink with the topcoat. That is why we need to use a complete system so all components are compatible and can offer advertised durability. I used some "cheaper" poly enamel (Eastwood, etc) for a job this summer and it definitely doesn't offer the same finish quality as the PPG Concept I have used for several projects over the past two decades. But the PPG product's prices have gone from very high to breathtaking! Multiple hundreds of dollars for a gallon......... Edited January 13 by Sam Buchanan 1 Quote
Sniper Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 (edited) Summitt Racing's house brand has decent reviews and isn't horribly priced. Edited January 13 by Sniper Quote
Sam Buchanan Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 (edited) 2 hours ago, Sniper said: Summitt Racing's house brand has decent reviews and isn't horribly priced. I think Nason makes nearly all these "inexpensive" paints such as Summit, Eastwood, etc. It was ok but didn't flow out like the high-$$$$ paint. The Restoration Shop paint I used was a little under $100 for a quart kit. These paints come premixed with reducer so you don't know how "hot" is the reducer. I think the reducer in my paint may have been a little too fast for my spraying conditions. These kits just don't give an experienced painter the same control as real automotive paint. Edited January 13 by Sam Buchanan Quote
Bob Riding Posted January 13 Author Report Posted January 13 A few years ago, my brother-in-law, who restored old cars in his spare time, was able to get paint from New Jersey much cheaper than what we would pay for here in California. Are there regional differences outside of California or are we uniform with paint requirements nationwide? Quote
Sniper Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 39 minutes ago, Sam Buchanan said: I think Nason makes nearly all these "inexpensive" paints such as Summit, Eastwood, etc. It was ok but didn't flow out like the high-$$$$ paint. The Restoration Shop paint I used was a little under $100 for a quart kit. These paints come premixed with reducer so you don't know how "hot" is the reducer. I think the reducer in my paint may have been a little too fast for my spraying conditions. These kits just don't give an experienced painter the same control as real automotive paint. It's not a kit and it is not premixed. https://www.summitracing.com/search/department/paints-finishing/section/paints-coatings-dyes-markers/part-type/paint?N=brand%3Asummit-racing Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 little online digging shows this comment..... Summit-Racing and Eastwood-Company paints are relabeled Finish-1 products. They even share the same color names. Finish-1 paints are manufactured and sold by Sherwin-Williams. Quote
Sam Buchanan Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 (edited) That's the same type system I used. Comes with gloss hardener that mixes 1 to 4 and the paint already has the reducer in it. Automotive paints allow you to customize the reducer. Edited January 13 by Sam Buchanan Quote
Sam Buchanan Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 (edited) 1 hour ago, Bob Riding said: A few years ago, my brother-in-law, who restored old cars in his spare time, was able to get paint from New Jersey much cheaper than what we would pay for here in California. Are there regional differences outside of California or are we uniform with paint requirements nationwide? The automotive urethane finishes (they are more than just paint....) are now stupid expensive everywhere! I think everyone has pretty much adopted CA's VOC requirements. Edited January 13 by Sam Buchanan Quote
Sam Buchanan Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 (edited) 1 hour ago, Sniper said: It's not a kit and it is not premixed. https://www.summitracing.com/search/department/paints-finishing/section/paints-coatings-dyes-markers/part-type/paint?N=brand%3Asummit-racing From the listing: They mix at a 4:1 ratio, so when a gallon of paint is mixed with our activator (sold separately), you get a full 5 qts. of usable paint. Activator is also referred to as gloss hardener. But the reducer is already in the paint and you don't know whether it is slow, medium or fast reducer and the best temp for application. Edited January 13 by Sam Buchanan Quote
DJ194950 Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 Summit Racing sells at least three Different activators for the paints. One is for 80 degrees +, a second for 70-80 degrees and one for less than 70. So, what is it that you would lack besides the ESP to know ahead of time the temp. you will have at the time when you decide to do your painting. I usually bought 2 temperature activators to use depending on the temp that day and mix it if needed to get where I liked the flow out and set up time for the sprayed paint.. Do tests on cardboard first to see the spray before starting the actual parts painting. My 2 c. DJ Quote
gwaggonercpa Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 Link is to the product data sheet showing different temp dependent activators and reducers available. https://static.summitracing.com/global/images/instructions/sum-up300g_lw.pdf Quote
Sniper Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 1 hour ago, Sam Buchanan said: From the listing: They mix at a 4:1 ratio, so when a gallon of paint is mixed with our activator (sold separately), you get a full 5 qts. of usable paint. Activator is also referred to as gloss hardener. But the reducer is already in the paint and you don't know whether it is slow, medium or fast reducer and the best temp for application. Did you read the product data sheet? That is all covered there. sum-up300g_lw.pdf Quote
Sam Buchanan Posted January 13 Report Posted January 13 We may be comparing apples to oranges. The paint I purchased had the reducer already in the paint, it is advertised as "ready to spray, no reducer needed" after the gloss hardener is added. I am familiar with automotive paints and the various temp reducers, have used them on several automotive and aviation projects. No, I didn't read the data sheet on Summit's paint, I assumed it was similar to the system I used since the pricing is similar.....wrong assumption apparently. Quote
Bob Ritter Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 11 hours ago, Sniper said: When it comes to painting with automotive paint it's probably best to stick with one brand so that there are no compatibility issues. Your local paint supplier is probably the best source for that information. It might cost more than a couple of rattle cans from Autozone, but it'll be a do it once and be done with it deal. One suggestion, don't use gloss paint on interior parts. I agree aerosol spray can be cheaper and not as much clean up. I think the question you want to ask yourself is do I want a mediocre job or something super nice. I use Kirker primers and clears, but any major band will work good, and I agree that you should use the same product from start to finish. In closing let me say it is the preparation that makes the paint job. Quote
Bob Ritter Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 6 hours ago, Sam Buchanan said: The automotive urethane finishes (they are more than just paint....) are now stupid expensive everywhere! I think everyone has pretty much adopted CA's VOC requirements. I agree California paint costs are high, I purchase my paint material from Auto Body Tool Mart and the brand they sell is Kirker (800/382/1200) I order by mail and the shipping is about what the California tax would be. Be sure to get one of their catalogs... 1 Quote
Bob Ritter Posted January 14 Report Posted January 14 19 hours ago, Bingster said: Which epoxy primer? Any of the major brands will work... Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.