Paint?..

[bwiggs2]

I have a 150cc mini buggy. I am going to paint it and started wiring wheeling it but it is taking forever, I have like a fourth of it done. Can I just sand it and prime it or will the part that is wire wheeled look bad. What would you do.
Thanks blake

[x-bird]

get some 400-500 grit wet/dry 3m or norton automotive sandpaper, blend off the transition from the wirewheeling to the existing paint. Then just lightly wet sand the remaining paint until it's lost it's gloss. Rinse, dry, wipe with some acrylic grease remover/prepsol then spray away---i'm assuming you're using spray cans?

[bwiggs2]

So like sandblasting? I was going to use a paint gun

[x-bird]

Originally Posted by bwiggs2

So like sandblasting? I was going to use a paint gun

I'd stay away from worrying about sandblasting, just hand sand it, you'll likely only need 2-3 sheets of paper at most to do the whole thing--2-4 hours sand and prep time if it's already dismantled (seat, engine, rims) Just scuff it until the gloss is off. If you want to go all the way to bare metal, get a couple 3m paint& rust stripping wheels, (any hardware or home depot, lowes etc) they cut through it quickly and won't cut into the metal like grinding discs would.


The original paint itself is most likely some form of acrylic enamel, cheap single stage fast drying.

If you have a gun and compressor etc, go for it, you can get rustoleum and thin it out enough to spray. Otherwise rattle can isn't all that bad for a project like a buggy--I have plenty of painting equipment from my bodyshop days and even if i did a full strip of mine, I'd still rattle can it unless it's a custom color.

[bwiggs2]

But if I hand sand It will the part that is wire wheeled blend o
In or stick out? The engine is still
On it, just planned on covering it up

[x-bird]

when you get to the wire wheeled area, just sand it down so that any wire gouges etc smooth out completely. If you have to, lay an extra coat or two of primer on that area and re-sand it before the final spray. You'll be able to see if any the gouges are showing.

[bwiggs2]

So what do I look for when I go to the store?

[jetasen74]

sand,paper 180 for pre primer and blending, and 400 to 500 like x said, primer (self sealing)and if you are going to use rattle cans i would use an engine paint. if not get a single stage(some need acivator and some dont). good luck!

[x-bird]

Originally Posted by bwiggs2

So what do I look for when I go to the store?

?? paint or supplies?

3m and norton brands are both typically stocked in automotive and home supply/hardware stores. If you want to strip all the paint off, the paint and rust stripping wheel is a flat, 1/2 to 3/4 in thick black disc that looks like hard nylon fiber mesh pressed together. Sometimes they come with two discs pressed together. They also make them for angle grinders (I use both and love them for metal cleanup--just don't use them on undercoating lol....) It's impregnated with abrasives and cuts through paint very fast and leaves a paintable finish cut on the metal that won't need additional sanding. It comes with it's own mandrel installed in it, so it's a stick in the drill and go deal. If you use this, one main piece of advice; make sure the direction of rotation of the wheel is always going "off" any edges, holes or protrusions. If you spin "into" edges etc. it will chew the disc up in no time.

Otherwise a pack (4 to 6 8x11 sheets) of 400 or 500 grit of wet/dry sandpaper, charcoal grey in color. a pint of a fast evaporating mild solvent grease remover will do for the final clean prior to paint.

BTW, my yerf only gets primer if i'm out of crustoleum sunrise red. ))))

[bwiggs2]

What's the grease removal for again? I am really lost lol

[x-bird]

thought i posted a reply last night??? the "grease removal" is a light solvent used to clean bare and painted metal just prior to paint. It'll remove any dirt, contaminants and oils so there are no fish eye, lifting or other adhesion problems. If you do a light soapy water wash followed by a good rinse and dry, you can skip using the remover, but you then have to be very careful that the frame is completely dry--any water coming from around joints etc would screw up the paint-- as would fingerprints. automotive multi-part paint like you'll use with a gun is more susceptible to having issues with poor or dirty prep work than is rattle can. If your experience with using a spray gun and that type of product is limited to none, you may want to make your life easier and stick with the canned variety. Hardest part will be getting decent coverage without runs on any large panels. Just remember smooth even passes from the proper distance and don't try and solidly cover everything on the first coat...

[bwiggs2]

So to get this straight I Need to go to the store and get 400 or 500 wet/dry sand paper?? Then I sand it and wash it to get all dirt off then prime it and then paint it???

[x-bird]

wash it, dry it, sand it, wash it, dry it, paint it

[bwiggs2]

will i have to take the engine off?

[x-bird]

It's your call. a paint job can be as easy or as hard workwise as you want to make it. Me, for the buggy, i wipe off the dirt with a dirty rag and blast it with a spray can. If i'm in a neatness mood, i may clean the piece with prepsol and hold a piece of cardboard behind the spray to keep the overspray off other parts .... sometimes i don't. If i wanted a pristine look and wasn't going to rip through brush dirt and mud with it, then I'd disassemble and paint it like a car. then i'd never drive it hard either lol .... If you want pristine, new looking, you can carefully cover your engine or remove it. A paint job is only as good as the preparation work.

[bwiggs2]

I wish I could have someone do it lol