Paint and Prime for HH SS250

[jp80]

I am getting pretty close to priming and painting my Hammerhead and was wondering if you guys could give me some suggestions on type of primer or good prepping methods. The frame had some rust on it due to the kart sitting for a while so I am concerned about the stuff not getting treated right. Please let me know what you guys have experimented with. THanks in advance.

[x-bird]

If you have an air compressor and your own spray guns, lowest cost DIY method is to get some Rustoleum rusty metal primer and mineral spirits (not thinner or acetone) to thin it with. Tubing eats up massive quantities of paint. one quart will do your whole buggy for about $20 including the spirits. If you go rattle can, you'll spend close to 40-50 bucks just priming it with two light coats. Likewise color coat, rustoleum in the can with mineral spirits, unless you use the hammertone finish, which needs xylol to thin it. Total price should come in around $50-75 once you add in some strainers, air line filters, and mixing pails. Rattle can will cost you over $100 just for the paint by the time your done.

Powdercoating is more durable, expect to pay between $250 and 500 for a whole buggy, and the low end is for one that's perfectly stripped and doesn't need blasted.

Automotive paint job will cost as much as you paid for the buggy, even if you DIY it.

If you have a lot of clean stripped tubing and only a little that had rust, use rustoleum's clean metal primer (white) and buy a rattle can of the rusty metal primer to hit the pitted areas with.

I prefer to strip everything off. No worries about adhesion, paint reaction issues etc.

As far as prep goes, i found a flat 5 inch velcro-backed disc in my drill with 80 to 120 paper. Strips tubing to bare metal in no time flat. around the welds and in corners i use a combo of 3m paint and rust stripping wheels (black nylon mesh with grit embedded) and an old 3-inch wire wheel that i got in an auto body jobber supply shop that the wires are set in a yellow, near urethane compound. I've used it for about 20 years on 5 car restos, 2 buggies and countless other projects. it doesn't shed the wires like other ones do. If you can find one, grab it! After a while of use, reverse the drill direction and it really tears deep into the weld layers, when it's not as effective, reverse it again.

Final prep, i've found isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol from the drugstore) to be a great and cost effective cleaner, one wet wipe cloth followed immediately by a clean dry cloth. no residuals and no fish-eyes etc. no nasty smells, sterilizes flesh wounds to boot!

[jp80]

thanks for the advice, I have a small compressor i think its like a 3-5 gallon. So the spray gun option is probably out of the question. One of my friends told me to leave the old paint just to sand down the clear and that way i could use the old paint as a primer. How do you feel about that option? Also I am concerned about the undercarriage paint getting scrapped off by brush that I drive over. I saw some undercarriage paint at one of the Home Improvement stores that sounded pretty good. It kinda looks like the spray on bed liner material but its in a can. On paper it seems like a good option but I'm afraid it wouldnt stick to the new sheet metal I'm welding on.

[x-bird]

if you know someone with an old Sharpe, Binks or Devilbiss siphon feed gun, 20-30 psi is all they needs and you could get by with your compressor.

Yes, the scuff and shoot works as well just a matter of preference. I like to strip it all down.

For scuff method, either 400-500 grit wet paper or a red scotchbrite pad.

Make sure the spray on bedliner type of material doesn't require it's own gun. some of them need a type we used to call the rocker-schutz gun, which is a simple siphon pot spray gun with big nozzle for spraying on the chip resistant rippled finish you see on car rocker panels.

[jp80]

I think my air comp might have enough juice to work with this gun. What do you think?

http://www.harborfreight.com/adjusta...gun-92126.html

Also the undercarriage spray comes in a can

[T3beatz]

When I painted my buggy I just rattle canned it... it turned out pretty good, but It's not super durable... I find myself touching up a few spots from time to time, where branches or rocks nick the paint. I'd rather do that then come out of 300 bucks for some auto paint and have to do the same thing from trail riding.
It's my first buggy and I want it to look presentable, I know it's not gonna win any awards.

[metalstudman1]

Paint of any flavor doesn't like a shiney surface for bonding.
I don't know that I'd want that undercoating on the bottom of my buggy!!! The smoother the pan is the easier it skims across stuff. Clear coat over your paint job is well worth the price per can in my world. Mud just falls off when sprayed, the buggy does dull out pretty quick from limbs scraps but the paint seems to stay intact longer, if I were anal about the shiney paint job! another quick spray of clear would bring it back to life. If you're patient & can read/follow instructions and want a HARD paint fiinsh get a sampler kit of the POR15.

[x-bird]

you'd be better off with the 20 oz one listed on the right. 4 oz cup is going to need filled a lot of times per coat on a buggy. I like hi-pressure guns because i'm a dinosaur ( i like using partial trigger pressure to use the higher pressure air flow to blow any dust etc off prior to letting the paint flow. I'm amazed the EPA hasn't wiped high pressure guns off the face of the earth yet.

Like metal says, if it's just rubberized automotive undercoating in a can, no dice, won't last. if its the more durable bedliner type, it'll last a little longer. I've stuck with just paint though. I also do the same with clearcoat on mine, just make sure it's enamel on enamel and not lacquer on enamel. you can put enamel over laquer with no issues, but go the other way and the paint lifts within 5-10 seconds of application.

POR 15 is like metal says--got to follow the instructions to a "T' and do NOT spray it unless you have a full fresh-air respirator rig. It's not bad with a brush paint job, did my entire Firebird interior and underside with it with a brush. It's also pretty spendy too, but with Por-15 base, their latest version of the tie-coat primer and then a top color, it's as good as powdercoat--maybe even better in some ways.

[jp80]

thanks for the info never heard of POR15 but from their website seems like good stuff.