We've said it before and we'll say it again: Paint is like the final frontier for a lot of enthusiasts. They know it's there; they know how it got there; but they're not sure exactly what is there and why. When cars first came out over a 100 years ago, they were so unique that the color of the paint was least important--you could get any color Ford Model T you wanted as long as it was black. Paint was applied to car bodies for the sole purpose of rust and corrosion prevention. If it wasn't for oxidation, automobile paint may have never been developed into what it is today.
Once driving a faded, oxidized Volkswagen has taken its toll on your patience and you've decided to break down and get the car painted, there are several roads to go down at this point. If money is no object to you, have it professionally painted. End of point. Drive the tattered car in, wait a few weeks or a couple of months and drive the spotless car home. However, like 99 percent of us, money is most certainly an object--a very big object.
With that in mind, as you remember, our Super Beetle Project car has made itself quite at home in the capable hands of the talent at Deuce Kustoms in Placentia, Calif. Although they're better known in the Hot Rod and classic truck community for turning out ground-hugging-hydraulic leadsleds, they've been known to change the color of a Volkswagen from time to time. In fact, while you're there, check out Owner Jason Johnson's daily driver Beetle as an example of their work...and don't forget about Clyde Berg's latest drag racer, complete with a fresh coat of graphics from Deuce Kustoms.
New paint can be applied over old paint if the existing finish is sanded to a point where all oxidized paint material is removed and the surface is left flat, even and smooth. If bodywork is needed, the paint has to be striped to bare metal so filler material will bond completely. Of course, each car is different. Some have been painted so many times that the buildup of layers is too thick to support another finish. For this car, since it has it original paintjob, we decided that we would do a combination of sanding down some trouble areas but retaining the main body surface for the new coat. In other areas, for example, the hood and fenders, we've decided to acid dip them to bare metal.
For small dings and dents, body filler is applied to the area. The top layers are sanded with an 80 to 150-grit paper to smooth and flatten rough spots. Then 240 grit is used for additional smoothing. Use a block sander to keep the sanding uniform and consistent; vary your direction and let the sand paper do the work. Every few moments, feel the surface to see your progress. Once the surface is free of ridges, use 320 grit to remove sand scratches and shallow imperfections. The 320 should be used to form a ring around the filler area, so you'll form a layered "valley" of filler, primer and paint. This is called "feathering."
However you look at it, sanding is just as an important step as any other in the process, as every blemish will magnify if it isn't taken care of at this stage. If you don't scuff up the old surface before applying the new, more than likely the paint will begin to flake off, as it doesn't have a proper absorbent base to adhere to. Use 500 to 600 grit paper to scuff shiny paint finishes, because the overall purpose is to dull the finish so new layers of paint have something to grab onto. Sand in all directions and cover all surfaces to be painted, in our case, the whole car.
At this point, the car and its parts need to be cleaned with a grease and wax remover. Every surface needs to be thoroughly cleaned. Once you get the car into the paint booth, this step should be done again (as well as the use of a tack cloth). Go over every inch that is to be painted--we can't stress this enough.
Masking is essentially a straight forward application of material that will block off the paint spray so it doesn't get to certain areas you don't want it to go. It would be easy to say, "mask off everything you don't want painted," but when doing the whole car, it is more involved than that. Consider the wheels, tires, the pan, the interior tunnel and floorboards, battery area, etc. Use masking paper that is specifically designed for painting, and whatever you do, don't use newspaper, as it is porous and paint will soak through. Don't' forget to mask off the back of the dash, because we don't want any paint inside the trunk area. Let's prime the surface.
Epoxy primers and sealers do not have to be sanded, unless runs or imperfections show up on the surface. Then a fine-grit paper can be used to fix the blemish. Use the minimum recommended pressure and fan spray to gently cover the to-be-painted surface. Feather them into adjacent areas by slowly releasing the paint gun trigger toward the end of each pass.
Next time, we'll take a closer look at Deuce Kustom's painting process and we'll finally see the results of a couple of months worth of effort. Until then, stay Super.