How Long Will 50 Dollar Paint Job Last

Durability Updates:

Iv months afterwards

8 months later

One year (amost) later

Eighteen months, impairment repair

Iii year update

The $fifty Paint Job

In that location is/was a widely read thread on the moparts forum nigh the "50 dollar pigment job" .
I figured since the Corvair is not in line to exist professionally painted, I'd give it a try.

Three quarts of Rustoleum gloss white. I thinned 50/fifty with mineral spirits. The can says to employ acetone, but the folks on the moparts forum had problems with the paint flashing as well fast using it as a thinning medium. Mineral spirits seemed to piece of work simply fine for me and, when thinned, the paint self-leveled to completely smooth afterwards a few minutes.

Thin is the central. Thin . Not thick. Like milk. And keep the roller pretty dry, don't load it up.
If your bubbles don't pop, it's too thick (or, y'all are pressing down way likewise hard on the roller). Un-thinned Rustoleum will take several months of hot dry weather condition to dry. You won't exist able to sand information technology until it's dry. A 50/50 mix dries completely in v-6 hours of warm atmospheric condition.

Below: the "BEFORE" shot.
For more on the Corvair's body prep, go to: The Corvair bodywork page.

The supplies:
A couple quarts of Rustoleum.

A bunch of high density foam rollers.

Some touch upward brushes.

I tested a few (2) coats on the hood, and information technology looks like it will piece of work well. four-5 more coats to go, and lots of sanding.

Polishing exam with just two coats. Everything says go for it. I rolled some white primer on starting time to make full scratches and stuff, but I didn't have any pictures. I sanded 90% of information technology off to get things smooth. The white primer saved me a few coats, also, as I had full coverage after five coats.

Four coats. It was warm the calendar week I painted, so I was able to lay down two coats a twenty-four hour period. I'd go up in the morning and wet sand the auto admittedly smooth, wash and dry it off completely, and and then scroll on a glaze. The coat would be dry by late afternoon and and then another coat would be rolled on. The first coat didn't embrace much, and looked like hell, four coats was starting to look good.

Four coats still has some spots that aren't completely covered.

I painted the car in the driveway, it would have been ameliorate to paint it in the garage, out of the current of air and away from blowing dust and bugs. The garage is full of stuff though, a burrow being recovered, eight or ten engines, one-half a dozen transmissions...
So there are some problems bits entombed in the paint. At starting time I was concerned near getting the bugs out, but it turns out they pretty much vanish during moisture sanding.

After 6 coats, wet sanded. I used 600 grit upward to this point, taking out any residual orangish peel bumps. 1500 grit on the terminal (7th) coat.

Six coats was very complete coverage, with plenty of pigment thickness to wet sand out whatsoever orangish pare. Shot of the hood, sanded polish. Other accept reported applying 7, 8, sometimes 10 coats before complete coverage.

I painted the cove the same colour as the yet to be painted stripe.

Yenko stripes went on after the seventh coat. If anyone is wondering, Yenko Stinger stripes are ane" inch stripe, 1" inch infinite, 6" stripe, 1" space, and i" stripe. The front end can either taper downwardly to a narrower principal stripe or stay a constant width down the forepart of the car. I picked the taper. The stripes were rattlecanned, no way the thinned rolled on paint wouldn't have bled under the masking tape.

To the right you can see some fresh bird poop.

Stripes from the front.

I let information technology sit down for a calendar week and so all the pigment could harden up, and then buffed the gloss back. It buffed right upwards to a very glossy shine. My cheapo polisher burned out virtually two minutes into the buff-out. Then, I started to buff by hand, but, later an hr or so, I came to my senses and went downwards and bought a existent buffer/polisher. It cost more than the entire paint project budget, but I can e'er utilize another tool. When using a spin polisher, I find information technology best to utilise masking record on all the ridges of the body to avert burning through the paint.

Very glossy.

The polisher throws polishing chemical compound all over the place.

I started putting the car back together after the polishing was done.

Afterwards everything, I can say I'm -very- sold on the method of application. No booth, no paint gun/equipment, very little masking, no overspray. I do have unresolved questions about the paint. Rustoleum is a fine household enamel, but I wonder at information technology's long term immovability. Several folks take reported eventual fading using Rustoleum colors. Nosotros'll run into what happens with the white. Adjacent fourth dimension I paint a motorcar with this method, I'm going to investigate a few higher quality paint options.
Corvair Corsa, mostly done, parked back on the street where information technology belongs. Rims rattle-canned to match the stripes, stock Corsa bicycle covers. I yet need to install the wheel well trim and "corsa" emblem that goes under the fuel door.
I can say, with confidence, the stripe is worth at least v-vii rwhp.

Everybody asks "How'due south it holding upward?" Links to paint durability updates below:

4 months afterwards

8 months later

One year (amost) later

Eighteen months, damage repair

3 yr update

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