CarTech,® Inc.
39966 Grand Avenue
North Branch, MN 55056
Phone: (651) 277-1200 or (800) 551-4754
Fax: (651) 277-1203
Copyright © 2006 by Pat Ganahl
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission from the Publisher. All text, photographs, and artwork are the property of the Author unless otherwise noted or credited.
The information in this work is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. However, all information is presented without any guarantee on the part of the Author or Publisher, who also disclaim any liability incurred in connection with the use of the information and any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Readers are responsible for taking suitable and appropriate safety measures when performing any of the operations or activities described in this work.
All trademarks, trade names, model names and numbers, and other product designations referred to herein are the property of their respective owners and are used solely for identification purposes. This work is a publication of CarTech, Inc., and has not been licensed, approved, sponsored, or endorsed by any other person or entity. The publisher is not associated with any product, service, or vendor mentioned in this book, and does not endorse the products or services of any vendor mentioned in this book.
Edited by: Kris Palmer and Josh Brown
ISBN 978-1-61325-254-3
Item No. SA356
Written, edited, and designed in the U.S.A.
15 14 13 12 11 10
Cover:
This prize-winning Corvette gets a complete paint job in Chapter 9.
Title Page:
This 1953 Chevy was painted by author Pat Ganahl. He did most of the work himself, including the three-stage pearl paint with clear.
Back Cover Photos:
Top Left:
Although John has the luxury of a spray booth, we assume you’ve cleaned and sealed your garage as much as possible already (see Chapter 4), and turned on your exhaust fan. Right before you start spraying, it’s best to open a fresh tack rag and use it, with your blow gun, to remove any remaining lint, dust, or dirt specs from the surface.
Top Right:
Keeping your guns clean is paramount to proper spraying as well as long life. Especially important is keeping the inside of the nozzle area free of any dried paint.
Middle Left:
In this case using a medium-size pliable plastic spreader, I apply the mixed filler quickly, but smoothly and evenly, to the dented area. One tip: when “spreading” filler, don’t just wipe it onto the surface, actually press it onto the metal to make sure it adheres.
Middle Right:
The simplest and easiest color to repaint any car is its original color. Even for decades-old cars, the original color(s) should be listed as a “color code” on an I.D. tag somewhere on the body, such as this one in a doorjamb.
Bottom Left:
Most typical at-home paint projects look like this when they’re sanded, masked, and finally ready to spray. However, note that the trim, lights, handles, etc., are off, body openings are masked from the inside, chassis parts (i.e, exhaust pipes) are covered, as are wheels/tires, and the doors are ajar because interior openings are masked and the doorjambs will be painted along with the rest of the car.
Bottom Right:
When spraying, keep the gun the same distance from the surface at all times. The old rule was a hand’s-width (6 to 8 inches) away, but painters using HVLP guns tend to hold it closer, which makes sense because the pressure is lower. In any case, holding the gun too close causes runs; holding it too far away causes orange peel or, worse, a rough, “pebbly” surface. Too much or too little air pressure and fluid flow produces the same problems.
OVERSEAS DISTRIBUTION BY:
PGUK
63 Hatton Garden
London EC1N 8LE, England
Phone: 020 7061 1980 • Fax:
020 7242 3725
Renniks Publications Ltd.
3/37-39 Green Street
Banksmeadow, NSW 2109, Australia
Phone: 2 9695 7055 • Fax: 2 9695 7355
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 To Paint or Not to Paint
Chapter 2 To Strip or Not to Strip
Chapter 3 Bodywork 101
Chapter 4 Equipment For Home Painting
Chapter 5 Today’s Paint Products
Chapter 6 Prep, Sand, and Mask
Chapter 7 One-Day Wonder
Chapter 8 Scuff and Squirt
Chapter 9 The Full Job
Chapter 10 Going Further
Chapter 11 Color Sand and Rub Out
I’ve been planning and thinking about this book for quite a while. That’s why my ’52 Chevy has been driving around in spotted-in factory original paint with some chrome strips missing for so long.
But finally sitting down to write this has given me pause. The one thing I have never really considered is: Where did I learn to paint cars?
There weren’t any books like this around at the time. The closest thing to it were George Barris’s little “Spotlite Books” and his frequent articles in the various car magazines showing how to make a scoop, French an aerial, roll a pan, and so on. I read and absorbed