Need Some Painting/Body Work Advice

This year I needed to change my numbers, background color, and repair a LOT of rock chips.

The last two years I've gone with a single stage paint, but, it seems to chip very easy, especially on the lower behind the front wheel. So, this year I wanted to try my hand at a two stage paint job, which I've read is a little harder finish. Is that true?

The major question is, do I have to completely sand all of the old paint off?

I've pretty much got the lower and tail sections already completely sanded, but, the upper is in great shape. If I could just sand the yellow plate off the nose, throw some glaze on it, and try to blend it into the paint, it would save me a lot of time. Of course, I would also lightly scuff up the old paint before putting on the new.

Will that look like crap? Do I just need to bite the bullet and sand everything down to fiberglass, glaze, sand, prime and then paint?

 

I've ran race bodywork for a 3 years now, all professionally painted in a bodyshop with high quality materials... all had back rock chips behind the front wheel.

 

Sand, prime and paint, it doesn't matter what you use you will get chips on the lower behind the wheel. You don't necessarily need to prime over the old paint if you haven't patched it. Just scuff and paint over it. I've started using single stage most of the time for cost and ease of use. It's a race bike not a work of art.

 

find a good painter and take it to them. ask them to purchase and use BASF Glasurit paint. I have used it for years and the stuff is hard as hell to scratch and chip,

 

Use a piece of clear vinyl over the paint right there. Just about any shop that installs ClearBra type stuff is going to have scrap pieces that would work.

 

Strip off the chipped areas. Use single stage and add clear coat. This will be stronger than 2 stage systems. The longer it day's ,( Like aprox 30 days of so ) the stronger it will be

 

I've thought about trying this, does it work well long term?

 

Some single stage paint is harder than clear coat. But as was said, theres nothing that will prevent rock chips behind the front wheel or on the under tail of most bikes. The clear vinyl over lay is the best bet. You can buy bulk rolls on ebay.

 

how about plasti-dip?

 

LIKE!:up:

 

As many have stated, the paint WILL chip, order a good 3m clear vinyl and install. I do them all the time and it works great, we apply it to the entire front end of the nicer bikes we build.

 

Some good advice, thanks. What about not sanding all of the paint off. Any way to just sand part of it down and make it look good?

 

All you need to do is to sand enough to give yourself a flat smooth surface. Then use an epoxy primer as your first layer. Follow that by a urethane primer which you sand to give you that fantastic base to shoot your color coat on.

Some people sand their color coat...I'm not a pro but if you can sand your color coat you put on too much color. You want just enough color for coverage. Then do a thick clear coat within the 24hrs specified.

 

If it is already painted it doesn't need to be primered, you can scuff and paint over a cured catalyzed paint. No need for the primer unless you have sanded through the cured paint. I don't know of anyone that sands the color coat, and most of the product info I've read says you should spray the clear over the base without sanding.

 

The previous paint is a dissimilar paint and to provide the proper bond you need need the etching primer as a base....which is why I suggested the epoxy primer.

As to sanding the clear coat...all of those show cars have a wet sanded clear coat.

One thing I've found is the paint store has been extremely helpful in what one should do.

 

You didn't say clear coat, you said color, and if the paint is catalyzed you shouldn't need the new primer. Yes paint stores are very helpful, even better is experience. I've painted a few sets of bodywork, some were even over old paint without priming such as this piece of crap.

 

So which is it, computer guy? Etching primer or epoxy primer? There is a vast difference.

 

What he said or even electrical tape if painted black..

 

Not chemically.

 

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"Some people sand their color coat...I'm not a pro but if you can sand your color coat you put on too much color. You want just enough color for coverage. Then do a thick clear coat within the 24hrs specified."

Re-read what I wrote. Here I quoted it for you above.

As to the primer. This is all one giant chemistry set. Adhesion is about chemical compatibility. Hence the reason for the initial primer coat as I described.