Repairing Paint on Our Dynasty

[deandec]

Mike, great step by step presentation.

What size compressor and what nozzles on your paint guns do you use to do your home painting with the PPG product?

Also, what tape and masking material do you use. You seem to use small sections of masking paper rather than just a big drape.

[zmotorsports]

Originally Posted by deandec

Mike, great step by step presentation.

What size compressor and what nozzles on your paint guns do you use to do your home painting with the PPG product?

Also, what tape and masking material do you use. You seem to use small sections of masking paper rather than just a big drape.

Thanks.

I have a 60-gallon 5hp dual stage air compressor in my shop. I use an Iwata W400 gravity feed gun with the 1.3 nozzle for my basecoat/clearcoat. I have a 1.8 nozzle in my primer gun as the K36 primer is a lot thicker to shoot.

I use 3M masking tape and paper. I have a cart with various sizes on it ranging from 3" to 24" that I pull from which runs the masking tape down one side. I use large 16' wide body bags after getting the immediate area masked. I buy the large roll and cut off as needed. It may be hard to see in the pictures but the entire side of the coach is covered in a clear plastic and I just cut out the area immediately where I am painting.

Hope that helps.

Mike.

[deandec]

Wow, you are better equipped than a pro paint shop! That would help you get your great results. Plus you know the work was done right....


Thanks for the details.

[zmotorsports]

Originally Posted by deandec

Wow, you are better equipped than a pro paint shop! That would help you get your great results. Plus you know the work was done right....


Thanks for the details.

I don't know about being better equipped than a pro paint shop but I insist on using quality materials and supplies whether they are on my own personal vehicles or someone elses. It is just hard if not impossible to get high quality results with low or poor quality materials.

If I had a large paint booth, THEN I would be set up. But then I would have to do more paint jobs to justify the paint booth. Maybe a paint booth isn't a good idea after all.

Mike.

[zmotorsports]

Well, I finally got my new Velvac mirror bases and was able to install them yesterday to complete the exterior facelift. To say that the chrome on the Velvac mirrors is poor is an understatement. This is the second time I have had to replace the bases. I replaced both complete mirrors about 4-years ago as an assembly due to peeling and flaking chrome. This time the chrome on the heads and arms looks fine but the bases had chrome peeling off in small sheets.

Here is the driver's side mirror base.


Passenger side. Not nearly as bad but you can see it bubbling up around the bolt hole openings.


Here is the part number for the new bases. These should be the same for most if not all early to mid-2000 Monaco coaches. The part number is not listed on Velvac's website. I had to call them and give them the part number for the entire assembly and they looked up the bases from there. The entire mirror assemblies were extremely expensive and the bases are still overpriced for what you get.


Word of advice here, remove the 3/8" set screws that secure the arms in the base and anti-seize them thoroughly. I place some on a small screwdriver and reach into the thread bore to place a small amount and then coat the set screw itself. I am glad I did this when I replaced the mirrors four years ago as I fought getting them apart last time and they came right out this time. They leave the set screws in when they chrome the bases and if you merely run them in to secure the arms they WILL rust in there solid. It is worth the two minutes to remove them, blow out the threads and give them a coating of anti-seize.


Left base replaced and the mirror reassembled.


Left mirror completed and polished up.


Right mirror replaced and polished up.


Well she is finally presentable again and ready to be seen.

Mike.

[dwhit]

Amazing work!

I was feeling pretty good with shooting three basement doors after sanding them down due to peeling. Now I feel quite amateurish to the great work you did...at least we can't see any more peel now...I used NASON products from O'Reilly's...we stayed in FL over winter and the sun really accelerated the peeling problem.

You should conduct internet paint classes.

[zmotorsports]

Originally Posted by dwhit

Amazing work!

I was feeling pretty good with shooting three basement doors after sanding them down due to peeling. Now I feel quite amateurish to the great work you did...at least we can't see any more peel now...I used NASON products from O'Reilly's...we stayed in FL over winter and the sun really accelerated the peeling problem.

You should conduct internet paint classes.

Great job on your compartment doors. It brings a great deal of satisfaction when you complete a task like that.

Thanks for the compliments. I appreciate that.

I am far from an expert at paint and body work but I always shoot for perfection in anything I attempt. Painting is something that I really don't care to do and don't do very often, however, I am very willing to answer any questions and assist with any information that may help others.

Mike.

[DDMA]

Hey Mike, thanks for sharing more information on your paint project, not to forget all the detailed information you shared.

When you paint multiple base colors, do you paint one color then wait for it to dry completely then tape it off then spray the next color then finally the clear them all at once? You don't want the base to dry up completely as you want the chemical adhesion between the clear and the base, do you?

I am just a bit puzzled as to how to mask a color that you just laid on to paint the next color and so forth.

What kind of tape do you use?

[zmotorsports]

Originally Posted by DDMA

Hey Mike, thanks for sharing more information on your paint project, not to forget all the detailed information you shared.

When you paint multiple base colors, do you paint one color then wait for it to dry completely then tape it off then spray the next color then finally the clear them all at once? You don't want the base to dry up completely as you want the chemical adhesion between the clear and the base, do you?

I am just a bit puzzled as to how to mask a color that you just laid on to paint the next color and so forth.

What kind of tape do you use?

From the time your first color goes on you have a 24-hour clock start (based on an average of 70 degrees) to get the clearcoat applied and still get your chemical adhesion to link. The colors dry very quickly, unless you apply too heavy of a coat. The trick is to apply several light to medium coats of color with about 5-10 minutes of flash time between them to give the solvent plenty of time to escape. I can usually go to taping a color off and prep for the next one within about 30-minutes of the last coat of color. Probably sooner but I don't want to risk pulling tape marks in the color that I just laid down.

I put all of the colors down then apply to clear coat to bury the edges in clear and have less of a chance of a lifting edge plus, I just don't like to "feel" the edges.

For tape I use the new yellow tape from 3M. I used to swear by the green stuff that 3M made. I thought because the yellow was less expensive, not by much but a buck or so, that it must be inferior to the green. Not so, the yellow is a little thinner in thickness which I have come to like because it will build up less of an edge. I use the thin 3M blue fine line tape for the crisp, clean edge and then apply the 3M yellow about 50% over that and then the paper. This reduces the chance of a heavy paint edge that you have to hose the clear coat on later. A couple of medium wet coat of clear and the edges are all but undetectable.

Hope that helps.

Mike.

[deandec]

Great information for reader's like me that want and need to learn about two stage paint repairs on our rigs.

I am copying your posts to my "how to paint" library. There is not a much detailed info available on the web for DIY paint repairs of RV's with two stage automotive paint over Gel Coat.

Question:

By any chance have you ever needed to replace clear coat that the manufacturer had applied directly to gel coat?

If so, what process did you find to be successful?

(I and several other Country Coach owners are facing the problem on 15+ year old rigs. My attempts at spraying clear coat over gel coat have resulted in a two or three year success followed by peeling sheets of the new clear coat.)

Mike, Any insights would be gratefully received.

[zmotorsports]

Originally Posted by deandec

Great information for reader's like me that want and need to learn about two stage paint repairs on our rigs.

I am copying your posts to my "how to paint" library. There is not a much detailed info available on the web for DIY paint repairs of RV's with two stage automotive paint over Gel Coat.

Question:

By any chance have you ever needed to replace clear coat that the manufacturer had applied directly to gel coat?

If so, what process did you find to be successful?

(I and several other Country Coach owners are facing the problem on 15+ year old rigs. My attempts at spraying clear coat over gel coat have resulted in a two or three year success followed by peeling sheets of the new clear coat.)

Mike, Any insights would be gratefully received.

Our 1991 Beaver Contessa had a similar issue. The clearcoat over the painted stripes held up quite well whereas the clear coat over the white gelcoat peeled off in sheets.

I have some pictures in my "Our Past RV's" thread where I showed the painting of the rear end cap. I repaired in much the same manner as over normal paint. I matched the gelcoat color the best I could, sanded back to where I got clear that was adhering well, scuffed the gelcoat with a light sanding, wiped down and applied the color in the area that needed it and re-clear coated the entire area. I would try to break it at a body line, window, seam or minimum a paint stripe edge.

Hope that helps some.

Mike.

[deandec]

Thanks Mike, that is now where I am at. Match the gel coat color with base coat and then apply clear.

Also, I will use a PPG Omni base coat on the surface that the store recommended under the DBC base coat for my application.

Hopefully, that should make the paint stick for awhile. As usual, I always do things twice to get it done.

[zmotorsports]

Make sure to document the process. I like looking at pictures.

Mike.

[DDMA]

Thanks for all the information once again. Just trying to learn your technique once again. How much overlap do you give for your clear coat? Do you go wet on the first try or partial coverage, then go for wet coat during second layer? How much do you dumb the clear down with the reducer on your first 2-3 coats before the final coat? Or do you not dumb it down at all.

EDIT I found some part of my answer.

One thing I like to do when applying the clear is to put the first coat on as a "tack coat". Not heavy but not too dry either. Then follow with two medium-wet coats with about a 15-20 minute flash time between coats. Here is critical, watch the clock and walk away until time is up. If you are like me you will get impatient and start thinking it is ready to apply another coat when it is not. Then you end up with a sag or run in the clear.

On the last coat of clear, I over-reduce it with 10% of DT895 which is their high temperature reducer. This helps to "flow out" better on the last coat and almost completely eliminates the orange peel effect that can happen with a high-solids clear.