So this is my first time painting. Ive got a compressor, the gun and all the paint from napa. The car was black and has been primed with the green aerosol filler primer from napa also. Now were going to spray it ssbp, ive got the instructions for mixing the hardener and the reducer for the base and clear. Now what is the order or process i should do to spray it now. Heres a few more specific questions.

What should i wipe/spray the bay down with before i spray the base?
How long should i let the base sit before the clear?

 

Wax and grease remover/Pre-paint cleaner.Check the back of the can and see what is the "window time" you have before you have to put the clear.

 

normally you just wait till the base is done flashing. Times vary on temp and humidity as well as product being used. But typically 15-30 minutes. Your going to want to lay down 2 coats of base then let is flash. Denib the whole car then spray one more coat of base. Wait till its flashed then 2-3 coats of clear. If you need anymore help hit me up

 

^x2

good luck with spraying the bay. Its a pita

 

ya it is lots of funky angles like between the shock tower and firewall kinda have to spray and pray you got coverage. biggest thing is dont rush it

 

FIRST THING YOU NEED TO DO , is get that aerosol primer off ! the correct cleaners that youll need before you lay any of the new stuff will react with the aerosol crap and just lift and bubble all over the place. if you lay basecoat on it youll just see lots of bubbling. aerosol paints do not work with real automotive refinishing products. they will react and cause you lots of headaches. get rid of the aerosol junk before you do anything.

 

to get in the corners that are too dificult:
1)there should be a fan adjustment on the top left of the gun, turn it so the fan is smaller or on pinpoint
2)when you make the fan smaller your air pressure goes up, so readjust it to normal
3) hold the gun far back and go to town, check coverage with a flashlight

makes it alot easier the get in tight areas

 

could also rotate the cap to spray up and down for the back of the shock towers

 

very true

 

I have painted quite a few engine bays for my friends shop. One thing I found makes a huge difference and can actually save a messed up paint job due to heat and everything is priming it before you paint it. Alot if people think you can lay down base on the base thats already their. I have done it and it works but have also seen it fail. Also it looks alot better when primed. Another thing you should consider which is something I have done is filling in all the non needed mounting holes and little things in the bay it looks so much better. Also I would pressure wash the bay then wipe it with a good degreaser.