kilopapa wrote:
Well, after sitting over the winter since the accident last September, I've got the 740TDI back on the road with a new windshield. Now have to decide whether to repair body damage or replace the fender from parts car. Also have to swap both front struts from parts car to TDI using the TDI springs tho, engine is quite a bit heavier than the B21 in parts car. Very strange tho, is that the clear coat has decided to start peeling off in places over the winter. No trouble with that before and after 10 years of owning the car it suddenly decides to start shedding it's skin. Now I'm looking at a paint job also. Anyone able to tell me how good Maaco is up there in Calgary? Was thinking of buying another spray gun (son lost parts to old one) and spray it myself with a satin finish paint. Have to decide on a colour tho but thinking of sticking with silver so don't have to paint inside of doors. It's getting to not be all that much fun anymore at my age but I love the car and love driving it.
Friends don't let friends go to Maaco. They basically scuff your car with a red scotchbrite (just the one...they're like $1.20 each you know) and then they blow over the cheapest paint they can brew. If you pay for them to do body work, be prepared to have it fall apart soon after. Yes, I'm disrespecting them - they're the McDonald's of body refinishing. They pay their guys poorly and focus on cheap slap and dash jobs.
Now, I've got more money locked in paint guns than I care to share and I know there is a difference between say my Sata Jet 3000 RP, my Iwata LPH-400 and my primer gun (from Princess Auto)...but if you want to DIY and keep the costs down, the PA 1.4 is not a bad gun and can shoot base and clear no problem. Then get a 2.4 for high build primer and you're set. That's a total of under $100 in guns...the air caps on the LPH-400 are three times that just for the cap! As long as you've got enough compressor and light, it's really not that bad a job.
Prep makes a quality paint job and the gun is just the icing on that particular cake. The PA guns are old Sata knock offs and work fine. The fit and finish of the various parts are passable but if you hold them side by side with the real deal you'll see the difference. When spraying, you'd have more control with the real deal - but for painting a slab sided Volvo, you'll be fine.
Several manufacturers have come up with solvent-based lines that are VOC compliant. You can't really do water-borne in your garage as you need to move the boundary layer of air for it to flash and that calls for a booth and fans. Personally, fleet paint that is made by PPG is the way I've been heading for solvent-based finishes. Get a good respirator and change the filters - easier than changing lungs. I've got a fresh air system but then I've also got a really small space and the air movement is limited.
Oh and just like any garage job - you're going to need to polish the paint to remove dust and imperfections. It's just part of the joy of DIY.
