polished up gunmetal rattle can'd '2 (shiny!!)

[vishpish]

Polished up the quarters, roof and bootlid...









Just need to do the rest now and sort out the wheels/get new ones!

[Rob]

Let us have a step by step guide mate - looks a great finish!

[Snulty]

Yeah, do a how to!

Looks great.

[MrLuke]

Looks like youve done a good job there

[craig]

That's a great finish with rattle cans!

[Road_Rebel]

Get the wheels refurbished and sprayed a dark green or yellow

[synXero]

Looks fantastic man

[vishpish]

Cheers! Well here goes a brief summary. You probably all know the steps though:-

1. Repair/Prep - helps that my best mate is a panel beater but either prep the old paint to 400grit and check it doesn't react using a test patch or, if it does react, remove the old paint with 80grit and work back up 120/240/360/400.

2. Primer - use good quality UPol High Build (10-15quid a can) on repair patches where catty was used and normal primer elsewhere.

3. Wet sand - use 600 to key up the primer (you can actually go to 800/1000) but the colour coat will cover 600grit scratches.

4. Colour/Base Coat - Spray while drinking either JD/lemonade or good vodka (Finlandia/Stoli) for good spray pattern. I laid a light first coat ensuring coverage on the edges first, 2 good coats and a final 'sprinkle coat' to ensure even layerage of the flakes.

5. Lacquer - Use Pro XL lacquer (£10 a can). It comes with an adjustable nozzle. Continue drinking. Lay 1 light coat as above with med fan spray and then 3 heavy coats with wide fan. This is where the finish is made or ruined because you need to be ballsy (hence the drink) to lay it as wet and thick to get shine but not too wet that it runs.

6. Cut and polish - The fact is that although the finish is good, it will always be better once it's been cut and polished. I'd recommend wetsanding with 1500 using only 1200 in bad patches. Then wetsand with 2000grit (and again can sand to 3000). Using a proper rotary (Dodo Juice/3M spin doctor - £100) and a good cutting paste - 3M Fast Cut is my choice, bring the panel up (Again alcohol helps the finish here). A vid of the technique I use is probably easier here. Then use a finishing polish (3M Finesse it) and a finishing wax/sealer (Mothers/Dodo Hard Candy) to protect.

Thanks

Vish

P.S if any Mod's want this to be a sticky/guide I'd be happy to convert the above into a proper detailed guide and add a list of materials, pictures of everything etc just let me know - probably would make sense to sticky it once the whole car is done.

[Rob]

Superb - thanks

[synXero]

So basically a few cans of Halfords rattle can and a going over with T-cut.

[Torero]

So basically a few cans of Halfords rattle can and a going over with T-cut.

...and plenty of alcohol

[Harold]

Wow, I wish I had the balls/skill to try something like this. I would absolutely without a doubt xxxx it up and somehow set myself and/or the car on fire. Mechanicals I'm happy to have a crack at, painting/bodywork? No chance.

Well done sir.

[jasongtr]

set the car on fire..... must be sanding too fast

[vishpish]

Halfords paint is overpriced crap with duff nozzles! Google auto paint at Helen's - they sorted us out with some brilliant cans.

And yeah loads of alcohol - really helps the smoothness of spraying and team morale!