My New R33 Project - Diy First Experience Spraying 2 Pak :)

[sky017]

Hey guys , thought id share my 2 pak painting experience to possibly help any others wanting to give it a go that are a little less informed.

so after purchasing my body kit i was up and down weather to get it proffesionally sprayed or to do it myself . after enough searching and and hearing the same price figures i thought id give it a go myself .

i have had previous experience spraying with acrylic with a few of my cars , but i thought i really want to step it up with this car and get the best finish possible , hearing enough talk about how 2 pak is obviously a more harder , stronger finish , i thought it was time to see it for my own eyes. spraying acylic in the past , i wasnt very happy with how easy it can dry out or even if you get petrol on it when filling it up , it could take off the shine.

i purchased all my paint , sand paper , and all neccesary items . as everyone has said , its all in the prep . i spent 2 full days fitting the kit , and preping all the panels for spray . i must say my fingers have seen better days with all the sanding , being in the furniture trade sanding is my worst enemy .

from this experience and other past journeys with spraying , i did definitly put a lot more effort in prep , and i can definitly say , spraying a guide coat / dust coat on the panels in black for the final wet sand was the best thing iv done, as it really shows up all the potential marks or spots you may have missed , which iv definitly learnt gives the best spraying surface , which is probably why my fingers are pretty sore .

i primed everything that was in gel coat , then wet sanded to 800 grit . sprayed 3 coats of base , followed by 3 coats of clear. i sprayed everything at home in the shed , even though your ment to use a spray booth , i feel i had everything set up pretty well.

i sprayed my front bar , skirts , rear lip , spoiler , rear bumper and bonnet on the way. here are my results , i know pictures can only show so much , but i was pretty damn impressed with how glossy it came out off the gun - and very hard , i havent cut anything back yet which i will do in a weeks time when its cured . i wiped the whole car down with wax and grease remover , so the shell does look dry at the moment until i cut it back and wax

any questions , please shoot , willing to shed the light for any others wanting to do it

[RB25 SKYLINE]

that looks kick arse awesome job,did u find the clear coat took alot of the ripples out of the base coat?

[sky017]

cheers man , i like how the clear just really seams to water out once it sprayed . i did notice it will hide any ripples if you had them , as you build the clear up it seams to become more uniform during each coat.

[SileNceR]

Did you get any different protective gear compared to what you normally use for Acrylic?

2K is pretty nasty stuff

[sky017]

i never wore anything when i sprayed arylic . but yeah i wore a full body suit to cover up and a propper respirator , i didnt want to take any chances . the stuff smells so strong .

[Jamie77]

Sweet as that looks awsome. pmed

[adamskill]

great job mate. ive done heaps of jobs in acrylic rattle cans, but im keen to get stuck in with the gun!

[Shoota_77]

Great work, well done for having a crack! It amazing what you can pull by getting in and having a crack!

I need inspiration like what you've done as I'm in the process of having my first go at fibreglassing up my cracked front and rear bars. Next step is obviously painting so thanks for the motivation! Only problem is you made it sound a lot bloody easier than it is!

[sky017]

i find confidence is the key , i used to be so worried when i used to spray acrylic , thinking oh damn i hope i dont ruin it etc....

a positive approach goes a long way . if you have everything correct , mix your paint to the right ratios , correct air pressure , and just test your gun settings on an old panel , you shouldnt have any trouble.

i did my bonnet yesterday , and i must say it came out great , no tiger strips either which i would usually get with acrylic in the past..

a little more motivational pics for those out there

Edited April 17, 2012 by sky017

[mike91]

You did end up doing it yourself!! That looks awesome mate!! I fixed up that front bar I got off you, and it's a bit rough but looks good! Just gotta figure out the mounting of it to fit as its not 100% perfect fit, ironically I destroyed my factory bar last night along with my fog light, ( guardrails hurt) but damn! Ur cars making mine look like a piece of shit! Looks really really good! Congrats!!

[sky017]

oh hey mate , yes ended up DIY , which was the best decision .

yeah how did you go with the fibreglassing ? did you end up tackling it your self. geez mate what did you do to your front bar and fog lights.

hehe yeah shes definitly an eye catcher now if you need a hand with the front bar fitting hit me up mate.

[Captain Natro]

looks sweet man, ive done a few shed jobs with acrylic before and have always been pretty happy with the turnout.

DIY best thing u can do, worst case is u stuff it up and you start sanding again lol

[sky017]

haha , well i can definitly say i will never be touching acrylic ever again . practice makes perfect , but in saying that its hard to visualise the end product when you have to sand for a few good hours , hate it lol the skin on my fingers are just recovering.