| auto Body Paint Essentials strip
Perception is everything in the automotive industry. When a truck is hit with some bodywork and shot with new pigment, it miraculously is rejuvenated to a renewed status. Because good paint and body requires a great attention to detail, and talented hands, starting with a freshly painted carcass can sometimes be a gamble. The unknown under pigment prep can be appealing, if you have a good eye. so, if you want to make sure the job's done right, or finish your build with some shaving and smoothing, or you just want to get top-dollar for that project, here's what you'll need to get the body and paint prepped, smoothed, and shot to perfection.
| auto Body Paint Essentials tack Cloth
TACK CLOTH A good tack cloth is essential to keeping dust and dirt from getting under your paint. tack cloths work by causing the dust, dirt, and wood particles to stick to the cloth while it is wiped over the surface of the material being cleaned. a tack cloth is sticky enough to pick up the dust, but not so sticky as to leave behind a residue on the surface being prepared for paint.
Norton Abrasives www.nortonconsumer.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials spray Guns
BUDGET SPRAY GUNS The two-gun sets from DeVilbiss will help you get the results you want at a price that rivals the no-name guns. The gravity feed guns cut down on wasted paint, and come with a one-year warranty. Having two guns will make life a whole lot easier when shooting primers and clears, because of the different tip sizes needed. These are made to spray most any urethane, high-build primer, basecoat, lacquer, enamel, and water base. Polished aluminum gravity cups and lids offer durability and easy cleanup. The regulator, tools, and accessories are included for a complete package.
The Eastwood Company Dept. TR
263 Shoemaker Rd.
Pottstown, Pa 19464
(800) 345-1178
www.eastwood.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials welding Helmet
WELDER AND HELMET The new Millermatic 140 with auto-set might be the simplest wire welder in the industry. With the new 140, all you have to do is to set the wire diameter and material thickness. The auto-set technology automatically sets the wire feed speed and voltage to achieve optimal welding results. This allows you to weld with confidence knowing that the machine is properly set up. The Millermatic 140 with auto-set is a 115V all-in-one welder that can weld as much as 3/16-inch in a single pass. To protect your eyes, miller has a passive helmet that costs from $33 to $63 (as pictured). This helmet will get you started, when you are ready, it can be upgraded to an auto-darkening version by purchasing the lens.
| auto Body Paint Essentials welder
Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. Dept. TR
1635 W. Spencer St.
P.O. Box 1079
Appleton, WI 54912-1079
(920) 734-9821
www.millerwelds.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials finish Paints
SATIN FINISH PAINTS Hot Rod Flatz is a pre-flattened ready-to-spray low-gloss color with the desired 30-degree satin primer appearance. There's no guessing how much flattener to add; it's already added for you. Just mix 4-parts color, 1-part hardener, and 1-part reducer ratio, and you're ready to spray. The gallon kit produces 1-1/2-gallons of sprayable material. Hot Rod Flatz contains UV inhibitors to protect your finish from fading and chalking like traditional primers. Now, you don't have to be limited to just primer for your flat look. There are 36 solid colors and 20 metallic and pearl colors to choose from.
The Kustom Shop TCP Global Attn: Support Dept. And Dept. TR
6695 Rasha St.
San Diego, CA 92121-2241
(858) 909-2188
www.kustomshop.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials hammers And Dollies
HAMMER AND DOLLIES Here are two basic hammers and dollies you'll need to manipulate metal. The faces of both hammers are flat. However, on the other end, one is a pick designed to provide excellent balance for close-in work. The other is a chisel for work on hard-line areas, such as body lines or the front edge of a hood. The dollies are used to back up the hammer and come in different shapes, also.
Snap-On Incorporated Dept. TR
P.O. Box 1410
Kenosha, WI 53141-1410
(262) 656-5200
www.snapon.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials soft Blocks
SOFT BLOCKS These blocks were designed by the Kustom shop to easily find and fix low and high spots on more curved panels. The multi-layer construction has a semi-rigid acrylic backing plate to provide a perfectly flat and level sanding surface that maintains its flatness while following the curves of the vehicle. The base accepts standard-size adhesive long board sheets, or continuous roll sandpaper, and is available in four lengths: 9-, 16-, 24- and 32-inch versions.
The Kustom Shop TCP Global
Attn: support dept. And dept. TR
6695 Rasha St.
San Diego, CA 92121-2241
(858) 909-2188
www.kustomshop.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials scotch Brite Pad
SCOTCH-BRITE PAD These hand pads are used to scuff the surface and provide the proper texture for your primer or paint to bite. These are a lot more flexible than sandpaper, so you can get it into tighter spaces. Not only good for bodywork, these make excellent scrubbers when cleaning greasy parts.
3M 3M Center
Dept. TR
St. Paul, MN 55144-1000
(888) 3m Helps (364-3577)
www.3m.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials specialty Blocks
SPECIALTY BLOCKS Not every surface of a truck is completely flat, but thanks to companies like Hutchinson, there are special purpose blocks that will fit in the contours for great results. They even make a block specifically designed for the bed area, so you can smooth out along the ribs.
Hutchins Dept. TR
49 N. Lotus Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 792-8211
www.hutchinsmfg.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials rigid Blocks
RIGID BLOCKS These can be your best friend and your worst enemy. If properly used, your truck will be nice and straight, but your arms are going to suffer in the process. There are two types of rigid blocks: pneumatic and manual. They do the same job, but the pneumatic will do more work for you. Even if you have an air compressor, we recommend the non-powered version at first, because you are less likely to mess up.
| auto Body Paint Essentials hutchins Block
Hutchins Dept. TR
49 N. Lotus Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 792-8211
www.hutchinsmfg.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials striper
ALSA STRIPER The newest paint on the pinstripe scene is striper from the Alsa Corp. This is a urethane-based striping paint, which means it dries in minutes and is completely able to be clearcoated without any worries of reaction. It was designed with the pinstriping community in mind, and has been refined in the Alsa labs after rigorous testing in the market by actual pin stripers.
The Alsa Corporation Dept. TR
2640 E. 37TH ST.
Vernon, CA 90058
(323) 581-5200
| auto Body Paint Essentials spreaders
SPREADERS These handleless spatulas come in different sizes and materials, we recommend using the metal type, because they are easy to clean and produce a smooth finish. Whenever possible, use a spreader that is at least twice the size of the dent you are trying to fix. If you are on a tight budget, just pick up the plastic type, but the metal ones will produce better results for the most part.
TP Tools & Equipment Dept. TR
7075 State, Rte. 46
P.O. Box 649
Canfield, OH 44406
(800) 321-9260
www.tptools.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials air Grinder
AIR GRINDER One of these air grinders, fitted with a Roloc, will become your best friend when you start performing sheetmetal welding. You will need this little tool to knock down the welds in preparation for body filler. As an added bonus, this isn't just be a body tool, you can use it to grind just about anything you need, provided you have an air compressor. A grinder like this can be found at places like home depot or sears (craftsman) and the grinding discs can be bought from 3m.
Craftsman Tool Team Dept. TR
Sears Holdings Fc-548b
3333 Beverly Rd.
Hoffman Estates, IL 60179
www.craftsman.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials dual Action Sander
DUAL-ACTION SANDER As one of the staples of bodyworking, the dual-action sander (DA) will become your greatest tool when it comes to scuffing the whole truck. It also does a great job at feathering out scratches and old layers of paint. By design, the sander won't create more ridges, because it sands on two planes, hence the name, dual action.
Hutchins Dept. TR
49 N. Lotus Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 792-8211
www.hutchinsmfg.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials sandpaper
SAND PAPER The unsung hero for all bodywork is sandpaper. Without this stuff, who knows how we would get stuff straight again or smooth out orange peel? It comes in many grits and shapes. If you are doing a complete bodyjob, you will want to pick up some 36-, 80-, 120-, 220-grit papers in the dry versions, and some 400-, 600-, and 800-grit paper in the wet version. Dry paper is mainly used to sand metal, primers, and filler; while the wet is used to sand paint to be polished.
3M 3m Center
Dept. TR
St. Paul, MN 55144-1000
(888) 3m Helps (364-3577)
www.3m.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials fibre Glass Evercoat
PLASTIC BODY FILLERS This is used to fill minor imperfections, because it is much easier to sand straight than the metal itself. All fillers need hardener mixed with them to create the chemical reaction that makes it harden. There are all kinds of filler types out there, some even come with fiberglass or aluminum infused in them. Each one is made to do something different, but when in doubt, get the standard stuff.
Fibre Glass-Evercoat (a division of Illinois Tool Works inc.)
Dept. TR
6600 Cornell Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45242
(513) 489-7600
www.evercoat.com
| auto Body Paint Essentials primer
PRIMERS There are a few types of primers, all depending on what you are trying to cover. A metal etching primer is used to cover only bare metal areas, whereas the rest of the bodywork should be done over that. A high-fill polyprimer is used to cover over bodywork and old paint; this is the primer you will use to do the final block-sanding. A primer sealer is used to seal up all the primers and the bodywork underneath, and to create a barrier so moisture won't soak into the very absorbent poly primer or plastic body filler. If you are going to leave your ride in primer for awhile, then use a sealer as your last coat.
| auto Body Paint Essentials sanding
PCL Dept. TR
3150 E. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA, 90023
(800) 752-1566
www.pclautomotive.com
