I'm no good with spray painting as i've never had much practice, so this is the only thing I won't be doing myself.

I doubt i'll be getting a grp specialist, and I know the law is changing around car paints at the 'mo, so can anyone give any advice on what sort of paint and primer I should specify? I'll be going back to the original red.

Ta

Red!

I'd like to know this too. Just in case I need to buy the paint before things change.

I think 2 pack is disappearing (if it hasnt already ) to be replaced by water based paints. Quite honestly i'd go with what the sprayer reccommends as if he likes it you'll probably end up with a better job


What is it about RED

Cellulose has all but disappeared now. There are to be some exceptions for specialist restorers and so on but in the end I think the price will see it's final demise.

2 pack is still available. I bought some a couple of weeks ago. This is the favourite finish on GRP as it remains flexible and is less prone to crazing. Use this if you can along with a matching plastic primer.

Water based paints are the future although at the moment most still use 2 pack or acrylic primers and need to be overcoated by a 2 pack lacquer to protect them. They are still not as durable as solvent based and 2 pack paints. In the future they will no doubt be as good as the current best system. If you feel that you may need to touch up or respray in a few years time then maybe water based may be the safe bet.

Hmmmm! Interesting.

I've still got the god-awful job of grinding out the stress cracks from my bonnet - there's going to be virtually no gel left on it - funny really as the rest of the body is virtually crack free.

When i sprayied my Coupe i used my favorite primer, an ICI etch primer that is suitable for GRP, not all of them are, its what i call army green but sticks a goodun,

I use this then a quick coat of primer/filler and rub most of that back off then i celly, was talking to a paint supplier a while back would avoid using water base if you can at the minute as its a little tricky, and tempermental was their words. Obviously 2 pack has the health issues. Need to look into this myself as needing to spray the carbon front one day, and might consider a slight colour change

WEST

When I had my Coupe sprayed he used etch primer and 2 pack!
Now one year later it will all need to be striped back off as it has all started to bubble probably due to as west has said the primer not being suitable for GRP
When I removed the car cover after its winter lay-up I could have cried when I seen it

I've seen a few people using normal etch primer on GRP but as far as I know once it's cured GRP is pretty much chemically inert so I wouldn't think etch primer would be particularly suitable.

The one West mentions, if it's designed for GRP, should be fine but, in general, I prefer to use a specific plastic primer or adhesion promoter. They are becoming more common now that production cars are using more and more plastic parts.

If there are loads of tiny little bubbles it may be microblister which apparently can be caused by moisture in the air. It happened to my car a friend sprayed years ago, but only on the boot which was nearest to the garage door

Or it can be osmosis as happens to plastic boats. I've seen this several times on cars that have been outside with plastic covers lying over them. The water gets under the cover and is trapped between the plastic sheet and the body, it then 'soaks' into the gel coat. (polyester is not actually waterproof)

Thats true, fibreglass is'nt as waterproof as you think
My local boatyard specialises in osmosis treatment and they have a special heated building for drying the fibreglass out

i think the best pepole to ask would be pepole who spray paint trucks and buses, fibre glass has been use in trucking industrie for over 30 years now foden, erf, were complete cabins are fibre glass

Not being picky, but Fodens only had the engine cover/grille in acrylic when I worked there, the rest was steel - whether they were Grp earlier in life I don't know. But you have given me an idea - i'm only 7 miles from the old Foden and ERF plants, so there may well be some expertise left in Sandbach......

If there are loads of tiny little bubbles it may be microblister which apparently can be caused by moisture in the air. It happened to my car a friend sprayed years ago, but only on the boot which was nearest to the garage door [/quote]
Its not micro blisters! The blisters are a lot bigger then that. Some are getting on for about 3 - 5 mm
When I peeled one or two off, I could see the grp! No paint, no primer!
It was painted (inside and out) in a heated spray booth and had been in the heat for four days prior to being painted to make sure it was fully dry!
Its on all the panels and some were painted on different days!

If it's under the primer than it could also be traces of release agent from the moulding process.