Rat Rod Refinishing Step by Step
Posted by admin at 19 December 2014, at 22 : 23 PM
Now, naturally if you plan on leaving your Rat Rod a natural rust or patina, then you should not use these steps, but it wouldn’t hurt to read what the procedures are to paint your Rat Rod.
If you are just starting, then you need to decide if you plan on stripping your Rat Rod down to bare metal or if you are just fixing a couple of dents, spot priming the areas and using the current paint to apply your new paint to.
When fixing your dents, make sure when you apply your body filler, you are applying it to bare metal. It will also allow the sanding to be much easier. Apply 2-4 coats of primer the affected areas. Do not rely on the primer to fill in dents, only scratches. Applying too much primer, now, will kill the final finish of your Rat Rod.
Block sand all areas with as big a sanding block as possible, so as to keep the body of your Rat Rod looking as straight as possible. Start off with 400 grit and end with no coarser than 800 grit. Last thing you want to see is sand scratches in your new paint.
There is nothing wrong with going over everything one last time with a grey Scotchbrite pad. This is like a brillo pad that is equivalent to 1000 grit sandpaper. This will ensure that there are no missed areas. Not properly sanding all areas will result in a peeling problem in the future for your Rat Rod.
Wash and degrease all areas including jambs, engine compartment, and wheel wells on your Rat Rod. The cleaner the car, the cleaner the paint job. If possible, allow to drip dry overnight, if not, extensively blow car off until completely dry.
Mask all glass, wheel well openings, and other area you don’t want to get paint on. When completed, wipe your Rat Rod down one last time with a good alcohol based prep wipe. Once dry, use a new tack cloth to wipe down and begin spraying. If you are using a single stage paint, apply 3-4 coats and allow to dry. If using a 2 stage, apply basecoat, making sure to tack off in between coats. Apply 3-4 coats of base and then 3-4 coats of clear coat. Allow to dry overnight or set spray booth to bake if possible.
If your plan is to have a shiny, gloss finish, you may color sand and buff within 24 hours. If you plan on leaving your Rat Rod flat, then you are done.