Making It Shiny
How smooth the base coat is laid down only marginally contributes to how a car finally shines. What ultimately sets out a show car shine from something off the dealership lot is color sanding. Color sanding happens after all the paint and clear coats are dried and begins as a wet sand from 1500 grit sand paper. This is to cut the paint and knock off all the ridges and dust specs embedded in the clear coat itself. The cutting marks are then worked out with a higher grit sand paper and then ultimately buffed out with finer and finer cutting and polishing compounds. Santini's paint work stands out ultimately because of the quality and care put into color sanding and buffing, which leaves the clear coat as smooth as glass. The smoothness of the transparent clear coat is what gives the mirror like reflections and depth in the color. As a special favor, they even color sanded all the black trim pieces that line the side windows.
Details
Calling Project NSX a different car is an understatement. You'll notice new wheels and tires, exhaust, seats, steering wheel, tail lights not to mention the box load of new fasteners, seals and screws that we didn't talk about this time. That's what goes into a Type-R weenie makeover. Next time we'll finally delve into making Project NSX back up its looks.
Picking The Right Shop
While understanding the painting process is helpful, it's never something we'd recommend undertaking yourself if you're not into the beater look. Nothing replaces experience and guys like Santini who do nothing but paint all day will have the know how and the insider's tricks to turning a bottle of paint into a proper finish. It will also cost you less than trying to do it yourself. Finding the right painter ultimately becomes the biggest challenge. Here are some things to look for.
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Once the clear coat has set up overnight, color sanding begins with wet 1500 grit paper to
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Once the water solueable base coat completely dries, several layers of solvent based clear
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Prior work: A quick stroll through the parking lot will tell you a lot about a painter. And don't look for the high end jobs. Look at the everyday insurance repairs to examine fit and finish, color matching and ultimately the quality of the color sanding.
Ask for what you can afford: Everyone wants a show car shine, but that would have cost us half the price of the car. Not to mention the upkeep.
Don't be cheap: You get what you pay for and that's the ultimate truth when it comes to painting. Anyone can throw a good guy price, but any shop has a bottom line for materials and labor. The less you pay, the less time they will spend on getting the job done. The hook up bro deal is your worst enemy.
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The small section here has been finished with the cutting compound and is ready for the fi
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Every single panel and section has to go through this time consuming color sanding and pol
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Go to the professionals personally: Reputation is everything and a body shop that has lasted over the years typically can do it cheaper, faster and better. Nothing replaces experience. Talk to the owner and the people directly working on the cars and develop a repore. Just don't be a pain in the ass. People typically do better when they like you.
Avoid the promises and have realistic expectations: If the painter promises you the world, you're in the wrong place. Honest painters will tell you what they can and can't do. If they take the time to sit down and understand your needs relative to what you want to spend, then it's a good sign.
Know when to shut up: Car guys all want to act like they know everything. Yapping too much just pisses off the painter, so just ask the right questions and have a clear understanding of the expectations from both sides. The more you bug them the more they'll just want skimp on the job to get you out of their hair.
Save them some time and yourself some money: Painters want to paint, not tear apart bodies, wiring harnesses and interior panels. If it's not getting painted, take it off at home and keep all the parts and screws yourself. That way there's less parts lost and you can be sure the car goes back together the way you want it.