Page Fifty-Two - One Small Screw-up, One Big Setback!

 

I’ve had small setbacks before, but this one is a costly one.  Almost all the first paint job, henceforth known as “1.0”, peeled off.  I’m talking in big sheets.  As an astute fellow Alpiner put it, “you have an adhesion problem” – he’s known for such spot-on insights.

One of the BIG Sheets. This is the clear coat side.

Same piece but the base coat side. Notice that it's blue, not primer color.

So, what went wrong?  HellifIknow at this point, but I have several suspects:

Primer:  If you remember, I had trouble with the base coat “pulling” the primer (re-sprayers’ speak for when the solvents in one coat seeps into the substrate coat and dissolve it, wrinkling the substrate).  Maybe it was the wrong primer, but it’s what the paint store guys said was the correct primer; maybe I didn’t wait long enough before spraying the base coat, maybe I waited too long, not sure. But as the pics above show, it let go between the base coats.  (I'm saying that because the back of the peeled piece is blue and the place on the car where it peeled is also blue.)

All of it peeled off so easily!

Base Coat Coats:  I shot two coats of base coat, which the instructions suggest.  As you can see in the pics, 1.0 peeled leaving the first coat of base coat on Alphie and the second base coat on the peeled piece of 1.0.  Again, maybe I didn’t wait long enough or too long.

Note the blue on Alphie and the peels.

2K Primer:  Again, if you remember, I sprayed some 2K primer on the doors and boot lid – good news/bad news here.  Good news, 1.0 stuck well to the 2K primer, but (bad news) the 2k primer didn’t stick to the base coat below it.

Working Theory:  The first coat of base coat seems to be the problem, but I’m not sure why.

Current state of "1.0" - we shall not discuss how many quid are in this bin!

What to do:  1). RESEARCH!  Burn up Google about “adhesion problems.” 2). Talk to as many car painters as I can about what may have gone wrong. 

Tentative Plans: (meaning plans may change if research dictates) I hope to only respray the exterior body, not the boot interior, interior, windscreen frame, engine compartment and all the body color bits like hinges, cowl vents, etc., mainly because the thought re-prepping all that exhausts me.  2K Primer: Clearly, I should have used 2K primer on the entire car. So, back to bare metal where there is no body filler (I don’t want to rework the body again!) and spray everything with 2K.

Guide Coat (again): (I used a guide coat on the first go-round, for the record.)  I’ll check, but I don’t think I must shoot base coat/clear coat over the 2K immediately.  I hope to shoot the entire car with 2K, then check all the body work with a guide coat and fix things as needed.  I fear taking everything down to metal may screw up the body work.

A little troubling here - 1.0 peeled at the primer on this bit of scuttle.

I pulled the 14” wire wheels and tires from the shed and gave them a quick wash so that I can use these boss Harbor Freight wheel dollies, makes moving Alphie about quite a doddle!  (gratuitous Brit slang for this post, look it up.)

14 inchers on boss dollies!

While I have you, what do you think of the 14" wheels?
In my little opinion, they're are too big. They fill the wells,
but they look like a kid wearing his big brother's shoes.

I’ll update this as plans change – and they will!