Earlier this week I finished shooting the paint on my 444 project. In an earlier post some of you sent advice on the merits of painting in pieces or after assembly. I decided to paint in pieces. I used a single stage urethane, Dupont Nason.

I shot the pieces - fenders, doors, hood, etc. - first. Did not like the result when I checked the next morning. They looked really bad.

I had cleaned the pieces but had not done enough to thoroughly clean the paint area. Result - lots of dirt in the painted surface. Lesson one - clean the entire area - the air from spraying raises a lot of "stuff". I might even mop it next time.

There were many "orange peel" areas where the paint did not flow out as well as I had hoped. It looked best where I had put on more paint. So lesson two - have better light next time and be sure to get full coverage.

I was very discouraged at this point. I decided to see what sanding and buffing would do. Wow - it does a lot at least with this paint.

After wet sanding (600 then 1000 grit) buffing with rubbing compound and polishing with a foam wheel and glazing compound those sorry looking pieces all came out to where they can be used. The orange peel is mostly gone and there are just a few signs where the worst of the dirt contamination was. At one point while painting I had even drug the air hose across a corner of a door (not a happy moment). I then shot some extra paint there and hoped for the best. That spot flowed out very nicely, leaving just a run which I was able to sand out and polish to the point that I do not notice it. Overall, the result is not perfect, but good enough for my purposes - at least for now.

A couple of days ago I shot the main shell. The result was much better. It will need some sanding and polishing, but much less than the pieces.

So the plan now is to polish out the main shell, do a bit more on the parts and get started with assembly.

After this experience, if doing it again I think I would follow the advice of those who recommended bolting up the fenders with spacers, etc. But for the first time, I think it was better for me to do it in pieces. That process gave me a lot of practice in handling the gun, managing the air hoses (gun and exterior air to the helmet), etc. Also, I liked being able to sand/buff the individual pieces on a bench or rack.

But I am not coming up with what I would call a "show car finish" which is OK with me - for now. But I think with more practice a patient do it yourselfer (maybe even me) could come very close. Maybe next time.

Keith W.
444 Project, Moline, IL