FAO: Anybody who has painted a Gul 850 / resident paint experts

[Turbodave]

Gents...

I know there a couple of talented individuals who have painted Gul 850s previously and seem rather spot on when it comes to bodywork... so, given mine currently sports the Volvo stage one weight reduction package, ie the front wings resemble Ryvita... it's in dire need of a freshen up.

Now yes, I know the only way to make it mint is to paint the whole thing but for the sake of my sanity and bank account, for now I was hoping to get the wings sorted along with the tailgate... which is also holier than the bible. I have replacement panels, rot free too which is a minor miracle so my hope was to get them painted.

The issue being, nobody wants to touch it unless it's involves a full respray and a bill to rival Guam's national debt. I fully appreciate the match will never be spot on however I went to a local paint supplier and their Gul flashcard is pretty perfect so that's a step in the right direct. I also fully appreciate the front wings will need blended into the doors to save a hard edge however the tailgate can just be painted as is.

So, to those who have undertaken such a task... any hints, tips or suggestions? Anybody mixed their own paint and tweaked it to get a better match or is off the shelf, a blend and a hope and pray as good as can be expected?

Failing that, anybody in the business, bristling with enthusiasm for such nonsense and fancy a challenge?

[T5G]

The guls from the factory came with single stage paint so if your car still has the original finish it'd be best your painter did the same, as lacquer finish will not match. If you have enough paint left on the original panels, with some compound and a buff it should come back to a near new shade (in theory!) so maybe your painter could do this first to see what you're left with shade wise.

[Turbodave]

The guls from the factory came with single stage paint so if your car still has the original finish it'd be best your painter did the same, as lacquer finish will not match. If you have enough paint left on the original panels, with some compound and a buff it should come back to a near new shade (in theory!) so maybe your painter could do this first to see what you're left with shade wise.

That's answered one of my questions... couple of painters were making noises about using clear coat whereas one said it was old school with no lacquer.

None of them were that enthrawled about painting the wings only!

The car has been buffed hence the card that the paint supplier had was pretty good but I never thought to ask if it was two-pack or whatever else.

Cheers

[t5 pete]

Yes 2pac single stage paint what I would suggest if your doing it your self is preperation is key good clean air lines and keep any silicone away I had a night mare with my gul

[Tomcat]

Buy the best quality of paint you can, I've had problems with paint matching in the past as I was using a cheaper supplier, when I switched to a more upmarket (read trade) supplier the colour was spot on first time. Colour wise it doesnt really matter if you use base coat and lacquer or just a solid colour, both will give the same result however the base coat and clear coat will give it some extra protection against fading in the future.

[Turbodave]

Thanks guys.

The paint supplier is proper old school trade based, the sort of place where the three boys have a combined age of 326 and all wear brown dust coats.

I'm not looking for long term here, just a quick fix to make it look less horrific with a view to getting the full thing done next year... that said, I can't stand mismatched panels so I'm not holding my breath!

I'll check in with the paint supplier on Monday and see what it is they use.

I have a compressor and guns of my own but I'm not confident or capable enough to attempt anything on this level!

Scalextric car shells are about my limit!

[Tomcat]

If you where closer I'd offer to do it for you bud

[The Flying Banana]

Dave...not convinced about using base coat and lacquer...having two paint finishes on one car isn't ideal.....if it was me then paint tail gate which won't be noticed anyway as it closed in with lights, spoiler bumper etc.....wings ...Well they are holed so any colour of yellow is a bonus ..... I would paint wings and paint onto the two front doors and buff the rest ...I wouldn't paint onto bonnet as it buffs up ok and there isn't a lot of top wing area to see.....

get that done just now get some cash aside and get the whole thing done in 2 pack over the winter

[Turbodave]

Cheers squire, going to nip into Autopaint today and see what they have / can supply then drop the tailgate off at a painter this week as a bit of a tester... if it's a success, I'll get the wings done.

Or matt black...!

[The Flying Banana]

matt black is out boi ...but primer grey is where its at !!!

In my yoof ..I had a few primer grey RS2000s ...as long as it had mint 4 spoke revvies on it then it was cool as f**k

[Tomcat]

Easiest way to check whats on the car now is to get a dark coloured cloth and some T cut (or other paint renovator) and just rub a small section of paintwork, if the colour on the cloth is yellow then it's a solid colour, if it comes off white then it's clear over base.

[The Flying Banana]

its 2 pack all over on that car ...no clear coat on it at all

[Doingitsideways]

matt black is out boi ...but primer grey is where its at !!!

In my yoof ..I had a few primer grey RS2000s ...as long as it had mint 4 spoke revvies on it then it was cool as f**k

Lol.

Been there, lost count of the amount of cars I've had where the wheels were worth more than the rest of the rest of the car.

Driving around in an old Ford in prime... You can almost hear the car dissolving in the rain!

[Nealevo]

Just get a dog to pi ss up it and then laquer over it, job done!!

[twr]

Can I just add my bit pls, try to avoid auto paint there paint isn't the best. Being in the trade I use a company called ledsons in Wigan. They always manage a perfect match too,but you will very rarely get a perfect match panel edge to panel edge if you get my drift. You will need to blow into another panel I.e. Blend it in.

[no1tosh]

yep i second that, autopaint are ££££e, i use IAS in manchester with octoral and ici. scheme shades are all well and good but are still never bang on no matter what paint brand you use. thats where tinting comes in.
on a yellow you might get lighter, cleaner, redder ect....
usually if you want to richen/ darken a yellow you would add a bit of transparent red for example.
like said above you will have to blend to get a match, but with direct gloss you have to keep thinning it and washing it out if you don't like the idea of clear coat.
your painter should be able to get his supplyer to use a spectrometer to get the best match possable, thats unless they have one there if its a big place.

all i will say is colour matching is one of the hardest things to learn as a painter, its a pain up the arse lol

[al c]

Turbodave,

I'd be very interested to know how you get on with this as I am in the same position, give or take a few months of welding, with my Gul.

Al C.

[Turbodave]

When I say "Autopaint" I mean as in a little paint supplier locally (Thornton, Fife) not sure if you chaps are referring to the same place or if our wires are crossed? With regards to alternative sources for paint, I always assumed they would need the car to try and achieve the best possible match... however yes, fully prepared to be blending the doors which in turn will no doubt result in a full respray. But my wallet could do without that for the time being!