how to protect new paint job?

[Brian Callahan]

Ok, the Camaro is about to get some new paint. What is the best way to protect this expensive-assed job from now on? Here's our situation:

* We drive the car only when the weather is nice, maybe 300 miles/year.
* We have a carport on a concrete slab, but no indoor storage available.
* We live in Seattle - it rains a lot, but doesn't freeze or snow much.
* The carport roof extends down only a few feet, not all the way to the ground.
* Not much rain gets under the carport except during windy rain storms.
* Plenty of dust and fir tree needles get under there, though.
* Plenty of sun from the South gets under it in the morning, too.
* The neighborhood cats like to leave paw-prints on the dust. Shows they have good taste in cars, I guess.

Should we use a car cover or no? What's the best one to get? Should we add some panels and extend the sides of the carport down towards the ground more? Other suggestions?

[70CaliCustom]

It all depends on how you paint the car. Are you taking it down to bare metal and repriming or just sanding and spraying? Although paint will be cured to the touch after sitting overnight it hasn't totally cured so it is not a good idea to put a car cover on it too soon. If you prime the car and then paint, for a real good job you should actually let the primer cure for a few weeks before painting. This is because the primer will shrink with time and if you paint too soon it will shrink under the paint and leave you with a total mess. Also, don't wash it right after painting it. Put it under the carport for a few days and then wash it and put a cover over it. And make sure to get a cover that won't scratch the paint. Just stuff I learned working at a body shop. Post some pics when you get it done!

p.s. - don't wax for a few weeks after painting the car
p.p.s - if you need to wetsand and buff the car the sooner you do it the easier it will be

[SSDriver]

I would let the paint cure for ayleast 6 weeks before you apply wax to it. If I were you I would use Zaino, God's gift to your cars finish. I wouldn't even bother putting a cover on the car for over a month...gotta let the paint breath, especially in seattle rain and muggy weather you wouldn't want to harm your new expensive-ass paint job. Try modfying your carport in any way you can to protect your vehicle.

[Nick76]

Couple of things here. Pine needles are acidic in nature, particularly the sap. I've got 'sap marks' in my paint from a pine tree.

I've also got cat claw marks in my paint from a cat either trying to get up on or sliding down the driver's quarter panel.

If you've got an expensive paint job, I would try and enclose the car port, and wait a couple of weeks and buy a good quality car cover to keep the cats off.

[bj's72sc]

Brian, I've been to your place. Would love to see it when it's done. As far as a cover goes, the painter of mine said 3 months to let the solvents evaperate out of the paint or a cover will cause bubbles. We live in a cooler damper climate. It takes longer to cure. I would say side the carport. My thought is cover the sides to a foot from the ground to keep it dry but allow breathing to cut moisture condensation and then put a cover on car to protect it from the cats and dust. I like the covers Costco sells. There heavy duty and only about $50. I'm using them on both my 72 Camaro and my 69 Firebird convert. (in my garage)

[mjoc]

Find a shop to store the car for a couple of weeks get some UV lights and cure the paint put them on a timer. Have it come on for an hour then turn it off for 5-6 hours and repeat. It will cause the paint to harden like an epoxy

[Brian Callahan]

What about one of those car bubbles? Anyone have any experience with those? What's the best one to get? Is this one any good?

http://carcapsule.com/

[Brian Callahan]

By the way, nice car, SSDriver! Your car and ours could be twins. That's pretty much the paint job we're doing, and we'll have a cowl hood, too. Same rims, even!

[SSDriver]

Lol they are twins! We should get them together sometime

[Brian Callahan]

Ok, we have a plan. We're going to enclose the carport and install a forced ventilation system. I'm basically copying the concept from the "car capsule" I mentioned above. We got a fan with enough flow rate capacity to exchange the enclosed volume 4 times per hour, so that should evaporate any condensation and prevent rust. We also got a high efficiency, low restriction filter, so nothing but clean air will be blowing on the car.

To enclose the carport, we decided to use clear polycarbonate sheeting. That way, we won't block the view of the back yard. It turns out even Home Depot sells the stuff. Folks use it for greenhouses. It blocks all UV, and has a lifetime warranty.

Now, how to do a doorway? One idea was canvas with zippers up the sides and a roll-up bar like a big camping tent.

[earlysecond]

You really do not WANT to block the UV it will help cure the paint system. My car needs a good UV "bake" still and it was painted las fall.

[Paul 73]

On my paint job on my vette the painter said to only use the 3m hand glaze for the first 90 days, then I could waz after that. He said that the glaze does not use the paint to harden on the outside layer like wax does.

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1973 Z-28, Black with White Stripes. 383 shortblock by Wheller Motorsports with 993 heads, Comp XE268 cam, Comp roller rockers, Edelbrock EPS intake with 650 Speed Demon, Weiland water pump and 16" Spal electric fan & Be Cool rad, Dynomax Jet Hot coated headers with Flowmaster's American Thunder dual exhaust with a H pipe, Powermaster chrome 100 amp alternator, B&M Shift Improver kit in a TH350 trans,3.23 gears. Hurst Dual Gate shifter and Autometer Carbon Fiber gauges.

Http://camaroz28.cardomain.com/id/paul73

[dakdawn]

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by Brian Callahan:
What about one of those car bubbles? Anyone have any experience with those? What's the best one to get? Is this one any good? http://carcapsule.com/ </font>

I have entertained the idea of getting one... let us know how you like it should you get one!

[Rick WI]

Sun is bad for a paint finish. Paint is cured either through convection or radiant heat transfer not via UV. Leaving a car in the sun is a form of radiant heat. If a finish has not cured in a month it never will.

Your thoughts of isolating the car from the elements are sound. Air changes of 4 per hour is also sufficient. Do not expose the finish nor the car to sunlight though, even through the poly sheeting. It will not filter 100% of the UV, and will fade your interior and warp your dashpad. You will still have radiant energy pass through the plexiglass and be absorb by the car. If the car is being painted at a shop the finish should be baked. Granted, for maybe a week or so it may still outgas. But after that I can not imagine any downside to installing a soft, breathable cover to protect the finish.

Glaze is a viable but marginal alternative to a good coat of non silicone based wax for the first month or so. All raw paints are easily damaged by bird droppings, acidic rain and such.

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70 SS 454 CI Dynoed 684 HP, 702 TQ All Aluminium Fuel Injected Small Block , plus 200 - 500 HP NX nitrous system.

[james priest]

Brian, Hey I don,t know what your carport is like but here is an idea my father-in-law used on his lean-to. Go to home depot and buy a couple of rolls of screened mesh. Staple it up all around on three sides. Then get that vinyl plastic white latice material and cover the screen mesh. It will give it a nice look and protect the screen from rips and tares. For a make shift door he rigged up 2 small pullies in the ceiling and some rope to raise and lower a sheet of plastic weighted down by a treated 2x4!!! Does that make sense?
I would't put any type of cover on the car for at least a month. The paint shop you use should be able to give you the best advice for paint curing and protection for the environment in your region of the country. I know that in a rainy area like seattle it may take a little longer. Also some storage places may have spots large enough for a car and a couple of months storage shouldn't cost very much. Good Luck and post some pic of the new paint when you get her back!!!

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1970RS/SS 350 w/muncie4-speed,
1971 Coupe 355ci./th350
1973 RS 327ci/th400