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MG MGA - mga 1600 needs new paint

As you can see in the pic my mga s in need of new paint NB paint on piping !!. I assume its best to take it back too bare metal.

Whats the best way to strip it back.

prep: lead loading or filler ?

paint systems

cellulose (which primer how do I treat the bare metal ?

or 2k.

do I take panels off etc and paint separately ?

or I could do temporary fill and touch up to keep me on the road




DJ Joy

"or I could do temporary fill and touch up to keep me on the road"

It's not going to keep you off the road! If you are not happy with the way it looks then you need to fix it.

The only way to fix it properly is to remove the wings. Note that the wings and body are painted, the (grey plastic) piping isn't. The reason that the paint has bubbled and split is that it was painted over without separating and preparing/painting inside the joint first.

With the wings removed the corrosion needs to be ground or blasted out and any holes welded up. The area can then be sanded back and filled as necessary. The only way to get a perfect finish is to respray the wings and front and rear shroud, in which case you might as well do the doors and bonnet/boot if you want the colour to match...

N McGurk

DJ, definitely take panels off and spray individually. From the pic you will have creeping rustdown between the fender and body. You don't necessarily have to strip all the old paint, if it is firm. Only in those areas where there is bubbling or obvious rust, feather it back and do those areas as befits their condition.
You can smooth down the existing paint and use an epoxy primer-sealer which will prevent any paint interaction.
Also, plan to spray when it is warm, above 15 C.
Art Pearse

Hi DJ - welcome to the MGA world. I had to take off my wings to spray them correctly - see photo - it is a straight forward operation to get them off, but not as easy to put them back with the piping staying straight! - get your correct piping from Bob West.
The cracks on yours look to be on the front shroud so with the wings off you will be able to take it back to a good sound surface - which may have to be bare metal especially on the surface where it joins the wings - fingers crossed it hasn't rotted as that is a favourite place for it. Lead loading was never used on the MGA (as far as I know) but you may have to use a bit of filler to level any minor surface imperfections - then use etch primer as your first coat followed by a couple of primer coats then several top coats of colour. Many people now use 2k but I know a lot of people do not like it as it is often too shiny - it's down to personal preference. I used 2k on mine.


Cam Cunningham

Just an aside comment on Cam's comment above.

Lead loading was certainly used on MGAs as I found out to my horror many years ago. The place I found lots of it on my 1958 coupe was where the rear of the roof meets the rear shroud. I had never heard of lead loading when I suddenly found lead flowing everywhere.

Paul
P M Dean

It was also used on the roadster at each side of the front shroud where it meets the A-pillar.
N McGurk

So wings , doors bonnet and boot of. If I use 2K does it need to be baked, it seems quite a complex area. I understand it is now water based.

Is it best to chemical strip or other. I understand that you can hire soda / sand blasting equipment. Has any one any experience .

Thanks for all the advice.
DJ Joy

DJ, if you blast with anything then you will lose any filler material, which might have been good work, and you will have to re-do it. Could be time consuming.
Art Pearse

Standard 2k paint does not need a high temperature bake but at this time of year some heat would not come amiss. The vehicle refinishing industry is moving away from 2k rapidly because of toxicity issues. You really need a filtered air supply to a full mask to use it. Most compressors running off a standard 13 amp socket will not supply enough air for both a mask and a spray gun. I know some people spray with it outdoors with little personal protection, I wouldn't risk it however.

Unless something new has come on the market in the last couple of years then water based paint does really need to be baked. I did a paint course a few years back and I think the bake temperature we used was 60 deg C. Water is the solvent and it needs heat to drive it off unless you are prepared to wait hours for it to dry - think household gloss paint. It will also need a 2k lacquer as a top coat to give a hard finish. 1K lacquers are available but I have heard that they are tricky to use.

For home painting you really are best sticking with cellulose. It is still readily available from specialists. However, most mainstream suppliers to the refinishing trade no longer stock it and will probably tell you it is banned which it isn't.
Malcolm Asquith

Has anyone used Isocyanate free 2k paint? is it better than cellulose ?

My plan is to take the panels off deal with the inside surfaces rust treat and seal.
Outside take back to metal, chemical strip and use DA, rust treat , fill , seal , high build then colour coat.

Just need to decide on paint system. I used cellulose on my old B, came out quite well. But I quite like the idea of using epoxy primer, it sounds tough and creates a good seal.
DJ Joy

I suppose almost anything is better than cellulose lacquer. In 1986 I used acrylic lacquer for my first restoration, partly thinking originality, and partly because it dries quick and can be sanded and re-sprayed in short order. The pigment was "thin" or translucent, so it required many coats for good coverage. It makes a good show car finish when sanded flat, buffed and polished ("20 coats of hand rubber lacquer"). It is also brittle and chips easily, not so good for a regular road car. Mine had lots of paint shipped off the front end in the first few years of use.

In 1998 and again in 2008 I used acrylic enamel with the catalyzing hardener (also on several other cars since 1998). This is a 3-part mix with enamel, reducer, and hardener. It is not nearly as dangerous or difficult to use as is sometimes posed. Read the instructions carefully, and it calls for using a carbon filter respirator mask, which works very well. The only thing you smell is the plastic on the inside of the mask, so long as you keep the mask on while in the painting environment. The fresh air feed pressurized respirator is recommended for the professionals who paint every day.

Acrylic enamel is tough stuff (much more chip resistant), with or without the hardener. I use it on the engine without the hardener, as engine heat will bake it on with first running. The hardener may give it a more glossy finish on the engine. Otherwise, like old time enamel, without the hardener it takes a long time to dry before it can he sanded or buffed. With the hardener added it can "cure" in as little as 12 hours well enough for wet sanding and buffing. I commonly work on 24 hour cycles for paint, cure, wet sanding and the next spraying.

Enamel is also more opaque and goes on a little thicker, so it covers much better with the first coat. A professional restoration shop recently disclosed a personal tech tip for his use of acrylic enamel. He instructs the paint supplier to use 30% more pigment in the color mixing than original specification, claiming it is much more opaque and may be finished with a single spraying.
Barney Gaylord

Thanks Barney, so three part Acrylic enamel sounds good. I need to ask colour to be mixed with 30% more pigment from the supplier. What pressure do you spray at and what primers do you use.
Kind regards
DJ Joy

I second Barney's comments about acrylic enamel. just done most of mine with Starfire brand. $70/gal c/w reducer & hardener. Covers in 2 coats, which can be sprayed one after the other.
Art Pearse

This thread was discussed between 10/11/2012 and 12/11/2012

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