Alfa 156 paintwork project!

Irishcrx

So I have to take on the task of fixing the paintwork on my newly aquired Alfa, for some reason that just defies logic the previous owner decided to try and 'fix' the stone chips on the car of which there are many with this horrible black paint as opposed to doing it the right way with the right paint. Such a shame as Blue Vela is a lovely colour and he really has made a balls of this, what we have now is half the car covered in these big black blotches and half covered in paint chips, front is the worst but it's in places all over.

So , I can't afford a full respray but I can't leave it like this so I am going to attempt to fix this myself with the right paint , method and patience over the next few weeks. I've matched the paint code and started picking up the various bits and pieces I'll need.

3 cans of blue vela colour code 400 paint.
T-Cut colour blue
Clear laquer
Scratch remover
Car wax & polish
Sandpaper & Blocks
Safety glasses
Gloves

I think I'll tackle the black parts first, I'll need to sand them all right down and out to the primer at least. Once they are all out I'll have a base to work with, then wet sand all the other stone shipped parts and dry, apply a few coats of paint to each area until it looks well, dry , apply t-cut to blend in and scratch remover then allow to dry. Apply clear coat of laquer and after drying wax and buff to finish.

Hopefully that will work, it can't look any worst than it is now. Anyone have any advice maybe someone has done this before?

Car doesn't deserve this abuse, she needs TLC.

166man

Christ that's a sinful job...:eek:

Nice car though, more details?

Toyotafanboi

i think your images are hosted on a site i'm not registered to?

Irishcrx

Added them as attachments there, didn't realise they couldn't be seen.

Lol details , she's a 2 litre Twin spark, full leather sportspack 3...

Toyotafanboi

****, nice from a far but far from nice :pac: who in their right mind would do that. looking forward to seeing you bring it around.

is that cream leather btw?

166man

Irishcrx wrote: »

Added them as attachments there, didn't realise they couldn't be seen.

Lol details , she's a 2 litre Twin spark, full leather sportspack 3...

Lovely stuff, what do you think of it to drive?

Irishcrx

Yeah I think 166 hit the nail on the head sinfull, I did question him on it but didn't get much back other than...

'Ah ya know like, just something to cover it up!'

But given that the engine was bunny hoping like **** for a while and he didn't bother his arse to check it to which he said...

'Ah sure ya know, just keep the revs low and you won't notice'

It's been fixed, was a split air intake, also changed the plugs, oil , MAF and have a new filter on order + thermostat.

To drive, fantastic I've had some decent cars but I really really like this, the engine is lovely pulls like a train and has that engine note, handling is sharp and responsive and the cabin is just a lovely place to be. Seats are tan leather not cream...

166man

Irishcrx wrote: »

Yeah I think 166 hit the nail on the head sinfull, I did question him on it but didn't get much back other than...

'Ah ya know like, just something to cover it up!'

But given that the engine was bunny hoping like **** for a while and he didn't bother his arse to check it to which he said...

'Ah sure ya know, just keep the revs low and you won't notice'

It's been fixed, was a split air intake, also changed the plugs, oil , MAF and have a new filter on order + thermostat.

To drive, fantastic I've had some decent cars but I really really like this, the engine is lovely pulls like a train and has that engine note, handling is sharp and responsive and the cabin is just a lovely place to be. Seats are tan leather not cream...

Quoted for the next imbecile who come's on to lay into Italian cars...:D

Yep mines only the 1.6 but even that pulls well, I can only imagine what the 2.0 is like. Eventually got fed up waiting and bought a GTV 2.0. It needs work but once it's up and running I'll know for sure.

Lovely cars aren't they? Find a reasonably good one and you're laughing.

Best of luck with the paintjob, mine has plenty of stone chips, would be interested to see how yours pans out!

Toyotafanboi

it's getting to the stage where i'd really enjoy a 156 for its character!

just couldn't handle the probability of unreliability, yet.

166man

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

it's getting to the stage where i'd really enjoy a 156 for its character!

just couldn't handle the probability of unreliability, yet.

Hehehe slowly but surely... We'll see what happens when you have a go of the GTV at the end of the summer...;)

I'll make an Alfa fan out of you yet..:D

Toyotafanboi

we sure will i enjoyed the engine note of your 156 anyway!

just t-belts every 30k miles and stuff, i just don't know if i could hack that!

dgt

166man wrote: »

Yep mines only the 1.6 but even that pulls well, I can only imagine what the 2.0 is like....

Hehe the 2.0 is fantastic to go

OP if it were me.... I'd prob respray the whole car :eek: I know that isn't an option but it will be hard to match dark colours

166man

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

we sure will i enjoyed the engine note of your 156 anyway!

just t-belts every 30k miles and stuff, i just don't know if i could hack that!

Let me know when you're around Dublin next, you must see the other Alfa's, especially the GTV...

Belts are every 36k miles or three years. If I do 12k miles a year it's 3 years between. 'Tis quite a long time and it is a DIY job if you have the tools.

There are many suspension components though that do go and need replacing. Other than that it's fairly standard fare, however these cars have plenty of annoying little things that go wrong so you have to be prepared! It's only little stuff though! I swears!

Irishcrx

Yep loads of 'consumable' parts but I swear it's worth it! Nothing like them...

Respray would be best option but I think I can fix this myself...slash hope!!...can't afford a respray but I'm confident I can have a go I have a large garage out the back for the work as well used to be a mechanics garage with pit and hoist the lot...bit shabby right now have been meaning to fix it up but will do the job for this...

biko

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

i think your images are hosted on a site i'm not registered to?

Yeah, you need to be registered on www.alfaowner.com to see the embedded pics.

georgefalls

So nice to see a thread with "Alfa" in the title, and find its not full of Alfa bashers.

You know the ones, they know everything bad about Alfas, yet they've never owned/driven or even sat in one.

Irishcrx

georgefalls wrote: »

So nice to see a thread with "Alfa" in the title, and find its not full of Alfa bashers.

You know the ones, they know everything bad about Alfas, yet they've never owned/driven or even sat in one.

Oh I know the one's , have had plenty since buying the car. Down in my Dad's on Sunday his mate walks in...

' I see you bought an Alfa, I wouldn't drive one of them at all nothing but hassle'

' Have you ever driven one?'

'No'

'Right!'

Typical example! Can't wait to get in at this paint , I washed and waxed it down last night so I could see everything clearly...it's gonna take a full weekend to fix this paintwork is very bad all around...as they say where theres a will theres a way right?!

georgefalls

On the upside though.
All those "wouldn't touch it with a barge pole" merchants out there, means there are a loads of really good used ones kicking around, being sold for next to nothing.

Their loss, our gain..!

I'm on my third, never had any major problems. Kept them all serviced regular, and looked after them.

166man

georgefalls wrote: »

On the upside though.
All those "wouldn't touch it with a barge pole" merchants out there, means there are a loads of really good used ones kicking around, being sold for next to nothing.

Their loss, our gain..!

I'm on my third, never had any major problems. Kept them all serviced regular, and looked after them.

What you driving George? :cool:

georgefalls

I had a 166 TS. Sold it and got an 01 Spider. Just got rid of the wife's Suzuki Ignis, in favour of a 156 Ti... Lovely motor..

Irishcrx

I'd love a spider one day, great for the summer days (The one or two a year we get) , do you find the new Ti much differant from the older Twin spark models?

I'm starting the prep work on the car this evening and I've tomorrow and Friday off work to really get into it so hopefully be finished by Saturday. I'm half looking forward to it and half dreading it going horribly wrong but I think I've planned ahead enough and have a basic idea of what I'm doing.

Tonight:
Washing the car down completely, taking all wax and grease off etc
Preparing all the areas with masking tape covering all parts that are not to be touched.
Start sanding the black spots off down to the metal (As long sun light lasts)

Tomorrow:
Sanding all other parts
De-Badging the 156 badge in the rear to repair bubbling paint underneath
Adding primer to all areas
3 base coats
Laquer

Saturday:
Add rubbing compound to blend
Polish
Wax

Sunday:
Take pretty pictures and go for a drive??

kenon

Following with interest. I have a 156 which I adore. Unfortunately in the last month or so it's picked up some scratches somehow and they are starting to catch my eye.

Where does the scratch remover come in in your schedule?

georgefalls

Comprehensive list, but you forgot de-tarring. You'll probably have loads on it, hard to see on a dark car.:eek:

The Ti is an 05 model facelift. Very nice on a flat road, not so nice on the back road bumpy bits though.

Been trying to get the missus into an alfa for ages, she eventually went kicking and screaming.

Now she calls it "My Alfa". Never did that before with any of her other vehicles. Was always just "My car". I think she may be catching "the bug"...:)

georgefalls

kenon wrote: »

Following with interest. I have a 156 which I adore. Unfortunately in the last month or so it's picked up some scratches somehow and they are starting to catch my eye.

Where does the scratch remover come in in your schedule?

You'd be better off with a machine polish, if the scratches are deep enough to be noticeable.

I got myself a DA polisher a while back. Best investment I ever made. Does a brilliant job, then its much easier to keep it looking that way.

Irishcrx

Agree with George, you'd be better off with a polish to get the scratchs out depending on how deep they are, I've seen rubbing compound used to good effect on them as well.

I'm not using scratch remover as I'll be sanding all of them out completely and re-painting rather than trying to save what's there. De-tarring I've overlooked that bit , better read up on it a bit so...

Ah yes, If it's now 'My Alfa' you've got her hook line and sinker, plus now you have two Alfa's to drive, that was the plan all along wasn't it

georgefalls

Irishcrx wrote: »

Ah yes, If it's now 'My Alfa' you've got her hook line and sinker, plus now you have two Alfa's to drive, that was the plan all along wasn't it

It most certainly was.. I hated driving the Suzuki, when it was too wet out for my beloved Spider...:D

aiden25

Hi
A big job your taking on. A bit of advice for what its worth. You shouldn't need to strip paint off to primer just flat it wit some 1200 wet n dry to dull paint. After you remove the black. T-cut not the best to use as it contains amonia which will dull fresh paint, better to use farecla G3 (fine cut)
Good luck
aiden

dharn

Will it not be very difficult to blend patches sprayed with an aerosol you could be heading for disaster

Irishcrx

Some updated pictures of work in progress, the rain eventually came so had to stop luckily I had the paint done by then in the front and it had dried. Still have to buff and polish the paint, took hours of sanding and prep but I got all them black spots out of the bodywork. Had to de-badge the rear end as the damage there was quite bad with bubbling paint, still have the finish the rear bumper and side quarter need better weather and more paint but have it primed.

dharn

I cannot believe you have virtually resprayed you car outside in the wind and rain with aerosol cans I will be amazed if it does turn out well, sorry to be a doubter, but why would any one buy a spray booth, spray gun etc if you can get a perfect finish with a few cans sprayed on a wet day

Irishcrx

It wasn't done in the wind and rain it was dry when I did the work and had time to dry before it started raining, I'm not sure on the end result until I finish so I'll see how it is then..

dharn

Well I might have exaggerated a bit but there is always dust, moisture, in the air, the top coat could turn white (bloom) due to humidity, but best of luck to you, btw im talking from experiece here, ie making a balls of it

georgefalls

It looks ok in the blurry pics though

Seriously, fair play for having a go. It couldn't possibly look any worse than before you started.

Irishcrx

Close inspection this afternoon it looks ok, I made sure to get a good bit of laquer on to protect it but there is still a few spots of the colour being lighter here and there so I'll have to go over them again when I'm doing the rear quarter panels. Looks much better than when I started though.

I had a go myself because I couldn't justify spending the guts of a grand on a respray and I couldn't look at them black spots, if it was a newer car I would have sent it to a bodyshop but it's something I wanted to have a go at and see how doable it was and what results that came of it, bodyshops charge an arm and a leg and I think people are too quick to send cars in for small repairs that are DIY jobs if you have the right paint and tools so I thought it was worth having a go.

Imagine paying for a respray and even though I plan to maintain the car the best I can head gasket blown, cars in the bin!

bobin fudge

think it looks pretty bad to be honest , particularly the boot, but fair play for having a go.

200 max would have got the bonnet done but I understand your point in not wanting to spend big on the car

Irishcrx

Wasn't just the bonnet though, was bonnet, both wings , all doors and rear end. Still has to be finished with paint, buffed , polished and wax will take pics then in the sun..

Neilw

To me it looks like there is nowhere near enough paint on it, light spots all over it.
Are you going to paint over the clear you already applied?

michael999999

could you not have got a shed to spray it in?

the moisture will affect the way the lacquer dries, it may well all fall off when you try and buff it.

giant_midget

The color will never be right doing it like this, infact over time it will look worse. You would have been better off cleaning off the stone chip repairs and then touch it up yourself.

Painting sections with rattle cans like you are doing will only make it worse..I understand the want/need to try things yourself but i fear you didnt think this through properly...but sure what the hell it's your car...:)

psicic

I hope it works out - can't wait to see more pictures when op gets around to putting them up.

MetzgerMeister

Well done for having a go indeed OP but a few things -

- Paint and lacquer need heat to cure properly. I see there's drops of rain on the newly painted areas, this isn't a good idea.

- When cars are resprayed by professionals in a booth with extraction fans etc (i.e. top level pro's) they will always say to the owner of the car to not apply polish or wax or anything like that for at least 3 weeks. Fresh paint doesn't like these chemicals.

166man

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

When cars are resprayed by professionals in a booth with extraction fans etc (i.e. top level pro's) they will always say to the owner of the car to not apply polish or wax or anything like that for at least 3 weeks. Fresh paint doesn't like these chemicals.

Good thing it wasn't a professional jobbie so!

aiden25

How did you get on with your paint work. Happy with the result?

MetzgerMeister

166man wrote: »

Good thing it wasn't a professional jobbie so!

What do you mean by that??

I meant that even with professional jobs where each layer of paint is around 40 microns thick, it's still a bad idea to apply polish or wax.

The job the OP has done would be about 20 microns thick if even that.

I know it's an Alfa and I know you're getting emotional about it but take the googlesa offa :v

aiden25

just seen yor posts!

head the ball!

nail varnish/polish remover will get rid of all that black crap paint

166man

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

What do you mean by that??

I meant that even with professional jobs where each layer of paint is around 40 microns thick, it's still a bad idea to apply polish or wax.

The job the OP has done would be about 20 microns thick if even that.

I know it's an Alfa and I know you're getting emotional about it but take the googlesa offa :v

Ah I was taking the Michael! I understand what you mean, never knew it was a bad idea to apply even wax after a respray, I understand why not to polish it but why no wax? Surely that would seal in the finish even better?

Genuinely curious here... I'm always emotional about Alfa's...:D

MetzgerMeister

With fresh paint, wax can "melt" or mix into it. Remember, wax is used to seal the paint from the outside world. It's a more extreme version of waiting for one coat of paint to dry before applying another.

166man

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

With fresh paint, wax can "melt" or mix into it. Remember, wax is used to seal the paint from the outside world. It's a more extreme version of waiting for one coat of paint to dry before applying another.

Very curious to see how this 156 turns up now tbh!

head the ball!

scrapyard most likely ;/

Irishcrx

Nop she's not in a scrapyard , I've been busy with work and was waiting on additional supplies as I cleared Micks Garage out of paint!...It's fully dry now so going to polish and wax over the weekend and I'll stick some pictures up,, she's not perfect nor did I expect it to be but to me it's a hell of a lot better than what I started with.

Which was my goal!