My old Sigma was really looking a lot like a rust bucket in camouflage.

Over the years the horizontals gradually became a lovely brown patina with patches of oxidised OEM colour, cold galv and other assorted primers.

So, encouraged by some very interesting paint threads on AMC (like Mad Max's DIY paint a car project) I decided to give the old car a bit of make over.

The car is worth just a few cents and so I aimed for a "matching" paint job.
So to be sure - don't bother with comments about the "perfectionist" approach.

The make over:

First job was to clean the rust bucket with detergent and a scrubbing dishwashing sponge. This step is crucial and removes all the wax, tar, dirt, loose paint etc in readiness for priming.

Second job was to prime the areas to be painted. Because of the cold galv and other primers already used in various places, I selected a water based metal primer (as it needs to work on all surfaces - never use an alkalyd on zinc, been there before!).

Third job was to paint it with a good quality acrylic enamel paint. I used Wattyl Aqua Trim Gloss.

Now I used a brush to cut into all the edges/nooks and a roller for the large areas (DIY on a budget!).
Everything got 3 or 4 coats including the primer. Did the job outside and without bothering to shield anything.

The result is definetely a good, amateurish, textured, glossy finish that looks heaps, heaps better than before the DYI.
Just don't stand too close! Best of all I spend only $45 on the whole project and about 3 man days of labour.

Anyone want a picture?

Now here is a couple of questions for the experts viz,
Should I wax/seal this paint ones its "cured"?
Any guesses how long it might take to cure/harden?

Should I wax/seal this paint ones its "cured"?
Any guesses how long it might take to cure/harden?

Nope, let it cure and shrink back (if that type of paint does that).
Let the shine go off, before you touch it again - might take 6 months.
Then chuck some polish on it.

Yeah I want to see pictures!

$45, 3 days of fun exercise, and a better looking car. Winner!

Sadly, after 4 days of non stop rain, the paint has started to bubble.
The roof, which I did a few weeks ago, is fine. Probably had cured enough.
The bonnet and boot, which I did a couple of weeks ago, now has bubbles with water in them.
For the black paint I used white knight water based enamel and its water damage is the worst.
For the blue paint I used wattyl aquatrim water based enamel and it also has bubbles (smaller ones).

Sun is out (finally) and so I put the car in the sun to see if the bubbles will shrink.

Bummer!

water based enamels might dry ... lets wait and see


if not next time you want to paint it
chase down the oil based enamel paints which uses the turps as its thinner
and have it tinted to your color

Wait for the paint to dry out, then sand back the bubbled areas. Another coat of the same paint will fix it.
Mixing paint types at this stage is probably not a good idea, so stay away from turps based paint - no way to predict how that would react with the fresh water based paint.

I'll wait and hope it doesn't get worse.
Weather should be dry for the next few days so that's a positive.

Who knew it was going to rain for days (afterall its Australia - the dryest continent).
Just unlucky with paint jobs lately.

Now you know why the factory uses a temperature and humidity controlled spray booth!

I've had humidity blisters in acrylic paint before too, as the paint cures and shrinks back it will get better, any bubbles still evident can be rubbed back lightly and more paint applied. No big problem, just a bit of extra work needed. Maybe wait for Spring? Only about 6 weeks I think.

Got any picture of the car & problem areas?

what about one of those cheap white carport tent things
next time you spray it

some are cheaper then this one

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-WHITE-3x6-GAZEBO-PARTY-WEDDING-TENT-EVENT-MARQUEE-OUTDOOR-PAVILION/130782900654?_trksid=p2141725.c100338.m3726&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%2 6asc%3D20141212152715%26meid%3D4400c7cb33f14ae3886 831482099f7d4%26pid%3D100338%26rk%3D11%26rkt%3D28% 26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D131530903027

@ magna buff
That seems like a good idea for a temporary spray booth.

My problem though is one of curing the paint for a couple of months (these carport tent's are only a very temporary structure).
The acrylic absorbs moisture during that curing phase.
Even if the car gets wet its normally not a problem, as long as its gets to dry out again within a reasonable cycle.
Unfortunately it rained non stop for 4 days and that doesn't happen too often.
Paint got saturated for too long and lost its bond with the primer in spots - hence started to bubble.
Didn't pick it up, eventhough I looked (I was concerned but thought it had dried enough!).

Another paint lesson learned.

I wouldn't use this approach (outdoor, roller, no dry place to park etc) on a valuable car.
Just wanted to give the sigma a bit of an improved look rather than drive around it as something just retrieved from a wreckers junk yard.

Have taken some pictures and when I get my camera back I'll put them up (liven up the classic mitsu car section!!!!)

we are visiting canberra next year ...it better not rain for four days... fella


*in high summer that cover - doubles as a bake room

Some pictures!!!

http://i.imgur.com/ccaJImF.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/pg5wS6L.jpg

Close up of the paint work that shows the texture you get with a short nap roller and bog standard acrylic house paint.
http://i.imgur.com/SPVEjEV.jpg

Just as an update on the bubbles.

After several days in the sun the bubbles have receded and are mostly invisible.
Of course, there is no adhesion of paint to primer under the bubbles, so structural integrity on these spots is so so.
Most of the bubbles were about 3mm to 5 mm and hopefully the paint is tough enough to prevent them from peeling away (at least for a few years!!!!).

see never panic ... just worry a lot

very fine example of a sigma

I hate lousy results for my efforts - even on stuff that others would simply dump.

More good news! - $45 worth of "car make up" and my fellow road users are giving me lots more respect on the road.

Looks ok, other drivers probably look twice whereas before they just ignored you. lol

Yes, it look ok from a few metres away and that was the objective.

On the contrary!
Other drivers did look but with contempt for having to give way to a rusty old car.
And many simply took right of way regardless of the road rules.
I don't understand it, but there is a difference in road attitude by other road users, depending on the car I drive.
At least the verada KS commands equal right with other road users.

Interesting maybe!

After several weeks of the acrylic paint curing (hardening!), all the blisters that popped up from the paint becoming "water logged" just after doing the deed, are now undetectable.
Presumably the paint has slightly shrunk during the curing and stretched them away.

The paint also has become more resistant to absorbing water, so that these blister aren't returning after a few days of rain (car is parked outside).

That looks pretty good and I like the black detailing!