Repainting a sunburned Suburban and a few ??s
- This topic has 15 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 5 months ago by .
- Posts
I have a 91 3/4 ton Suburban that I will be using as a tow rig. 73,380 miles on the ODO, It was optioned with all of the good parts, TBI 454, 4L80E, 3.73 locking rear, etc. Whats sweet is it’s basically a newer reliable EFI/Electronic HD transmission truck in a classic trucks skin. Nothing quite as comfortable riding down the road as these old GMs. I’ve already built the 454, now it’s time to get some paint on this thing. Nothing special, just want to redo the factory colors with a good base/clear and the do the red vinyl pin-stripe in paint under the clear. All of the SS and Aluminum trim will be removed and polished, new weatherstripping, etc.
Anyhow, you’ll see the problem in the attached pics, the front passenger fender, hood, and roof were all repainted and they are for the most part in OK condition. I originally thought this was because of a collision, but after calling the dealer whom sold the truck new and did the work, it was actually a warranty job. He told me that they strip them down to metal, prime and paint. This makes sense, because in the TSBs from GM, they specifically state that only the panels that fade within the certain period are to be painted. The good panels are not. The top layer appears to be flaking but it is actually the black sunburning away into nothing (it’s single stage paint) and the primer showing below it. The silver on the sides is solid, the repainted areas are solid except for the hood. It looks like someone spilled some kind of chemical on a small area of it so I’m just going to strip it completely, prime, block, etc.
The question is, what should I do with the paint on this truck before laying down the color? 80 grit rough it up, HOK KD3000 prime then paint? 400 grit, then sealer, then paint? What do you guys think? Keep in mind that this thing isn’t going anywhere, I will be keeping it for a long time and I will be driving it.
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img839/3091/2012021715314967.jpg[/IMG]
With his younger sister, Cameron 😀
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img441/5003/1365215822830.jpg[/IMG]
I would strip it. :unsure:
strip it , then at least you will be sure it will be good for a long time!
I was leaning that way, at least the black area, but if I’m having it done, might as well do ALL of it. So now I guess the question is… Sandblast or sodablast? If I sodablast, what is the best process to get the residue off of the metal before I prime it?
anyone have a 72″ longboard for when I block the roof? :rofl
If I was doing it I wouldn’t sandblast or mediablast unless it had a lot of paint (which is not the case :cheer: ) or if it is rust pitted. I would most likely sand it down to metal on the factory painted panels. You could use a chemical stripper but you would have to be careful to protect the jambs and lower sections from the stripper. Also on panels without body work you could use an etch primer and skip the 2k primer and go straight to a 2k sealer at least with dupont and standox you can. By the way,you have 2 nice rides there. Post some pics. when your’e done. :cheers
I´m with Dlambert here , if you have the time then just sand it , a DA with p80 does the job in no time.
Strip it to metal with 80 grit on a DA on grind mode would be my opinion, i have a 1995 GMC sierra at my shop at the moment with the same problem, im taking it to metal.
Maybe I’m just getting lazy, but if it were me, I’d just buzz the the whole thing really good with 400-500 grit and a red scotch brite pad. It looks to be in pretty good shape. Then spray 2 coats of your favourite 2k single stage and call it a day. I would consider sealer if needed…
I can’t imagine taking that apart, stripping it, priming blocking, then spraying it again. Unless you have unlimited time or want to make a show car out of it…
[quote=”Ben” post=31870]Maybe I’m just getting lazy, but if it were me, I’d just buzz the the whole thing really good with 400-500 grit and a red scotch brite pad. It looks to be in pretty good shape. Then spray 2 coats of your favourite 2k single stage and call it a day. I would consider sealer if needed…
I can’t imagine taking that apart, stripping it, priming blocking, then spraying it again. Unless you have unlimited time or want to make a show car out of it…[/quote]
I agree a good sand down would be good enough for me, i would only strip it down if it had been painted multiple times, with unknown products., though i may sand it down with 240-320 and wet and wet it.
If it is just to be a workhorse and not a show vehicle why give yourself to much aggravation :blink:
Good points made by all. I’m thinking that I will end up stripping, priming, blocking and sealing the black areas at a minimum. The primer/sealer I use makes quick work of it and I know how black is, it shows every imperfection. If I have it media blasted, I can go from as it sits to primed and ready for blocking in a couple days time. The silver, however, is as it left the factory and relatively straight, I’m comfortable buzzing it with 80 to get some tooth and seal it when I’m doing the rest of the truck. For durability, the black on the bottom will be covered with line-x so I’m not worried too much about that.
It will be a “workhorse” but not as a beater. It’ll be something I use to tow my boat, or a trailer with my Camaro when/if I take it to track days. I’ll probably daily drive it 3 days a week also.
Also you need to take in account if you are a biz than it´s also your bussines card , then , in my opinion , it should be perfect.
[quote=”Rob1962″ post=31883]Also you need to take in account if you are a biz than it´s also your bussines card , then , in my opinion , it should be perfect.[/quote]
My thoughts exactly!
I hear you guys, it isn’t my business card necessarily, but I’ll be using it to visit polo grounds and maybe date nights with my girlfriend. There’s a fine line between a classic restored truck and something that looks like a half-ass repaint. Hence the reason I’m replacing the body/side moldings and weather stripping when I do paint it.
I looked at it closer this weekend with painting in mind. I may even end up doing the inside of the doors and door jambs. The dashboard is also orange peeled (right from the factory :headsmack: ) and I find myself REALLY resisting the urge to pull it apart to re-spray. lol.
[quote=”1BadAction” post=31898] and I find myself REALLY resisting the urge to pull it apart to re-spray. lol.[/quote]
Just give in and do it right , you know you want it and you know you will regret it if you don´t 😉
And if you are a painter everything you drive is your businesscard , whenever and where ever you drive it , even if it´s not your own biz people will allways look at what your car looks like and make a judgement.
No I’m not a painter, I just do my own stuff because I enjoy doing it.
I probably will end up seeing what it’ll take to get the dash out, IIRC it’s not really that hard of a job to unbolt everything.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.