Bodyshell prep and Painting

[darrenoakley]

Have been looking at other racers bodyshells and mine seems to look higher at the front. What line should I be cutting to. I cut my last one on the first line ie the one leaving the most plastic on the shell. Is this right or should I go for the next one up and that would make it lower in hight. Please help before I ruin anouther. Oh speed 6 by the way

[mattsedgley]

Les taught me to cut to the higher line, it's sometimes listed as the EFRA line, it stops it from catching on anything.

Next I do the body post holes, sit the shell over the car get it even front and rear, and left to right mark with a marker pen, then use a reamer to make them big enough for the posts to fit through.

Then I use a Ripmax compass cutter to run round a circle based on the axles of the car (I stole mine from Keith but you could buy one from Reality Racing), I score it a few times and then use the curved scissors to cut around it.

Once the body is sat on the posts and the holes are cut out for the wheels, I then push the shell in and trim wherever it binds on my wheels. Many thanks to Les for teaching me how to cut out bodies properly!

[darrenoakley]

That's what I did wrong then, cut the lower line and made it look gay. At least I can still cut some from the old one though. Cheers matt.

[TryHard]

Actually, as per the BRCA rules for 2010, there isn't an upper limit as too where you can cut the front bumper, so a lot of guys have been running there's higher still on the cut line. I'm currently cutting mine about halfway between the upper line and the top of the splitter.
Means you can get the front even lower, without catching, which is nice

This topic was discussed in length at the AGM, and basically it means the bodyshell rules that are being enforced for the BRCA nationals are the same as the EFRA rules (2mm increase in measurement block height, but no coresponding increase in roof height), and the front bumper cut line has been removed from the cut line rules.

Regards
Ed

[Reuben]

I always cut to the 2nd line on the front and sides (the top line). Cant get away with anything else at Bashley, unless you want to raise your body silly high and look like a pimped out drifter with a massive skirt

[lesbaldry]

Dec 30, 2009 10:55:01 GMT Reuben said:

I always cut to the 2nd line on the front and sides (the top line). Cant get away with anything else at Bashley, unless you want to raise your body silly high and look like a pimped out drifter with a massive skirt

;D

[darrenoakley]

That's it I have had it with bodyshell painting. I try and keep it simple with one black line and the rest orange and I still €¥€€ed it up. From now on its plain one color for me.
I don't know how some of you get them looking so neat.

[ian]

You could always pay someone else to do it....

What paints are you using ?

What airbrush / rattle can ?

What pressure ?

What are you using for masking ?

Personally I like waterbased stuff like Faskolor through my airbrush at about 40psi or thereabouts. I paint stuff for a living so use 3M plastic tape that gives a crisp line or masking vinyl ( transparent grey low tack vinyl ) or if it's really intricate I'll use masking fluid. Any tape or film you put onto a shell you need to push down REALLY hard so you don't get anything creeping under the mask. I always try and spray away from the edge of the mask, not into it as that's sure to get something creep under it. Before this I'll wash the shell, mask the windows and then go over it with a copper coloured scotch brite pad to give it a key.

Hope that helps, if you want any more advice give me a shout.

[darrenoakley]

Thanks Ian but too late for me i think
First problem was not cleaning it first, Then paint bleeding under the mask, Then water condensates on the inside, as i was doing it in a cold garage, And to top it off overspray some how got where it wasn't supposed too.
Managed to get a shell that looks ok from a distance if your blind but up close is rough as anything.
The wife has offered to do the next one so think i will let her.

But thanks for the advice and time mate.

[ian]

You shouldn't give up so easy Darren! It's not an easy thing to get right every time, but if you take your time and do a little bit each evening by the weekend you have a stunning looking shell, then you can actually say to people, I did that which is a bit of a buzz

Why haven't we got a body shell thread made into a sticky anywhere on here ? I found one with people talking about painting but that was a year ago and there are 1 or 2 pictures of shells but not much else.

So here are 2 of my recent attempts, not perfect but it's not easy painting backwards, they get the message across though and when they're going around the track you can't see the tiny mistakes ;D

[Reuben]

They are some nice body shells ian, even if they arent all multi-coloured like some of todays pro's the crisp lines are awesome.

I keep mine simple because when i get a bodyshell I want to paint and mask it up in 1-2 evenings. If its there I want to paint it! So i usually keep mine simple block colours and use 3m heat resistant tape (the blue stuff), and some of the thin TOP edging tape that you can get in Reality racing.

My last shell went a bit wrong thou as i put a little to much on the rear and it seeped under the tape - my fault and i saw it start to puddle and I just cried a little inside

here are a few of my recent simple ones:

[liampettit]

even if you do something wrong you can allways change you design

Attachments:

[Josh Hedge]

From the sounds of it making your own body shells rather than buying a pre cut one sounds hard. I will be starting my first one this weekend eak!

[mattsedgley]

Ian if you would like to do a step by step guide on how to do bodyshells, I'll sticky the thread and make it locked at the top of the setup section, also if it's in word or PDF we'll publish it to the interweb for you

I'll be picking your brains about painting come the third...

[mattsedgley]

some of mine..









The purple black and yellow ones were for Adam Roe! then he quit - I hope it wasn't my painting!

[ian]

@ Reuben - they look cool mate, nice neat lines, keeping it simple is what it should be about, so many designs on anything not just our cars get so overly complicated, good work, nice to see people are having a go at doing their own cars too, it's half the fun

@ Matt - hhhmmmm, an article about painting a shell, yeah that sounds cool, I can do that with the next one I paint so I can take photo's, although with the new job you might have to wait a month or so while I get myself sorted out. Can't see it being a problem though and as a pdf is no trouble, or I can just do it with links like I've used here and post it to the site ? ;D It will be quite cool, so I guess if anyone has anything they'd like to cover maybe suggest it now and I'll try and incorporate it
Your painting and masking looks neat too Matt, good job

[darrenoakley]

I think one of my main problems was not the right masking tape.

[Reuben]

I tired using the white stuff (well creamy in colour) once.. BAD BAD mistake, i may aswell have not used anything cos it would have given a better edge

BTW Ian if you want to see an impressive body-shell, pop into reality racing and have a look at Terry's shell he had painted. It really is impressive.

[darrenoakley]

Yeah I used the blue paper masking tape that household painters use.
Well you live and learn

Now the wife has said to buy 2 next time as she wants to paint one for me. Oh dear I can feel a pink flowers photon on the harizon

[Reuben]

it would suit your big skirt

going completely off topic, but girly flowers and colours related. Check out the new touring car from 3racing. Ill put a post up in general about it. ITS PINK!

[ian]

@ Darren - having the right tools does make the job easier. I use different masking tape for different things, the blue masking tape comes in 2 types, not sure which one you're reffering to ? If it's blue paper tape you're wasting your money as it's still in effect crepe tape, it's just water proof, which when you're working in a full size bodyshop is an advantage as the tape does come off when you wet flat the car. If it's the plastic blue tape it's soft and good for corners and is ideal for this.

I use that for some stuff buy mainly the grey ish green ish ? 3M FINE LINE TAPE, it comes in 3mm, 6mm, 12mm and if you know people in the states lots of sizes in between, particularly useful is the 1.5mm one, if you don't try www.jammydog.com/ as he does everything you'll ever need, cor look at me givin' away all me trade sources lol ;D

@reuben - I might just have to divert into Reality Racing tomorrow, I have to go out with the misses so that'll keep her happy lol Now you've said it I've got to see it, love looking at other painters stuff. To be honest I still find the bodyshells a bit of nightmare as I'm used to working the other way round, this is all backwards to me, but I shall keep going and see how good I can get

Right then, hopefully, cya all sunday with your little F1 cars

[lesbaldry]

Thats good info! 3m fine line tape along with Scotch fine line tape is the best and what the motor industry pros use,but no mater what tape you use any paint job is only as good as its prep.

Golden ruels Darren fully degrease the inside of the shell ie remove the release agent with fairy liquid and warm water.

Key all the painted areas with somthing like Scotch brite (washing up pan scourer) this gives the paint something to bite on also stops the paint flaking off at the first accident.

Importantly and no mater what tape you use if your first coat is laid thick and wet the solvent in the paint will creep under the tape!!..the first coat should allways be just a light "dust coat" sprayed a liittle further away than normal so it partly air drys befor it hits the shell,this will then seal the edges of the tape (when fully dry) the following coats now can be sprayed a little closer and thicker.

[darrenoakley]

I think when i do the next one if i dont do a plain all over i may just do the bonnet a different color,Keep it easy to start.

I thought that rubbing inside would be visible once painted but after wet and drying all the over spray on this one it doesn't show from the outside.

Lucky they are not lasting too long indoors that way i get plenty of practice in.

Only thing with one color is getting the right one, or the one that not too many have. I was thinking for the next one plain white with a graphite bonnet.

Thanks for all the advice though chaps.

[ian]

Well that's irritating, about an hour ago I typed out a reply to all this and I just looked but it didn't post it

Here we go again...

@ Reuben - yeah that's a really cool paint job Terry has on his shell, well masked / painted and different ! Never seen anything like that, good to see something different and it will show up great on the track!

Regarding what Lesbaldry said and just to echo it, the prep is the key to everything, pun totally intended keying the inside up is vital if you're masking on it so the colours don't pull off if you mask over them, also it will help the paint stay on if the body flex's in an impact.

@ Darren - The outside of the Shell is the final finish you look through, so as it's glossy that's what you'll be looking through, when I paint crash helmets I have to flat them down between clear coats, they go all dull but the second you gloss them up with more clear they come to life, the pearls and metallics glint in the light, the neon's start to burn your retina's out and the colours just get so much more depth. It's the same with a shell. I like your idea about doing a bonnet in graphite, it will look like a carbon bonnet as a quick glance. White's cool, if you used a pearl white it would give it another dimension, although I'd put some sponsor decals on so it doesn't look too plain.

[ian]

I don't get the chance to show off to often... so I thought I'd just post this up, some of my fav pieces over the last decade before I closed my business.

[mattsedgley]

Get you!

[yellowshark]

Ian I am a good buddy of Richard Rogers who you did the American flag for - so I am well acquainted with your excellent paint work!!!!!!

[ian]

Woohoo I'm famous ;D

[Reuben]

This is an LTC mask that i use to design my designs. can be useful for sketching when your bored on the train to uni or say in a boring lecture

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[ian]

Good idea Reuben ! I've got a mini template that might be useful to some of you ?



I tend not to use 3D, the graphics I work out to go on the side and top can then be scaled accordingly, I normally work life size. The 3D view isn't so easy to do this with but it depends how you work, easier to visualise with that though.

I usually work with 4 views to include a front and rear too but I've not got around to it for this yet or any other shell