Morris Minor Owners Club

I have a number of areas that need painting.

2 bumpers, currently Green

1 Front wing, currently badly sprayed silver

A small patch around the bonnet flash, and a few small chips and rust spots.

a) Should i sand the wing and bumpers back to bare metal?

b) Where can i get, and how much do i need of etch primer, and primer?

c) How much topcoat would i need?

I see various Minor specialists sell 400ml spray cans, but at £8-9 per can, that seems pretty pricey, Is there anywhere else i can get it?

Also where can i get Jenolite?

So many questions!

Jenolite - Halfrauds? Any independent motoring place ought to have it - you done an internet search?

400ml spraycans - try all the suppliers. Try your local motoring place. Aerosols are expensive if you want to paint the whole car, but are fairly mess-free if you want to touch in a couple of areas.

You could do the bonnet flash and chips with aerosol, and perhaps the bumpers, but painting a whole panel could be a bit beyond them. For larger areas, really you'll need a spray gun and compressor, I suppose, and that's where my knoweldge disppears totally!

knoweldge disppears totally!

Really

And my typing skills, evidently.
A thousand apologies, sire!

Says Kevin who has never made a spelling mistake....

Ahem, back to the subject. A 400 ml can will just about cover a wing with one coat, so you would need at least two, and perhaps a third to do the other bits. Touch up paint is also available to cover stone chips, but I have to warn you that it's well nigh impossible to get a perfect match with this or the aerosol cans.

I note East Sussex Minors charge £8.95 + VAT per can (then add postage). However if you can find a local paint specialist they can probably undercut that - I had two cans of Bermuda blue mixed up for £8.95 each (You will need the manufacturer's paint code) . You should be able to get red oxide primer for less than £4 a can.

Sand back to bare metal? This is usually the best bet because different paints can react against each other. If the green cellulose paint on the bumper valences hasn't any cracks or flaking it might be OK to flat it down and spray your colour over it. You could also try a small patch on the silver paint - if nothing happens after a few weeks it might be OK to over spray the wing. It depends on the finish you want.

Our local Halfrauds Superstore also have the facility to make up cans of paint for around that price so if you have a local one it could be worth a try if you dont have a local specialist.
As four my speeling, thanx Chris, butt yoo must be thinking of sumone else

Would it be feasible to paint a complete car using spray cans as I have seen 300ml cans in a stock clearance sale at a local motor accessory shop...£2 a can.
Neil

Even so, it would still work out very expensive, and the finish would not be great as the aerosols produce too fine a mist with not enough volume. If you want it covered in paint then go with aerosols. If you want a GOOD job then get it done with a compressor.