Jobs - How to paint your vee dub on the cheap

I have been asked on kamperchat a couple of times about 'coach paint'. This stuff is not new by anymeans, I can remember my dad painting his old commer camper in it back in the 70's.

Basically it is a hard wearing paint that when brushed on *in the right conditions*,will give your vehicle a new lease of life, and look like a respray. If a professional was to put it on, you wouldn't be able to tell the differance between it and a spray job.

Even an ameture that has never painted with it before can achive results(if done in the right conditions)that would not be possible to tell the differance between it and a respray, unless you got close up.

The price of the stuff is expensive, being between 15-20 quid a litre depending on where you go.*BUT* because a little goe's a long way, 1 ltr will more or less do your whole bus! Now, the trick is to apply it to your vehicle (if doing it outside) on a dry,cold, but windless day. *IT SHOULD NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BE PUT ON ON A HOT OR DAMP DAY OR A DAY WHERE IT IS SUNNY*.

The reason for this is that the stuff is designed to dry virtually as soon as you put it on your vehicle, as you brush it on, the brushmarks dissapear, but if it is to warm, the brushmarks won't get chance to dissapear before it dries. Don't try to work it in like household gloss, just work it enough so that you don't get runs.

Inside a garage would be the ideal place to do this, you could paint a whole camper in a day or so with it. You will also need to use a good quality *SOFT* brush, that the hair's are not going to come out of. Most places that sell car paint should either have it in stock, or can order it in.

If you look in your local phone book for 'car motor factors' or something, ring them and ask for 'COACH PAINT', tell them it's the brush on paint that the brushmarks dissapear on when you paint with it. I cannot remember now wether it's enamel based, or synthetic. But it is the next best thing that you can get to a respray, for a fraction of the cost, And it comes in all colours.

When you get it, just practise a little first on the shed or garage wall or something, and by only a few brush strokes you will soon be in the swing of it. As with all paint jobs, wether it be brushed on or sprayed, make sure there is know polish on your vehicle before you put it on. The best thing to do, is to thoughroughly wipe over your whole vehicle with *METHS ONLY* or some other sort of spirit before you start painting.

*DON'T USE TERPS OR WHITE SPIRIT* as these are oil based, and give it a bit of a key by using a fine grade wet & dry. You can use a 'coach primer' first if you want, but because it does cover well, is not really nessasary.

If you do get runs in it, don't panic, as you can sand them out when it is dry, but you will have to repaint that whole panel again, as it goe's on quite thick, and you will see the overpaint. Once it has hardend off, (give it a week or so) you can t.cut and polish it like any new paint job.

Oh, one other tip, if you run short of time, make sure that you finish off the panel you are painting before you leave it, otherwise you will see where you started again when you next get chance to do it.