How much paint to cover a TC?

[Osiris610]

I am taking my TC down to bare metal all over, and I am wondering about the quantity of paint that it will need to refinish it. I've heard that it is considerable for TCs, as both surfaces of many parts are painted. TCs Forever says that about 12 liters, or 3 gallons of paint are needed. I presume that this refers to the color coat. Is this about right, in your experiences?

Thanks! Mike

[Ray White]

I have used at least 12 .5 litres and just finished the paint on my TC. In fact I may have used more than that but I have not had it easy, I think it depends on if you are doing the job as a professional or as an amateur. There have been many unexpected problems; for example unexpected reaction of the gloss onto the primer. Then there have been the difficulty in getting the surface perfect as there always seems to be a bit that got missed. Even in a clean environment the DIY enthusiast has to contend with the odd insect or stray hair that spoils the finish.

One thing to watch out for if using nitro cellulose is rubbish paint. I have had problems with grit which has meant double or even triple filtering the thinned paint. One particular irritation has been little black flecks that have to be filtered out.

One thing to be aware of is that the usual suppliers of MG TC parts who also do paint, add a huge mark up. I found it much cheaper to deal directly with the paint shop. The quality issue is the same however.

[68bullittbuilder]

3 gallons seems excessive. Going down to bare metal is fine and yes you'll be spraying inside and out on some pieces but you won't use that much.
When you say paint I assume you mean acrylic urethane. I wouldn't bother with enamel. I ask because mix ratios are different so coverage will change. 1 gallon of single stage is 1.25 gal with catalyst, I don't count 5% reducer. 1 gallon of urethane basecoat will be 2 gallons sprayable material.
Having said that, color will determine coverage along with primer choice. If you're going to bare metal get your bodywork done there with finish at your primer surfacer which is usually grey. Now with your epoxy as a sealer pick the appropriate color that correlates with your topcoat. Doing this gets you full hiding in fewer coats. My TC is a deep green so my sealer was black.
I bought 1 gallon surfacer, 3 gallons epoxy(for the wheels too), 2 gallons plus hardener of single stage urethane. Inside the car got 2 coats of epoxy, no topcoat. Why waste material? I had quite a few extra pieces because of my particular build, some partz got 4 coats because of color rubbing and still I used less than 1.5 gallons.
Oh yeah, gun choice and air setup will also make a big difference in transfer efficiency. I hope this helps.

[stephen stierman]

3 gallons of body COLOR is excessive to me also even if you are painting inside and out piece by piece as you should. I would not use lacquer (cellulose) but either catalyzed acrylic enamel or urethane and prepare to wet sand and buff the finished panels, I suspect in reality a gallon would be adequate, but would not allow for much repair or repainting if needed. I think to be safe a couple of gallons. Use proper breathing protection and precautions. Amount of surfacers and primers would be anyone's guess depending upon how much body preparation is needed, and of course painting wheels the proper shade of soft silver would require additional paint, certainly a quart or a bit more.

[Mick bibby]

Hi guys I used 6 litres of single gloss paint in total on my TA plus the usual primer fillers etc
I used a trizac 3000 disc and the usual buff after
Starting to think I haven’t put enough on

[Duncan M]

I have always had good luck listening to the advice of an automotive paint retailer (Ned's auto body supply in Concord, CA). I tell them what I am doing and what equipment I have available (HPLV or LPHV gun etc) and they have never steered me wrong. From paint amounts to sandpaper supplies and paint types. Last project involved TC wheels that had been rebuilt and trued etc. I told them I would be sandblasting them right before painting-- and they set me up with a three part epoxy hybrid paint in the color I wanted. One coat did it all. No primer required. Quite bulletproof paint. As it was an Historic restoration performed by the car owner I was allowed to buy & use the epoxy hybrid paint in California. Who would have quessed?