FULL BODY PAINT QUESTION or DEFINITION

[MSHappyCampers]

I'm having to replace the rear fender fiberglass panel and have questions about the original paint.  The sales brochure and the build sheet just say "Deluxe full-body Paint".  Does anyone know exactly what this means, like how many coats of paint and how many coats of clear-coat?  Thanks! 

Joe

 

[Ivan K]

I don't know how exactly Monaco did that and if they even used primer since i did not see any under the base when i sprayed my front but it isn't any different from commercial automotive paint. One or no more than 2 coats of base should cover the underlying surface and 2 coats of clear unless you want to color sand it. You probably don't want it to look much better than the rest or you will always see it. I did 3 coats clear, thinking I would color sand but it came out too good to do it, until I have enough rock chips to do it again...

[Tom Cherry]

46 minutes ago, MSHappyCampers said:

I'm having to replace the rear fender fiberglass panel and have questions about the original paint.  The sales brochure and the build sheet just say "Deluxe full-body Paint".  Does anyone know exactly what this means, like how many coats of paint and how many coats of clear-coat?  Thanks! 

Joe

 

Folks that have toured the factory will have to chime in.  Based on spending a week in a shop where they painted as well as did repairs and my own "Knowledge", the FULL BODY PAINT job was the original "base" or primary color of the body.  If it was "two toned....then there was only ONE coat of paint...or the lower section of the Beltline would be one color and the upper or the rest would be another....but only one "thickness" or coat of paint.....  The Motorhome panels all have a gelcoat layer, that is sprayed on the waxed finish of the mold.  Then the glass and resin is built up and when the "pop" the panel out of the mold, that gelcoat is 100% crosslinked to the FB/Resin.  To the BEST of my knowledge, there was never a primer...but maybe some know different.  That layer of crosslinked gelcoat was used on the top (FG top) but the body (sides and end caps) were sprayed with a gloss enamel formulated to chemically bond (Cross link) with the gelcoat.  That is the first coat.  NOW....whether that was actually TWO coats of the paint or one "thick, but properly applied" coat....or two thinner coats with drying time, but were recoated... I do NOT know.

I watched the paint crew fix a major panel....it looked like it had been "improperly applied".  They sanded down the paint....including beveling or smoothing out the edges of the over coats (which did the striping) or the next layers.  Once they had a smooth surface....as in the edges were blended and smooth, they applied a coat or the Full Body paint.  They did NOT have any "infrared" heater panels....just air dried.  They then had templates or masked off the section of the base and started to recreate the graphics.  There were 2 or maybe 3 colors....so they taped and masked and "shot" each color.  Afterwards....looked the same as the other side....save the blisters or orange peel that was a cosmetic issue and had to be "fixed".

This shop was a combo "fix paint and repair MH/RV".  The company had 4 or 5 shops in the Elkhart area.  ONE was a major paint shop that did custom or perhaps did the low volume units for a manufacturer..  There were a LOT of Class C's in the lot as well as some Emergency Vehicles.  The main paint shop was too small, so they were converting the Repair/Repaint facility to a dedicated "Paint Shop".  It was run by an Ex Monaco Paint Shop supervisor who also had experience in some tricky warranty repairs.

Hope that answers your questions....  There is a BUILD SHEET as well as a Paint Code (standard colors that are numbered and can be matched at most paint distributors) that came with every MH.  You MIGHT have it in your "File" or the briefcase with all the manual. Even now, after 14 years, my touchup paint is still usable. I stored it in the home refrigerator and occasionally have to do a spot here or there....

[TW Racing]

REV Group should have all that information for you including color’s.

[MSHappyCampers]

Thanks for all your comments!  The shop in Red Bay, AL that will be doing the work has been in business 27 years so hopefully they know what they are doing.  I may try to call the REV group to see what they say.  I always appreciate the knowledge I find here! 

Joe