Re: Ford Anglia 106e (LHD) Estate
Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2025 5:24 pm
I then enjoyed using it for the summer and decided over the winter to tackle the paint. I don't have a paint booth, a spraygun or respirators, nor do I want them. Painting in my garage was not an option and the cheapest quote I had for painting it was $8000. So, after considerable research I came across coach painting, which is more of a UK art form. However, upon further research, I found there are many marine paints in the US that are specifically designed to be rolled on, some even include a levelling additive that flows the paint and eliminates the need for sanding. I watched a lot of videos and was happy that the finish would be 'good enough' for a relatively low value car and would not stop me enjoying it. It also meant I could paint it in my garage, a bit at a time. So, last November I took the plunge and began prepping the bodywork.
I continued this way, working on a panel at a time. Because roller paint is thicker, you don't have to get every simple imperfection out either. I fillered any dents, I ground out any rust then treated it with rust killer before adding filler. There were only 2 'holes' on the car, in both the doors, which I used fibreglass filler on first.
Once that was done and I was relatively happy, I rollered a base coat on it to get it all 1 colour.
While I was doing final prep after that, I decided to practice on the bonnet before tackling the whole car. Here is the bonnet after 1 coat applied with a 4 inch foam roller, and no wet sanding after:
I was pretty pleased with it, so gave the car a go.
Sadly, after the 2nd or 3rd coat, I had some issues with the new fibre roller I tried coming apart and leaving a mess on some of the panels. So I decided to flat it back and start again. Eventually, after a further 2 coats, this is how she looks now.
It's a solid 2 footer! There are some runs (one of the downsides of the paint levelling additive), and one spot on the rood where there is a brush hair, but for $1200 in paint and probably another $300 in other parts, I'm pretty pleased with it. Is it a Chip Foose job? No, but it also didn't cost me $50,000 either. Very few people I've told it was rollered on believe me! But now I can enjoy the car and it looks much better in my opinion.
I've sadly not enjoyed it much this year, because the weather has either been too hot or too wet. Hope to get it out more in the Autumn.
I continued this way, working on a panel at a time. Because roller paint is thicker, you don't have to get every simple imperfection out either. I fillered any dents, I ground out any rust then treated it with rust killer before adding filler. There were only 2 'holes' on the car, in both the doors, which I used fibreglass filler on first.
Once that was done and I was relatively happy, I rollered a base coat on it to get it all 1 colour.
While I was doing final prep after that, I decided to practice on the bonnet before tackling the whole car. Here is the bonnet after 1 coat applied with a 4 inch foam roller, and no wet sanding after:
I was pretty pleased with it, so gave the car a go.
Sadly, after the 2nd or 3rd coat, I had some issues with the new fibre roller I tried coming apart and leaving a mess on some of the panels. So I decided to flat it back and start again. Eventually, after a further 2 coats, this is how she looks now.
It's a solid 2 footer! There are some runs (one of the downsides of the paint levelling additive), and one spot on the rood where there is a brush hair, but for $1200 in paint and probably another $300 in other parts, I'm pretty pleased with it. Is it a Chip Foose job? No, but it also didn't cost me $50,000 either. Very few people I've told it was rollered on believe me! But now I can enjoy the car and it looks much better in my opinion.
I've sadly not enjoyed it much this year, because the weather has either been too hot or too wet. Hope to get it out more in the Autumn.
