Anyone know how to prep a car for painting

[alchemist]

Does anyone know how to properly sand off the factory paint to get it ready to repaint...up to the primer step.  I'm looking at sanding off the paint on my car so I can get it repainted easier.  Any websites you guys can point me too.  I sorta have to do it since the car i bought has two fenders that are sanded, and it has a new hood and bumper so I need to get the whole thing painted.  Any clues are greatly appreciated...

[240racer]

do you want to sand off all the paint to bare metal or just make it smooth?

[podboy3]

i know you might be trying to save money but if you can afford to have a shop prep your car for you and paint it, i would go that route, it is not hard but in my opinion it is the hardest part of painting the car because everything depends on prep work, if this is something you want to look good right now you might want to wait for a dif project car to paint,   like i said    just my opinion

[my240likenoother]

and the shops wount garenty the paint aslong as you own your car i did my own prep and thats what the told me but i used aircraft striper on the metal panels that strips it right down to the metal than i hit it real good with primer i you know soomeone with a sprayer use it dont do it out of a can i seen what happens when you do it :o

[alchemist]

I figured I would as my brother-in-law  about it, he did his chevelle.  What would you guys reccommend me do?  the RF and RR fender are sanded down to red primer right now bc of an accident,  the other side has some paint scratches in it and the bumper has some scratches.  The hood and bumper is new.....I figure it would be cheaper to just have the whole car repainted since they have to do the bumper, hood and fenders anyway.  

Any ideas what I should do?  Should I rough up all the remaining old paint and then send if off to be painted......anyone know if earl schieb does a good job on their higher end finishes?  The ones with real coats of paint and clearcoat.....not the cheap one coat maaco jobs?

[96SEChick]

Earl Sheib's higher-end paintjobs are about the same as Maaco's in my opinion.  The jobs done by them seem to appear very flat, no depth in the paint and the paint fades a lot quicker than good-quality paintjobs.  They also don't prep cars properly--they tape off trim instead of removing it, resulting in the clear coat beginning to chip away around the edges where it was taped off.  

Save up your money and have a good reputation, experienced paintshop do your car.  You will wind up saving more money in the long run--you won't have to have your car touched up or repainted like you would if you used Earl Sheib or Maaco.  Plus, I believe that 99% of all good, reputable paintshops give a lifetime warranty for flaws in the finish (chipping, fading, etc.).

[Grant]

Earl Schieb sucks, ask my friend S15dude

[podboy3]

well as you were asking before   if you are going to do the prep and the body is in condition you only need to sand down the paint that is on it, but if you have body work to do like fix a rusted spot or big ass dents you need to take it down to the metal, fix it and prime so the body shop can do the work,      i would still get a good shop to do it though, not one of these in and out places,

[alchemist]

anyone know anywhere in Indiana that does a decent job without charging too much.....any idea's what it costs

[yenpit]

i agree with all....save up more $ and avoid Earl S and Maaco unless thats the kind of paintwork u want. as for taking off factory paint down to bare metal....i wouldnt do it. chemical strippers are messy and u can damage trim etc i u dont know how to use. sanding it off is a BIG project....very time consuming, and u can do more harm than good if u dont know what ur doin! the factory paint is baked on....it gives u a good "base" if its prepped properly before paint. save up $ and pay a reputable shop to do it all. my .02
where are u in Indiana? im in southwest Michigan near Grand Rapids and the guy thats painting my car is looking for another painting project as soon as hes done with mine. ??

[alchemist]

I'm actaully in Bloomington in grad school, but have ties to NW indiana (parents friends etc).  I might take my car somewhere like that (your buddy?)  Ask him how much coin....I'm not in a terrible hurry

[yenpit]

i think every body shop will say the same thing....gotta see the car to give ya a quote. based on my car and what im gettin out of it i'd GUESS $1500-2000 to paint whole car. u can find a local shop for that kinda $ (since ur so far south of here). if u dont have ANY connections to paint/body work let me know......i have some old customers in Bloomington that WILL know who to OR NOT to take it to. can save ya some time!

[Sway500]

My auto tech teacher said he knew a guy that took his car to a car wash and poured about 5 gallons of brake fluid on his car to strip the paint off, so try that.  It will only cost you about $10- 15 dollars

[yenpit]

hehe <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

no.

[podboy3]

hey the brake fluid thing works great, if anyone ever pisses you of take a bottle to his car, it lifts the paint right off, and i have used the aircraft stripper &nbsp; &nbsp; man that shit burns, even if you wear rubber gloves the chemical reaction heats your hands up fast
&nbsp; &nbsp;def stick to using your factory paint as a base though when ever you can

[alchemist]

thanks for the advice, &nbsp;I'm going to stick to the factory paint ass the base...i never knew that you could do that, I always thought you had to get it stripped. &nbsp;Do you guys know if you can have an auto shop class do the paint job as a project? &nbsp;I mean they have to work on something to learn right? &nbsp;Time isnt an issue since its the winter anyway.....yenpit can you find out where a good place is in bloomington?

[yenpit]

auto shop classes are only as good as the instructor! ive seen good and ive seen crap....my last civic was done by a shop teacher and it was only fair-good paint work.....i expected better! can u ask to see other cars theyve already done.....?

my buddy in Bloomington suggests:
&nbsp; &nbsp; Kinsers Body Shop first choice OR
&nbsp; &nbsp; Blivens Body Shop second choice
hope this helps cuz dealin with body shops can be a pain in the ass!! PS good choice to leave factory paint!