HOW TO PAINT YOUR OWN RIDE for Under $300
 

I DO NOT OFFER THIS AS A SERVICE! PLEASE DO NOT PM ME ASKING TO SPRAY YOUR CAR!

INTRODUCTION:

This will not cover any body work or rust repair – you are on your own with that.
This process is based on using your original paint job as a base/prime coat to apply the new paint to.
This would mean that you do not have severe rust, chips, scratches, or dents. These items must be thoroughly prepped and primered before painting.
DO NOT FOOL YOURSELF - automotive paint will not cover any blemishes or imperfections in the surface. Some colors may show more than others, but dont think you can get away with leaving a dent or chip in the original paint.

WHATS NEEDED: (besides the materials list)

• Garage or workspace that’s large enough to fit your car. You need the ability to walk around your vehicle safely without your clothing or compressor hoses touching the car.
• A large enough area to also paint your bumpers and spoilers seperately, if not, then paint these pieces first.
• Air compressor (duh) - mine is 60gallon :wiggle: but most 20+ gallons would do fine.
• Air pressure regulator for the gun (if not included)
• A in-line dry filter or a brand new hose to make sure you don’t have any moisture in the air-feed.
• Long enough hose to get all the way around the car
• Ample lighting - you have to make sure you can see what your doing
• Jack and jack-stands
• Small table for paint & mixing equipment
• Tweezers (to remove particles and shit that lands on the painted surface, it is still a garage)
• Twine, wire, rope, or saw horses. Something to hang or hold your spoilers and bumpers. (Hanging the spoiler is recommended)

COUPLE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• Automotive painting will definitely have toxic and noticeable fumes. Be careful to always use your respirator, and make sure you are clear of neighbors or other irritants
• The over-spray will get everywhere, so if you don’t want it painted - COVER IT.
• Wet the garage floor - a trade secret to make sure overspray does not stick
• To avoid foreign substances, keep the room closed off throughout the process.
• Avoid windy days.
• Ideal temperature would be 70 degrees with little to no humidity.
• Familiarize yourself with the new equipment, and with the materials.
• RTFM! That’s right folks, read those product labels for very valuable information on proper use.
• Read the solvents and paint mixes so you are prepared ahead of time.
• Set aside the entire day.

MATERIALS LIST:

Preparation Supplies: $63.00

• $ 6.56 = 600 GRIT WET/DRY 9x11 SANDING SHEETS (5-PACK) - Used to sand off that clear-coat
• $ 6.99 = LATEX GLOVES – so you DON’T touch the car with your bare hands
• $14.65 = 48” x 180’ 3M MASKING FILE (ROLL) - To wrap EVERYTHING you don’t want painted. CF hoods, windows, taping off the inside door-jams, wrapping your suspension components, etc.
  or Home Depot has the same thing, same price
• $ 4.97 = SIMPLE GREEN DEGREASER to wash after wet-sand
  Home Depot
• $ 2.96 = FLANNEL CLOTHS (or find Micro-fiber cloths) to wash and dry the car
  Home Depot
• $ 6.97 = 2” BLUE PAINTERS TAPE ROLL - Great for taping off lights, windows, mirrors, and taping down the masking film
  Home Depot
• $ 3.50 = EXACTO KNIFE or razor blade - Cutting the masking tape around lights, windows, etc.
  Home Depot
• $ 9.67 = 6-PACK 1-MIL 9x12’ DROP CLOTHS- to cover the garage walls and door.
  Home Depot
• $ 6.57 = DUCT TAPE - used to tape up the drop cloths (painters tape does not work for shit for this)

Automotive Paint and Painting Kit: $80-120:

SINGLE STAGE URETHANE FAST PAINT KIT – Click on 144 Factory Packed colors to see selection
Complete Ready-To-Spray 1-Gallon Kits include:
1-Gallon Urethane Color
1-Quart Urethane Hardener
1-Quart Reducer of Your Choice
5-EA Quality 190 Micron Nylon Automotive Strainers
5-EA Wooden Paint Mixing Sticks

Additional Painting Materials: $77.00

• $18.50 = 3M PAINT RESPIRATOR
• $14.99 = HVLP SPRAY GUN
• $ 4.99 = HVLP GUN HOLDER (highly recommended)
• $ 4.99 = 1-QT GRADUATED MIXING PAINT CUPS (12PACK)
• $10.63 = 2000 GRIT WET/DRY 9x11 SANDING SHEETS (5-PACK)
  For color sanding when done
• $11.45 = PAINT SUIT (optional, and only a pussy would need one. Or if you just wanted look like a Hard-Core Ballin’ Professional)
• $ 3.16 = GOGGLES (for the sensitive man)
• $ 7.80 = RUN RAZOR (for those that just SUCK at life, or maybe just painting, and need to file off those runs and buildup in the paint)

Grand total: under $300


THE PROCESS:

1. Clean out the garage and remove anything that’s not bolted down (just easier this way)
   http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...t/IMG_1281.jpg
   NOTE: Good time to run the compressor and get it filled
2. Prep, assemble, and connect your HVLP spray gun.
3. Tape off the garage walls, cabinets, etc using the drop cloths and duct tape. You don’t need to do the ceiling or floor, just cover every exposed wall.
4. Set up your table and get everything you need for the process layed out in front of you, yet out of the way of your painting process.
5. “Mount” the HVLP gun holder to the table. Great suggestion, and not a lesson you want to learn the hard way - when you accidentally knock a full paint gun of the stand or table :duh:
   NOTE: Use your latex gloves from now on
6. Wash your car as you usually do (or maybe better than usual)
7. Remove your bumpers and spoilers (definitely easier, and a must if you are doing a color change)
8. Remove headlights, taillights, mirrors, door panels, etc (or just tape them off later in process)
9. Wet-sand the car, bumpers, and spoilers. Sand every surface you intend to paint, and remember that your just removing the clear coat and providing yourself with a “rough” surface to apply the paint to.
   http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...t/IMG_1285.jpg
10. Wash the car & parts once again using the degreaser and flannel cloths (these are tacky and great for removing everything from the surface)
11. Dry the car and parts with the additional flannel cloths
12. Using the blue painters tape and 3M masking film, tape off any items you didn’t remove, all windows, and all other surfaces that you don’t wish to paint.
    http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...t/IMG_1286.jpg
13. Now pull your car into the garage
14. Jack up the car and remove the wheels
15. Use the 3M masking film and wrap your suspension components, taping off anything else exposed.
16. Clean and wet down the garage floor (wetting is optional)
17. Close off the garage
18. Lay out or hang your bumpers and/or spoilers.
    NOTE: For hanging your spoiler, best thing to do is to place a bolt into one of the threaded holes and tie it off. Just make sure they are hung out of the way.
    NOTE: If you do not have any room for the bumpers and spoilers, then just paint these items separately, but paint them first. This will only you to practice your technique, and you wont have to wait until the car is dry enough to get it out of the way.
19. Wipe down the car one final time, with a clean flannel cloth.
20. Make sure all drop cloths are secure
21. Get yourself prepared for painting – Paint suit, gloves, respirator, goggles.

Mixing the paint:

Mix your first batch of paint, and only mix a single quart at a time.
Reading the solvent and paint labels to see how long each mixed batch of paint will last.
Use the graduated mixing cups to follow the exact mixing ratios.
Be sure to stir each item together as you are mixing.

Using the cone paper-filter, poor the paint into the gun cup. (this is where the paint gun stand comes in very handy)

Test pattern:

Spray a test pattern at one of your drop cloths, and adjust the gun nozzle as necessary (refer to the gun’s instructions). This is to make sure there is a consistent flow.
The pattern should resemble a vertical cigar shape and NOT look like the Imperial Deathstar.

Painting Technique:

There are many references on the Internet, but here is one that I found helpful. Explaining it myself would take 6 more pages.

http://www.autobody101.com/articles/...e=Gun%20Travel

Basic steps to follow:

• Top down. Like the writeup say, do the roof, hood, trunk first, then to to each side of the vehicle starting from the top down.
• Start to spray well before you reach the vehicles surface, and end the spray well after the vehicles surface. Starting or finishing while directly pointing at the vehicle will cause paint build-up and runs.
• Overlap each spray pattern. I basicaly overlaped each row about 30%.
• Do one side of the vehicle at a time. Don’t go round, and round, and round the car thinking you have to do each layer exactly the same.
• Do not apply heavy coats. Just apply even and consistent applications with each coat.
• Pull that gun trigger! All the way in, all the way out. No half-ass pulls or releases.
• Compressor out of air? Dont forget to wait for that compressor to fill up. The car isnt gonna dry before you can continue to apply the paint, but do stop between panels to allow it to fill back up.

Flash time and applying additional coats

This should be listed on the paint/solvent labels, and will also vary by paint kit.
The Urethane FAST kit has like a 15-min flash time. This means that by the time your done with the coat, and then have that second batch mixed up, your ready to go again!
Run razors and tweezers will come in handy when you have pesky runs or foreign objects that float onto the vehicle. Careful to follow directions with the razors, and you should know what to do with those tweezers.

Final curing time,

For color wet/sanding, buffing, and care, read the instructions listed on the paint product.

Final step:

Take some pics and share with your fellow Zilvian’s.
(However, you should prepare yourself for the fact that no one will like your color choice :-/ )

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...t/IMG_1288.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...d/IMG_1313.jpg

already did mine mate. (people loved it, [I still need to colorsand / buff lol] but yeah)
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y19...cture045-1.jpg
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http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y19...Picture072.jpg
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http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y19...Picture078.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y19...Picture079.jpg

I love it. And to think I was going to take some of my parts in to get them painted..

both look really nice. yall did a good job. especially for a garage job. im going to be doing this pretty soon. "Caribbean Blue" is what im going with :yum: .

damn i can't even paint my girls nails with out fuken up........ you guys got skills!

nice write up. me and sum friends will be painting my coupe soon but instead of 1 stage we going with 3 stage

Awesome write up man, was planning on getting my car painted on my R&R but now I think I'm going to do it myself. Thanks for the write up and inpspiration. :bigok:

Thanks guys.

As lengthly as this write-up may seem, there really isnt much to it. If you've ever used a rattle-can to paint anything then you already have most of the "process" down.

Preparation is the only true mistery and challenge. Automotive paint will not hide defects, scratches, chips, etc. like most other paints, so that's usualy where most fail at a decent garage-job.

For what shops charge to do small or cheap jobs, its definately worth doing it yourself.

Nice write up!

Sooooo.... any more feedback or suggestions on the writeup?

Perhaps an approval of sorts. For no other reason than there are more and more posts in Gen Pop asking for this very material. Or something like it anyways.

Ive decided not to post this info in those threads out of respect for the results we are trying to achieve with this sub-forum, and to get more feedback from you guys.

Let me know what else you suggest!

Maybe more places to find different color paint? I was thinking of doing a two tone on my fastback with satin red and satin black. Also is there anything different for people doing gloss paint and not flat? Maybe you could put that in there.

I thought of that at first, but had a hard time myself. eBay also has some stores that sell automotive paint, i just got stuck on TCP-Global cause they carry quality product and complete paint kits. The hardner/reducer that shipped with my Flatz was house-of-kolor. Ya know its good.

Gloss - prepping and applying the paint would not be any different. Just make sure you read the materials instructions carefuly about flash/coat intervals. The main difference with Gloss would be the application of a clear afterwards. Which i would then recommend a second gun, so you dont have to worry about cleaning the paint gun out right away.

Roger, good info, still debating wether I want to go flat or gloss.

damn im glad i just went premie; for this writeup alone its worth the 10 bucks.

i do NOT have the patience for this...but both of you did an AWESOME job, ive seen the black s13 out at TAB Tuesday locally..good job gents

Well, when we do move this to general chat, dont expect a refund! LOL

Thanks for the compliments. Though i am open to more feedback or recommendations to update or improve it.

i just thought id add a little more info for the people that are limited to equipment such as my self.

For some of you that cant afford or install a 220v 60+ gallon compressor you can get the biggest 110v that’s almost 30 gallons and 5.X cfm @ 90 psi ( make sure it’s a oil compressor) and use a binks 7 copy conventional gun that runs 4-12 cfm @ 50-60 psi. I have used that gun on a smaller compressor using 4 cfm @ 30 psi and the compressor cycled after I need to re fill.

Another thing to note is you dont have to have HVLP guns thats just a standard for people in certain areas and paint shops.

a good cheap bc/cc is omni (made by ppg) and nason (dupont) it cost more than ebay but its really easy to work with for beginners

I don't understand all these budget paint job write ups... I mean does no one value their time? I mean ya I see paint your car for $300 but why even spend the $300 if your not gonna be all that happy with the end result? I mean maaco will just spray it with a single stage for $300 and you don't have to lift a finger and will come out looking like what you paid... Yeah sure your cars look great from a distance but thats it...

I spend on average per car $350-500 for paint materials... Not a whole lot more than what your talking about... The low side would be without primer and just a sealer which works fine if your clear on your car is in good shape right now and your not repairing anything along with all the panels matching... You can sand the car with around a 320-400 grit sandpaper and apply the sealer then base coat... All these products can be had at any paint supply store and they will also have recommendations...

I recommend just using primer... The high fill kind not cheap spray can stuff... This will send you off into the $500 range. First sand the car down with 180... Then find the spots your going to repair and hit them with 80 grit and use body filler not bondo... Get the car looking as good as visually possible then your ready to primer... Once you primer mist black spray can primer over top and let dry. Then hit the entire car with a long board to show anymore imperfections. If ya don't care skip that and wetsand the entire car with 400.

Then your ready to shoot your basecoat/clearcoat... Pretty simple really just go nice and easy... Try to keep it as even as possible and I highly recommend having a couple drinks prior if you haven't done it before it will definately calm you down. Just spray on a thin layer and let it sit for like 10 min to give the next coat something to stick to. Spray on more coats until evenly coated and you got good coverage and your done. If your not confident just take it easy and don't lay it on too thick and just go for more coats. Remember if you make a run just let the car dry then sand and respray that simple...

Next let that dry for about 45 min and hit the car with the clear... Again same idea light coat to start and I like to go easy on the 2nd coat as well... Basically ease into it and get some clear on the car. Then from there lay it on as thick as possible without running it... If you run the clear its ok! Once you have a couple layers down you have a base then keep spraying the car... If you run it go over the car again and lay it on thick in that area so you have something to sand.

Then once your done with that just sand the entire car with 1000grit on a block and flatten down all the runs then switch to 1500 then 2000... Basically if ya put enough clear on there it's gonna turn out as good as you want to sand the car... Then buff the car out with 3m rubbing and polishing compounds and you have a factory quality paintjob for maybe $500? I mean if you have to buy the tools and stuff it will be more but just ask around... I use a harbor frieght buffer and da which were stupid cheap...

The biggest thing is the clear leaves room for error... Basically screw up and run it? Oh well sand it out... Just don't spray it too thin which shouldn't be very hard. Screw up the single stage paint and thats just the deal... It's a pain in the ass to fix and the end result never looks near as good. I use Nason which is a Dupont product for paint and I believe the clear I've been using was Xpol? I'd have to check but seriously is $100 for a gallon and works great.

Also your gun is huuuuge. People say just get a cheapo hlvp they are fools... I've tried several and there is no comparison to a sata gun... The home depot/lowes guns are trash and so are the harbor freight guns... The uneven spray patterns will make it nearly impossible to get a nice finish along with having the problem of getting airbubbles in the clear/paint which are not removable and look nasty. One option I have found tho! This gun is awesome and I'm gonna purchase a couple more is U-pol!

Here is some on ebay 1.4 tip for base/clear something slightly larger for high fill primers.
http://item.express.ebay.com/Vehicle...mdZExpressItem

It's just a sata knock off and had some bugs but pretty even spray pattern and no air bubbles I swear by this gun! I have used it with great success!

So yeah just a few more bucks and a little more time and you can yield excellent results... If you seriously read this carefully and take your time you should have absolutely no problem making your car look great! Oh and it will last too... This is the same process a body shop would go through on a paint job they would warranty for several years... I have a pretty hardcore pressure gas pressure washer and I wouldn't think twice about blasting one of my cars... I garuntee if you hit that guys car with it the paint would peel off... 600 grit sandpaper is going to leave you with a pretty poor surface for the paint to bond too...

Hopefully this helps some of you do it yourselfers who want quality without insane body shop prices...

Here is what I did for $500

prepped
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...2/P6060145.jpg

primered then sanded with 400 wet
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...2/P6070146.jpg

as I was spraying... it was a light orange base with gold pearl in the first 2 coats of clear.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...2/P6070154.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...2/P6070162.jpg

outside the following day
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...2/P6070161.jpg

outside after a nice wetsand/buff job
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...2/P6110165.jpg

I sprayed it in kind of a booth... Your garage would prolly turn out better cause the booth was dirty and not made for cars... I think they used to spray funiture in there? It's a construction company and they build walls in there so I was battling dust pretty bad which up close you can see some imperfections but not bad at all...

For $42 this is what I did

• 6 cans Krylon Hunter Green
• 4 cans Krylon Super Flat Black
• 1 pack paint masks
• 3 bottles Goo Gone

Bought some other stuff too though..

Use goo gone and an angle grinder to take off double sided tap and other crap, give good car wash, tape newspaper on things you don't want painted and paint away.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...i13/000012.jpg
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oh wow you car looks like shit... you didn't even prep it? I could prolly peel off your whole paintjob... Jesus man does no one on here give a shit? All I see is ugly ass cars... You can't even play the broke card either cause you could easily lose that gross ass front end or something else... Man sil80's are terrible... Thats whats wrong with this forum. What a waste of $42...

Do you see a 180 in my sig? That car got junked a week after that pic was taken. I sold the passenger fender to a friend... He couldn't remove the pant with a pressure washer...

Why would I care about a car that had rust eating through the body and had a tweaked frame?

Because what my car looks like is all that matters huh? You'd probably talk shit about my 14 too wouldn't you? Go post on drifting.com rice boy. Why can't I play the broke card? How do you know what I make?

Homo's like you are what's wrong with this forum.

lol at cfinch's hatting. anyway u think that gun u posted is good for primer, paint and clear?

Riceboy? Keep spray painting your cars broke ass. You drive an s14 on r33 wheel and your supposed to be cool now? Your still a faggot ass poser.

You can shoot the primer out of a 1.4 tip... I prefer using a 1.7-8 for the high fill primer so it puts out a ton of material... Your gonna sand it after you primer so just have at it. You need the high fill primer to cover the sanding marks with the 180 grit paper and the pinholes left behind from the filler.

That's all it has too :cj:

Wow your a SNIP... See I figure some people might actually be able to benifit from some info on how to properly paint a vehicle... But all I get are idiots who like to spray paint cars like any fucking moron couldn't figure out how to use a spray paint can... Oh for those of you who decided to neg rep me that car I used for an example looks much better than any of your cars. This is why I don't contribute to this forum it's full of fucking SNIP. Even the premie section is full of SNIP go spray paint your shit piles.

With wheels and tires for good measure...
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...2/P6140187.jpg

I'm sure that stock ass KA under the hood spins the shit outta them 12J's too. :lol:

If you can paint then you can paint and good for you; that was never the discussion. Going out and saying a car with more money in the engine than you've got in your entire car is a peice of shit is a little farfetched and unwarranted. If having the same paintjob the car came with 14 years ago makes me gay then call me Liberache. If spray painting a rust bucket with a bent frame and a 99% chance it'll see another guard rail makes me gay then call me Elton John.

Seriously...who in the right mind wants a yellow car? Go get a Ford Focus or a VW Beetle.

And who brags about a $500 paintjob?

"HEY I'M A FUCKING CHEAPASS BUT MY PAINT LOOKS OKAY LOOK THAT COST ME NEARLY HALF OF WHAT MY CAR COSTS THAT'S PRETTY FUCKING BALLER IF YOU LOOK AT THE PERCENTAGE RATE INSTEAD OF WHAT ACTUALLY WAS SPENT ON A 15 YEAR OLD PIECE OF SHIT!!!"

guys guys guys, stop arguing, remember we are premies and we should know better. we all know that we all have different taste some people like it others don't. people hate, that's just the way life is ok. Cfinch is just a hater, sure your paint turned out ok, good for you. if you wanna go talk about shit pile zilvian cars then go somewhere else, because I know of at least 4 cars that look allot better than yours, and would actually spin those big ass wheels your car has. stop the arguing and being a dick. Being a premie does not give you the magical power to be a penis on the internet. if you keep that up i'm sure you will be banned, at the very least have your membership taken away. premium membership is a privilege not a right.

Wow you guys are idiots... I'm hating? I thought this was informative thread on how to paint a car? This asshat throws up some shit about spray painting a fucking car and you all jump on his back? Because my car is yellow? Why because I had the time and patience to make my paintjob quality? The car does have power and full suspension and is more modified than any of your cars and I built it out of my spare parts at my shop... I'm sorry if you broke faggots can't afford to spend more than $50 on a paint job. This is what I get for trying to help you fucking fanboys out.

Seriously guys, knock it the fuck off. cfinch, you stepped in with some decent info and gave a nice run down of materials and methods. I liked it. Then someone else posts another method and you completely trash him. I appreciate you adding info, but there was no need to add the drama.

Everyone needs to calm down, and not get so wrapped around the axle about what other people are doing with their cars. My car has been without paint for over 4 years now. I hate not having real paint, but I like my rattlecanned P.O.S. at the same time. To each his own.

Yeah but did you need someone to explain how to use a spray paint can on your car and not prep it? This thread got flooded with ignorance... Which is why I always say zilvia is packed full of morons... This thread explains my theory perfectly. This is why people on contribute garbage on this forum cause the people who are skilled enough at what they do know better than to waste their time. It's all good though I'll stop in this thread... I helped a couple people in pm get their cars painted and contributed... Never again...

word .

I need a hysterical laughter smiley.:rofl: Guess that'll do...

Why? Because of the fact that cfinch looks like he knows what he is doing? He was just trying to show how to PROPERLY paint a car for a few hundred dollars.

cfinch: Thanks, I'll be painting my car here shortly and I might get a hold of you for a few tips. In this thread you seem to know the most about painting a car.

The OMG my car is more modified than any of your cars was hysterical. Hello and welcome to 2nd grade.

Koopa, I said knock it off. That means STFU and stop trying to continue the drama. I do not like having to repeat myself.

I think people that are on a budget should do this. I spent 5k on my paint, i wish i wouldn't have. It slowed down my project big time. I don't regret painting it, the timing was just off. Paint should be like the icing on the cake get everything done the send it of to paint.

*snip*

word..
well, $500 or $50,000
does it really matter? as long as it looks good and holds up well?

I don't think the cost is the issue as much than the actual quality of the paint job.

cfinch contributed good advice, and primer/sealer IS something to take into consideration on any paintjob, whether the clear/existing is in tip top condition or is faded and peeling.

+1 for cfinch and op.

I mean I'm not even talking the best quality materials... If you really want to put enough effort into it then you can get great results. There are alot of factors in painting a car. The biggest thing I've come upon is a good booth. I'm searching for perfection tho... Alittle dust or lint isn't going to be that noticable but if you know it's there than it is. I just painted my new track car over the past few days and man was it hell... I had to sand for 2 days to remove the single stage paint that was on the car. I knew it wasn't prepped properly underneath and went at it. Then the heat was a battle too cause your fighting to get the paint/clear thick enough to lay flat but it's still drying fast even with slow hardeners and whatnot...

In the end it's all good cause I can just sand out imperfections... I mean a bodyshop can charge $1,500 for just a base/clear and thats not top qaulity product or any finish work... Yeah if I had a good booth I could spray a car and have it look great without any finish sanding but it always helps. $500 is a great alternative to that if your not looking for perfection... You did it yourself too so you know it's right. You can't tell how a car is prepped underneath... Being able to pressure wash your car when it gets dirty and the biggest thing for me is I don't have to go through layers when I repaint. A color on a car wont last me too long so I definately don't want to spend body shop money and I don't need show qaulity so it works...

I got some rough numbers too... The paint along with catalyst and everything was roughly $120 and that was 1 1/2 gallons sprayable once you mix it. That was for just a basic color no metallic. The clear came out to $110 with everything which was xtreme clearcoat. The primer was $65 so yeah thats your material costs... Maybe I'll put up some pictures of the paint on the car I just painted... I took the time to sand it heavily before I buffed it out and I can see my reflection in the side of it like a mirror it just took alot of work...

So what would be the process if you wanted to say, do your own lavender frost metallic? Does the metallic go in with the paint?

Are any colors harder to do on your own then others? Lights? Darks? Metallics?

Id like to see pics cfinch. Post em up when you get a chance.

When you spray a metallic it comes in the base coat... Even for a beginner it's fairly simple to spray on evenly just take your time. Darker colors show more imperfections so they are always harder to do but prep work is what makes the biggest difference in the finished product.

I wish I didn't lose my camera I would have taken pics... I sprayed my car at a friends shop. They got an old booth for spraying furniture and it's pretty gross. But it's a room with ventilation and I can get paint everywhere no sweat. The dust from being in the desert combined with the sawdust in the shop cause they build walls for homes now is just nasty... I sprayed everything seperate on the car and got lazy so I set the doors on the ground and they looked disgusting... Covered in shit and lint... There is still some imperfections in the door but you can barely even tell. Thats the best part is I messed up pretty bad and I just sanded and buffed the door and it looks nearly perfect. I'll work on getting a camera and take a couple pics later...

Any specific brands you recommend? PPG? I know nothing of paint the actual paint, but I am pretty good at laying it down (used to be a graff artist soo...).

If I want a OEM Nissan color, do I just get the paint code and I can get that from any paint company? A friend of mine works for Shermin Williams and he said it gets a pretty good discount on auto paint.

Any paint store should have books for every year make and model... Just go through them and find the color you want and have them make it. I haven't played around with different brands yet... I've been using Nason which is a Dupont product and is pretty much their cheap paint. I'm able to create great finishes with it but I dunno how long it will last... For a track car it doesn't really matter to me tho...

If you already know how to lay down the paint than that makes a big difference. You got to get the paint thick without running it so it settles flat. The thicker you lay it the better the finished product. I've done a few cars now and I've got it down so good I rarely run and can lay it super thick... I go easy on the base coat and can usually get great coverage out of 2 coats then with the clear I run a light coat then let it get tacky and then a medium to build it up then I go heavy. I give myself plenty of clear that way I can run it and it's not bad. Also when your pushing yourself to make it thicker and allowing it to run it will help alot figuring out how far you can push it. I'd try spraying on something for practice first anyways...

Also try drinking a couple beers... Help calm the nerves if your not totally comfortable. Plus you get to drink beers!

haha,
I tried this at home with a single stage piece-of-shit ebay paint.

It was DEFINITELY a learning experience!
I fucked up here and there, and my gun being a piece of crap didn't help much either!

I used a 1.4mm tip on a single stage paint.. I thought that's what you're supposed to use, but it didn't spray completely "cigar", so i have a few spots where it's darker than the other. Keep in mind this was: "Cherry red metallic" color. Which was bullshit to the max, because it was more PINK than Cherry Red!

The final result was an utter shit (color wise) IMHO, but i'll have to live with it (or the buyer will have to live with it). I prepped as best as I can, but didn't have alot of tools to make it easier.

For instance, on pulling dents out on the body, I wished I had a stud welder, but it was way too expensive for the budget I'd set aside for the paint + materials. I had leftover PPG LACQUER primer and just used that.
Worked decent, and this was a very budgeted paint job.

Main things I learned by doing this was the painting technique, not stopping the spray in middle of the body (where it'd build up/runs) and that I dont necessarily have to sand the shit out of the primer to make it 100% flat. Paint still covered the 280/320 grit sandpaper marks I had left behind. I actually wet-sanded the primer with 1500 in vain, because there was no difference!

Also.. some kind of enclosement and proper ventilation is a MUST! I had bugs and shit fly into my paint because I painted outside without any tarps for a makeshift booth. VENT is a must! Dont paint without it!

single stage just isn't worth the effort... With clear you can just sand out imperfections... 1.4 is pretty good for most stuff. I'm spraying primer with a 1.7 and i wanna buy another gun with a 1.3 tip so I have a seperate gun for everything...

Definitely not worth it.
Only reason I had purchased single stage was since I was going to sell the car, but now I have a busted ass engine. :(

I recovered it from a theft and am currently trying to rebuild it.. trying to find a KA24DE in the GA area for cheap so I can get rid of this damn thing, but its one problem after another! (Anyone in GA have a cheap, decent KA24DE longblock?)

BTW. Why does my gun leak?..
I once dipped the entire gun in lacquer thinner because I had gotten it on the handle and the screw area, but ever since, it's been leaking. :(

I need to get a decent spray gun.. recommendations?

I actually recommended a upol gun and put an ebay link in here... I've been using them and they aren't the best but they work great! If your not painting much it will be the perfect gun for you!

I can tell you that that is pretty much a technique issue right there.

^What do you recommend?
I tried but it just didnt work out for me.. :(
First time painter.. I need to leeeearn.

Maybe let off the trigger slowly and away from the car?

When you spray you actually start away from the car and then sweep it across then away from the car again. Side to side.

Here is an extremely crude drawing to show what I mean.

See this way when you spray the overlapping parts are thinner then the center of your spray stroke.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...peed/paint.jpg

I'm no pro, but maybe cfinch can correct me if I'm wrong.

Ohh.
I see what you mean.

Another person told me to keep the gun at an equal distance when spraying, so I just kept at that, and like I said, by doingso, overlapped areas were darker than the un-overlapped.

But I see what you're saying.. and that seems to be a better idea!
Sweep in, spray linearly and the sweep out, instead of cutting the paint right at the end.

I SEE!

It's really alot of trial and error... Just take it easy and you can overlap it thick it will all settle... Just watch the distance you are for the car typically getting too close it really what will cause the runs. I say practice spraying too thick on useless panels or something so you can really get a feel for it. As long as you got a really good idea of whats too thick you know your limits. Right now I can just look at the paint as it's being sprayed on and just tell... I just sprayed some parts for a streetbike today and I was laying the clear on sooo thick without running it that it was just laying down like glass and needs no finish sanding at all! Just practice and mess with it... My first few cars I ran the clear bad in alot of spots but I didn't care cause they sanding it out and it really helped me get comfortable spraying it on thick.

Yeah, when I sprayed it "thicker" on my fenders, I got alot more gloss and depth to the paint.
unlike when I painted the body, it came out pretty dull because I was afraid of messing it up.

Looks like I'll be going at it again in a few weeks!

Alright I took a couple quick pics but didn't really get any good ones... I'm not done buffing either but you guys will get the idea. I'm gonna put the car back together sometime in the next couple weeks and get better ones.

The doors looked horrible pre sand/buff. Set it too close to the ground and the booth I sprayed in was nasty so it was covered in lint... Next time I spray I'm gonna actually replace the nasty vent filters. Here is the door after sanding and buffing still needs a finish buff...

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...2/IMG_1644.jpg

And here is the side in some light... same thing sanded, buffed but still needing 1 final buffing... I didn't fix the dings since I'm going over fender...

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...2/IMG_1648.jpg

These pictures are terrible... Here is one more I got but I'll have pictures of the car assembled in daylight in a couple weeks which will be 10 times better because these do the paint no justice...

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...2/IMG_1646.jpg

Looks smoove.

is metallic look in the paint or is it in the clear coat?

hm..
i dont see any metallic anywhere.
maybe im blind, haha :P

im not speaking about his paint, im talking about in general

the metallic would be in the paint...

eh?
is there metallic in the paint, cfinch?
doesnt look like it to me. :duh:

Looks like I will be re clearing my car pretty soon. I kinda fucked up in colorsanding. lol

nooooo im not even asking about his paint. come on pay attention.

OOOOOOOHHHH
I just got what you were saying!
I think metallic is in the base.
Actual paint.

Clear you can add pearl, flakes, etc.
metallic, afaik, is in the base.

How did you mess the clear up sanding? I never use less than 1000grit and I hardly use that. Mostly 1500 and 2000... I have no need to make the paint look perfect. I'm always very generous with my clear but if your not confident throw down alot of coats for insurance. I do 3 coats of clear on every paint job... Basically just one light for a tack coat then I've gotten really good with spraying so I go pretty heavy on the 2nd coat and the 3rd I really lay it on thick and I run it sometimes but that just means I'm definately getting it on thick. I can spray it on so thick now by the third coat it lays down so flat I just hit any runs with 1000 then get the whole car with 1500 pretty good and just go over it with the 2000 to soften the scratches.

I did get some info from my friends body shop while I was in Vegas. They use wool pads for cutting and foam for polishing compounds and they use 3m. Then they had a finish polish to completely remove the swirl marks and they use a foam pad for that as well. I forget the name I know my local paint store doesn't carry it but they assured me they had something that was the same just different brand.

My local auto-paint supply told me the same exact thing about the polishing pads. They recommended the Meguiars Diamond Cut polish for the wool pad and then the Speed Glaze/Swirl Remover with the foam.

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-paint-c...d-Cut-Compound

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-cleaner...hs/Speed-Glaze

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-cleaner.../Swirl-Remover

Yeah I'm sure it's the same stuff... I've been using foam to cut and I don't like it for cutting at all. I really wanna try the wool...

ok my idea on this site is gitting a good paint job for the money???, you cant paint your car for $300 unless you know how to paint and want to spend about $600 on tools unless you allready have them do you??

ok if its a show car ok then go pay the $6000 for someone to paint your car correct. now if you really drive your car then maby you dont want to spend 6k so when your at the track and you see your bumper go flying in the air you wont cry. but if you or your parents are baller go fot it.

ok the way i did it, not saying its for you but just giveing you an option. i did all the prep work myself, you know sanding sanding and more sanding then went to macco and had a talk with them they were really nice i told them i went to another shop and told them i wouldent let them paint my lawn mower. all of a sudden he was like you want a tour of the shop bla bla bla. well all said and done it cost $250 out the door and it came out great wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better then i thought well here some pics.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...666/paint1.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...666/paint2.jpg

if you have allready seen them sorry just trying to help the poor ziliva people out

Looks clean, but do you think it'll last in the long run?

Main reason I want to buy my own tools to spray is because I don't plan to spray only 1-2 cars.

As of today, I already have 4-5 cars planned for paint.(Mine and friends)

Also, the better I get at it, the more I can do it as a weekend/side thing to make some extra money.

Looks very nice though.

well i cant say if its gunna last yet the paint is only about 3 weeks old. but kinda like a said i dont care if your paint cost 6k if your bumper flys off at the track it will get fucked up.

but if you really want to learn how to paint go for it, maby work at a paint shop part time and see if you like it befoure you spend all the money on tools.

and as far as maaco the the paint they use is a single stage paint and its meah ok i guess, but everyone says maaco is crap ya because they dont prep the cars at all. ok their idea of prep is taking a scotch pad and sanding it lol. and thats why the paint peels off they just put paint over your old clear coat. well ill let you know how it holds up:-/

^^^^ I demand pics of your hood and door jambs =)

why pics of the hood??? and i did not jamb the car i was to lazy to take the doors off and prep them, but they said they would jamb the doors for another $50 but im just gunna track the car and im new to this so i know im gunna fuk it up so i saw no need for me

just wondering if u had it done or not that's all

Yeah I know alot of people who get their cars painted like that... It's maaaddd cheap... As long as you prep the car yourself you are ok but I still don't recommend the single stage... No need to spend $6k but I'm sure you can get away with a pretty good paint job for around a grand if you shop around. Less if you do the prep work yourself again... If your gonna go through all that trouble ya mise well try and paint it yourself too.

Did you primer it after all that sanding? I might consider this for my daily. Who does the best overall paint job? Macco, One Day, or Earl Scheib (anything else)

BTW, good work. Anyone orange peel? Close up pics please.

Just shop around and ask to see their work... I would take out all the lights and anything else that could get overspray and suck... Typically they are terrible at masking and expect some runs. It's only a single stage and I garuntee orange peel and dulling of the paint over time. Looks good from 15 feet right after it's painted and washed doesn't it? All those places are the same really just try to find one that looks like they have less mistakes on their finished work. Just don't let them show you personal cars and shit make them show you something rolling out of the booth.

That's how i've always seen it.

I know shops tend to drop their prices significantly when the car is already prepped (close friend experiences), but prepping the car is like 90% of the work.

Paint is pretty much the easiest step.

Yup without a good prep job the paint will turn out like crap... I mean realistically you just need a single stage paint for a race car... I go way over board and for someone on a budget it's not worth it.

i went to one day paint and oh my god worst shit i have ever seen in my life. and what you have to rember is all maaco's are not the same some are good and some are really bad. it depends on whoever owns the shop and how they want to run it.

and with single stage paint no matter what your going to get orange peel, but on my paint i did not get one single drip, i was like wowwww. and i did not primer the car, all i did is took out the head lights tail lights and took the kit and spoiler off, sanded the whole car with a da sander then used body filler on all the little dings. then wet sanded the car with 400 then 600 not sure if this is the way you should do it but it worked for me.

Use scotch brite pads they work good if you just wanna prep real quick... Otherwise shoulda stuck with the 400...

Heyy..
Just got base/clear of Jet black..
I've only done singlestage so far, so this will be a learning experience!

When do I apply pearl or flake?
Can i mix it with the base?

I also went to Maaco for a paint job. I figured, since I wasn't building a show car and that I was just sick of the sanded look, why spend a ton of money.

All in all, it cost me $360 out the door and I was happy how the car turned out. Even if the paint job doesn't last, I wouldn't have minded spending another $360 in couple years to have it re-done.

Here are the before and after pictures. You may have already seen my old S13.

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...7/105_1260.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...7/105_1222.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...7/105_1191.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...7/mypaint3.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...7/mypaint6.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...7/mypaint8.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z.../mypaint22.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z.../mypaint24.jpg

Color is Nissan Slate Blue if anyone is wondering. Came out pretty good IMO.

^ it's not perfect, but it does sure look nice. congrats.

I've been contemplating painting my car, this thread might just convince me into doing all the body work and paint myself.

Just do it.

My friend recently gave me a $400 gift card to Lowes.

So, I was able to buy a compressor, gun, sander, tool box, loads and loads of sand paper, etc.

A friend of mine suggested the gun/compressor combo since I didn't plan on using one of those massive compressors.

Also, since you're kind of local to me(not really, but under a 45min drive), I can actually help you out with paint.

I've never painted a full car on my own. So, once they're done(i'm painting a fastback, coupe, and astro-van) i'll have before and after pictures.

So, if you're up for that, I would be more than happy to help out.

hey man let me know if you need help i have a couple extra guns you can use..

wow, so much premie love. other forums need to see the softer side of Zilvia xD

I was hoping to start the body work this winter break, but planning other things and the possibility of my girl getting a little project of her own has taken away from my time. I'll more than likely do it in the summer along with some engine goodies.

For sure.

Just hit me up whenever you're ready for paint.

By then, i'll have more than enough experience.

People don't need to see our softer side.

That's what the premie section is for.

:keke: