Blackhawk777

So the time has come to repaint my car. I'm not going to be going through a body shop, simply because I don't have the money to mess with that, so I'm giving it a whirl at home. How did you guys do yours, and what steps did you take? I'd really like some input since I'll be trying to finish it before the snow starts flying.

Blackhawk777

52 views and not a single person knows how to paint a car?

Faze

What condition is the current paint in? Is it OEM or has it been repainted? Are you doing a color change or simply repainting it the same color? What is your goal with this paint job?

These are all pieces of information needed to get started. I had more than one area that had been repainted poorly. There was clear coat and/or paint flaking in several areas. Then my car got backed into hard enough to trash my front bumer, headlight, headlight brackets, turn signal, tweak the hood, and crack the fender. So I had multiple issues to deal with.

I had to strip all the aftermarket paint off, replace the front bumper and brackets, and during the striping process I found some previous repairs that were poorly done, so those needed repair as well.

I should be getting it in primer on Wed.

I got the most help from a local paint supply shop. Be ready to answer my original questions, and if possible, bring your car for them to see. They can help you plan your project and guide you to the proper materials.

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

Man, do it yourself paint with no experience is a tall, tall order. There is sooo much information to convey that this will be one hell of a thread if you do get all the proper info.

The only advice I can give you is lots and lots of test panels for everything you do. DO NOT work on the actual car until you have successfully performed each procedure on a test panel. Try to find a book at the book store if you can. Just make sure it is a modern and recent book as materials are evolving pretty quickly these days.

With all the equipment you will need to do a quality job, you could probably pay somebody to do it. Sanders, spray guns, air line dryers, supplies, primers, fillers, paint etc. It adds up in a big hurry. Especially with all the test shoots and oopsies redos that noobs do.

If you are patient, studious and have good feel in your hands, you can do it. But, there will be plenty of pain along the way. If you are impatient or get frustrated easily, prepare for your worst nightmare.

Well, that ought to be about enough out of me. Have fun!

Blackhawk777

I've painted before, just not an entire car, got all the good spray guns and everything else. Just trying to gather a few pointers before I start. As for your questions Faze, it is the original black, staying black, paint was real rough in numerous spots, and just looking for a decent paint job, something I wouldn't be afraid to drive if there is just a little bit of gravel on the road. This isn't a show car so it doesn't have to be absolutely flawless and so perfect it never leaves my garage, this car gets driven and quite hard at times.

XxXTransAmXxX

iTrader: (12)

I've never done a car in a garage without a booth, but if I am doing a amp rack, or other interior panels in basecoat/clearcoat....

1. Well ventilated
2. Keep a cross direction wind flow (pusher and sucker fans)
3. Keep the floor wet to keep the dust down on the ground

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

Well, my experience is that nobody wants to hear about safety and health but here it goes anyway.

Paint is full of nasty nasty things that goes straight into your bloodstream via the lungs and even the skin. Do not paint without a full painters suit and a fresh air system. Since you do not have a booth to pull out the fumes and isocyanate, you will suffer maximum exposure and fill your body full of these carcinogens.

I hear all the standard responses to this such as: my uncle painted for 20 years and nothing happened to him etc. However, I managed body shops for 25 years and I can tell you that I watched two people whom I really like die from brain tumors and other seemingly lose their faculties as they aged. So, if you do not protect yourself, you will pay a penalty. It is just a question of how much of a penalty.

Sorry to rant on this, but I would feel like I had failed you had I not shared this with you.

Blackhawk777

Good stuff to know. Time to invest in a respirator huh?

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

Respirators remove particles but they cannot protect against the isocyanates and fumes. Only a fresh air system can do that and those are quite expensive.

Modern auto body shops use down draft spray booths that pull the paint particle and fumes away from you and down into the floor which is a huge advantage that spraying in a garage can not provide.

Even in a downdraft spray booth, fresh are systems are the only way to assure you are protected.

redspeed3tk

respirator, paint suit and latex gloves.. trust me the $20 for a paint suit will be soo much better than wiping the sticky clear coat from your arms when your done, i have done it many times.

if you want a half decent paint job you will need to make a garage have as little dust as possible. i recommend the plastic sheeting stapled to the walls and ceiling, and then some way to move the air..fans..if you dont get the clear coat that will be broken up in the air away from the car it will fall back in to it and will look terrible. bugs are goin to be your nightmare so make sure to have tweezers ready to pick them out as you go, i usualy had a friend chase me around haha.. get a compressor that can keep up with a water trap. and lights loots of lights maybe a flashlight to carry and one on your head! ha need to see what your doing

one of the best things you can do is once you have the car all sanded down and scuffed up wash it with soap and water (dawn soap) make sure to try and get all the crap out of the cracks and jambs. blow the car completely dry, wipe all the areas that are goin to have tape with laquor thinner or wax and grease remover, trust me , get the car where ya want it and then tape it all up
best time to paint at your house is early in the morning when the dew is still on the ground, plus i like it get it all ready then go to bed and get up fresh to spray,
make sure that you plan out how your goin to spray before you start, i like doin a dry run to make sure ya can reach and that you are always keeping a wet edge
i just did my convertible camaro and it took 2 quarts of base and a little over a gallon on clear for 3 coats and i dont have a roof, and i spray with the most transfer efficient guns made, so plan accordingly and having a little extra paint is wayy better than running out
always mix how the instructions say to and use the temperature to determine the speed of the reducers and hardeners! i just laugh when someone buys a speed clear that gives you 5 min between coats to do a overall, its not gonna work, its gonna be dry and the clear wont be able to be evacuated before it drys and falls back on top.
another thing that i learned by trial and error is when you are all done painting dont shut the door and have no way for the vapors to escape, you pretty much sealed off the area with plastic, and it will die back and solvent pop something fierce, trust me it was terrible..car looked awesomeee closed the doors went to bed woke up car was hideous.
someone told me once that putting tar paper down keeps the bugs away but i never tried it..

hope that helps, its by no means everything you need to know

Blackhawk777

That's all definitely good stuff to know. I'm not worried about the door jams and engine compartment/hatch area. It's going to stay black as is, but the car's paint was pretty fubar'd. The jams, engine compartment and hatch area all look relatively new, it was more the outside that took a beating.

redspeed3tk

yea still want to clean them really good or else when you come across the fender to door jam for example , it will blow all the crap out in to your paint job. the best thing to mask the jambs is foam tape..but at
$50 plus a case most people wont buy it. you can roll tape them or hard line them, if your not picky like me then just hard tape line it. most of the time on these cars its the clear coat that fails. i dont know what paint system you are goin to use but if your looking for cheap, check out either the ppg shopline or transtar, if you want the best results use ppg deltron 9700 base coat and dcu2021 clear coat imo

Blackhawk777

Indeed. I think there's a local paint shop that sells ppg paint here, I wonder if they have the deltron or not.