horist

my car really is going to need a paint job soon... and I like doing stuff on it on my own (engine work, interior work, etc..) ...

Anyone have any howtos on painting? What kinda hardware I'll need, paint etc...

I know you have to rough the surface up, but I wanna know all the steps involved

Thanks!

UGOT8

same color I assume?

remove molding/emblems..
watersand everything..
remove paint where cracks are [sand it off]
smooth out rough spots..
prime areas where you removed most of the paint
clean...clean...clean surface
paint -- long nice even strokes .. don't rush .. very thin layers..
clearcoat..
watersand..
buff
wax

im not a painter but i worked at a bodyshop for a while as an assistant [lol] and thats what I gathered? i may be wrong but -- i just wanted to give it a shot. haha

are you using someones paint booth?

i think the main thing is .. before you paint the car make SURE there is no chemicals being sprayed in the air around the booth or anywhere near the car itself. leather shine and different things like that can make new paint fisheye... and that looks TERRIBLE.

::Austin::

Fireball

iTrader: (21)

clean clean clean.

First outline the body panel you are painting then you want even coverage over the rest of the panel with 1/2 overlaps. Don't expect full coverage on the first coat. But subsequent coats you do want "wet coats"

Remember:

Too dry of an application, you get orange peel
Too wet of an application, you get runs

Paint data sheets (that come with the paint you buy) give you pressure and time between coats information.

Kinda hard to give a full how-to over the internet

pimpmaro

My family owned a paint shop for a bit of time and I would not recommend doing your own car paint without any kind of prior experience. The majority of the work for a paint job involves the prep work and the sanding. But all of the technique of the actual painting is very hard to learn without experience.

If you do try it, I recommend testing your paint flow and air pressure setup thoroughly before touching the car. Practice playing with the settings on the gun until your air is just right and you're not blowing too much or too little paint. You might want to talk to your paint supplier about the use of "Sila-check" in your paint to prevent fisheyes. If I remember right, it's a few bucks for a bottle and all you have to do is squeeze in a little bit when you mix your paint.

Also, watch out for some of the compound curves of the WS6, horist. Paint can start building up in those and quickly become a visual nightmare.

If you decide to go through with it, good luck!

MadIceV8

iTrader: (12)

If you do it yourself, all I gotta say is good luck; its not gonna be easy.

Sleepy383SS

What's the first thing everybody see's when they look at your car? Your paint. DO NOT DO IT YOURSELF!!!! This is one thing you just have to pay out the a$$ for it to be done properly. You will be unable to produce anything close to a factory paint job let alone a custom one.

onehardmaro

Dont do it, no im j/j. I never did the painting but i did the prep work. Just take your time do alot of wet sanding. You have to constantly feel the surface and look at it at different angles to find any imperfections. I used bondo for filler but the paint shop wished i didnt saying it sucks the paint up creating dull spots. just take your time. It would be pretty cool when some ask who painted your car and you could say i did.

Fireball

iTrader: (21)

I say practice on a beater or something first...

richieg

iTrader: (1)

I always enjoy it when someone tries to do something new. If you already have the stuff to do it, go to the junkyard and pick up the curviest body panels you can find and start the learning process. Keep us posted on your progress. Maybe you can be an inspiration to others in here that might have a talent for it.

pimpmaro

I like richie's suggestion. I recommend learning on motorcycle fuel tanks. Those are some of the most complex shapes to paint IMO. When you feel comfortable painting the saddle part of the tank where it straddles the frame, you should be good to go to tackle your car. Good luck!