What is needed to paint body panels??
What is needed to paint body panels?? So now that I have a few parts that need painted, a hood, front bumper, and quarter panel, I want to learn to do this myself. I want to know what is the minimum size compressor to use, what type of paint gun to use (HVLP?), what kind of inline air/water separator I need, etc., while also staying on a budget.
Also what type of primer, base, clearance to use (urethane, acrylic?). The bumper and hood will of course be done off the car, and will mask off the entire car except for the quarter panel that I need to paint. This is not a show car, so it doesn't have to be perfect, but I still want it to look good and match too. The extra hood and bumper are off the car, so I can practice on those if needed.
Also what type of primer, base, clearance to use (urethane, acrylic?). The bumper and hood will of course be done off the car, and will mask off the entire car except for the quarter panel that I need to paint. This is not a show car, so it doesn't have to be perfect, but I still want it to look good and match too. The extra hood and bumper are off the car, so I can practice on those if needed.
Air compressor u will need a 60 gal with at least 12cfm at 90 psi, spray guns-devilbris finishline hvlp would probably work I believe their around $150,someone can probably tell you a better gun cause I do it for a living and haven't used the cheaper guns much,I use sata 3000b for base and an iwata w400 for clear witch are around 1000 for both.you might get away with a slightly smaller compressor but I dought it.to paint u need a high cfm and consistent air pressure.
. So you would probably be fine with a 20-30gal that can produce at least 5cfm.As for the air filters, I would recommend one filter/regulator immediately after the compressor and a mini inline filter directly before the gun.
For the hvlp, I recommend harbor freight. They have a couple VERY cheap guns (like $20 or $30) and these things work GREAT! I have used them and they spray nearly as good as any gun out there.
Read this thread. I posted a LOT of info on there regarding budget jobs. Look up the gun I posted on the 2nd page, too. LMK if you have any questions.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/paint-bod...-supplies.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/paint-bod...-supplies.html
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Verdad Gallardo No problem. Don't forget about SinisterZ28's contributions, too! 
SinisterZ28, what shop do you work at, out of curiosity. Ironically I used to really try hard to get hired with some shops around here, but nobody would hire me! Ha ha. So I do my own thing on the side.
SinisterZ28, what shop do you work at, out of curiosity. Ironically I used to really try hard to get hired with some shops around here, but nobody would hire me! Ha ha. So I do my own thing on the side.
thanks for the props 98camaro28 i work at a shop in bristol called EM collision repair.ive worked their going on 6 yrs straight out of NADC worked my way from the wash bay to body and prep now i paint.we do 25-40 cars a week, but its been horrible over the last few months because of all the hail damage,ive been working from 8am till 11-12pm most nights.
Wow that sucks! But I bet the paychecks are good!
I highly considered trying to open a shop of my own, but am honestly too scared to. What all guns do you use, btw? Feel free to PM me to not clutter this thread back and forth. ha ha
I highly considered trying to open a shop of my own, but am honestly too scared to. What all guns do you use, btw? Feel free to PM me to not clutter this thread back and forth. ha ha
OK, how about brand of paint to match the factory Mystic Teal that is on the car for the hood and front bumper cover? For my brake calipers, engine bay, and intake manifold I used some aerosol from Automotive Touchup and it matched pretty well to the factory paint. Should I order a quart of base and clear from them, or should I go with someone else for closest matching paint?
Here is how my engine bay turned out with the aerosol, paint was trashed before painting it (cell phone pics):
Here is how my engine bay turned out with the aerosol, paint was trashed before painting it (cell phone pics):
Last edited by kgkern01; Jul 25, 2011 at 05:48 PM.
I have a Mystic car.... Trust me you want to get the PPG DBC aka "Dextron". Do NOT skimp on this or it will NOT match. If I remember right it was $120/pint. There is a ton of pearl and metallic in it, so it's not cheap.
CFM and duty cycle are more important than how many gallons the air tank is. 20 is too small anyway, especially with the Harbor freight gun. I would forget the HF gun and get the Astro EVO. MUCH better and only $100. I have both. And you can have a much smaller compressor with the EVO aswell.
Base I would use PPG DBC and for clear the SPI Universal.
I sprayed with the HF 25gal compressor and the EVO for years. Do one panel at a time and you'll be fine.
Base I would use PPG DBC and for clear the SPI Universal.
I sprayed with the HF 25gal compressor and the EVO for years. Do one panel at a time and you'll be fine.
Pretty much. But only if the current paint is in good shape. If it's peeling, cracking, etc. you are going to need to strip all the bad paint off, prime it with a primer surfacer, sand, then you can base and clear. You're also going to need some miscellaneous materials: Grease/wax remover, 180 and 320 grit sandpaper if removing old paint, 600 grit for final sanding before color, some sort of sanding blocks. If you're planning on sanding and buffing the clear you will need 1000, 1500, and 2000 grits for sanding the clear and some sort of buffer and polishing compounds. And there's probably more I'm forgetting.
