Spray until the day...
Spray until the day... Hello everyone.
My '97 Z28 'Vert was just sent to the body shop to fix the rear-end damage from the accident that happened on my birthday, no less, but now I'm left to think about my '99 T/A also. Currently it has nose, bumper, sail panel and upper left door clear coat that is peeling and has gone down to the base coat.
The plan is to eventually send it in to the shop to get painted, but with a $6K minimum estimate I'd like to try spraying the car myself while I save the money for the real, professional job. Now, I've done the rattle-can dance and I don't care to do that again. I'm looking to spray the car with an HVLP system, and perform all of the prepping steps that go along with properly spraying car panels. The problem is, I don't know how to do any of these steps.
I've watched several youtube videos, read message board posts, and even manufacturer websites for paint and HPLV equipment, but there are so many varying techniques, steps and even equipment used that I'm lost in all of it.
I'm hoping that you guys can provide me with step by step instructions with equipment used, such as what grit sandpaper, chemicals, etc, or direct me to a website or something that can provide all of that information; but from a format and information that hopefully some of YOU guys have used and/or trust.
I am not expecting 100 point, concourse restoration results, but I just want the car to look decent until the day it can be professionally painted. Thanks in advance, I'll post the link to the HVLP system I'm considering:
My '97 Z28 'Vert was just sent to the body shop to fix the rear-end damage from the accident that happened on my birthday, no less, but now I'm left to think about my '99 T/A also. Currently it has nose, bumper, sail panel and upper left door clear coat that is peeling and has gone down to the base coat.
The plan is to eventually send it in to the shop to get painted, but with a $6K minimum estimate I'd like to try spraying the car myself while I save the money for the real, professional job. Now, I've done the rattle-can dance and I don't care to do that again. I'm looking to spray the car with an HVLP system, and perform all of the prepping steps that go along with properly spraying car panels. The problem is, I don't know how to do any of these steps.
I've watched several youtube videos, read message board posts, and even manufacturer websites for paint and HPLV equipment, but there are so many varying techniques, steps and even equipment used that I'm lost in all of it.
I'm hoping that you guys can provide me with step by step instructions with equipment used, such as what grit sandpaper, chemicals, etc, or direct me to a website or something that can provide all of that information; but from a format and information that hopefully some of YOU guys have used and/or trust.
I am not expecting 100 point, concourse restoration results, but I just want the car to look decent until the day it can be professionally painted. Thanks in advance, I'll post the link to the HVLP system I'm considering:
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,643
Likes: 2,571
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Auto painting is an art form for which I have no talent, so I can't offer any advice there. But, if you haven't already replaced the sail panel on your '99 as per the sticky in this section, I wouldn't waste any time prepping and painting that panel as the underlying issue won't be resolved by anything done on the top side. If you plan to do the paint yourself, this would also be a great time to consider swapping out the roof panel - in fact, the replacement piece could be painted separately (prior to install) and would then be a good piece on which to practice (since it could easily be redone prior to install).
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 62
Likes: 10
From: Cumming,Ga
If you so to Nastyz28.com and do a search for painting video their is a guy on there that sells a vdeo on the whole process from start to finish.Nasty is a web site for 2nd gen f bodies.I’ll trying and find a link and post it.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 609
Likes: 6
From: jacksonville,fl
I'm assuming that's black looking at your tiny avatar. While black takes the highest level of bodywork for perfection, it is a solid color and not the hardest to spray. Doing all steps sufficiently enough to get a solid surface, then color sanding & buffing can give you that flat ultimate gloss black finish.
It takes lot of work, reasonably decent equipment, a fair investment in supplies & a good enough place converted to a filtered & vented paint booth & some potential skills. Plenty of people doing a pretty damn good paint job first time out. If you screw up a section, hell it's just paint.. If you agree with all that, move forwards.
SPI paint doesn't have many colors, but is great quality with decent pricing, has great primers, clears,& a few great single stage colors, such as the black I'll be using. They do have some low VOC stuff for Ca use. They have a great forum to learn from. Make notes, read further and further back in most sections as homework, & read tech manual. Would be a really good start in knowledge.. They don't sell sandpaper, tape, guns, etc, but have some advise already discussed towards that.
http://www.spiuserforum.com/index.php
It takes lot of work, reasonably decent equipment, a fair investment in supplies & a good enough place converted to a filtered & vented paint booth & some potential skills. Plenty of people doing a pretty damn good paint job first time out. If you screw up a section, hell it's just paint.. If you agree with all that, move forwards.
SPI paint doesn't have many colors, but is great quality with decent pricing, has great primers, clears,& a few great single stage colors, such as the black I'll be using. They do have some low VOC stuff for Ca use. They have a great forum to learn from. Make notes, read further and further back in most sections as homework, & read tech manual. Would be a really good start in knowledge.. They don't sell sandpaper, tape, guns, etc, but have some advise already discussed towards that.
http://www.spiuserforum.com/index.php
If you have a community college near by and they offer an auto body refinishing class, probably well worth the couple hundred bucks to go sit in class and do it and learn from someone who knows. From my experience in all the trade type classes i took over the years, take the classes in the evening, those teachers are usually the ones who still do this stuff for a living and are much more apt to know the ins and outs of real world. The day time teachers I always found to be the ones who couldn't hack it and are now just teachers who are book smart. Become friends with the teacher and then you can possibly use the schools equipment and booth.
One of the more important aspects to painting is protecting your health, particularly if using urethane paints as they have isocyanates in them. . If you intend to paint in a spray booth, this is especially important. If painting outdoors, a good fresh VOC mask and long sleeves/pants. Fresh is important, as the activated carbon in the filter will become contaminated and become less to ineffective over time.
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: South Carolina
Prep and paint is the easy part, the cut and buff is the tricky and time consuming part. They don’t show that part on the car shows. Hour after hour will be put to cutting and buffing the clear coat to make it look like glass and take out small imperfections.
Paint is all about the paint mixture and viscosity, clean/ filtered air, and well cleaned surface.
You will be fine. Just do it and see what happens. Your not going to kill the car if you mess up the paint.
Paint is all about the paint mixture and viscosity, clean/ filtered air, and well cleaned surface.
You will be fine. Just do it and see what happens. Your not going to kill the car if you mess up the paint.
