I was wondering where the cheapest paint is at; I saw PaintScratch.com and it was ~$350/gallon, but that may just be how expensive it is... any cheaper options that are of high quality? And how much basecoat, clearcoat, primer is needed to fully repaint a Camaro? Thanks

 

first off what color and brands are you looking at. that will determine different vendors depending on brands

 

black; brand is not an issue, just one of quality that is less than $350 if there is one; if nobody knows of any then I will just go with what is in the first post; but I still need to know quantities of the items. I believe I will need wax and grease remover (1gallon?), tack cloths, primer (1-2gallons?), black base (1gallon?), clearcoat (1-2gallons?). How about a sealer? I plan on sanding all of the original burgundy off, and then laying down the primer, will a sealer be needed between primer and base?

 

Go to Google and type in "automotive paint supply your hometown, state". There will be a supply shop within driving distance of your house, they are almost everywhere you just don't necessarily see them. Go there, and they will be able to get you everything you need. 350 for black base is kinda high, I usually get the cheap stuff for base, like 100 for a gallon. (Nason brand which is 3m's budget stuff Utech is another good budget paint I think Sikken's makes that, and there is Shopline by PPG)
I would recommend using a sealer although it's not 100% necessary and some adhesion promoter wouldn't be a bad idea either. Your pretty good on your quantities a gallon of primer will be enough and you could probably get away with 2-3 quarts of base but go ahead and get a gallon especially if this is your first paint job. Also, don't forget to get some reducer for the paint some, laquer thinner to clean your gun, and you will need some hardener as well.
When you go to the supply shop they will be able to help you out with all of this and don't forget to ask for a discount for buying all this at the same time or at least get some free mixing cups, strainers, and paint sticks.
just a tip if this is your first one, practice on something that you can mess up and don't try to get complete coverage on your first pass with the base. Let me know if I can help......

 

Thanks!

 

I just got done talking with a paint supplier in the area and he recommended the one-stage paint to keep costs down, and he showed me a couple of samples of one stage, and a base/clear job...they looked about the same but who knows for sure besides them... what does everyone know about one-stage paints, that do not require clear? Sounds like a bad, and lazy job....i don't want it to be lazy or bad, I want the best for the cheapest (broken record eh?) and if everyone thinks one stage is just as good as shooting base and clear separate then I'll go with his recommendation but i have NEVER heard of that option before. Please discuss. Thanks

 

DO NOT BUY OMNI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That stuff really is just rattle can paint in a jug,lol. There is a reason why it's so cheap, think about it. It will look good for a year then start fading and looking like junk in the near future. Get the good stuff (PPG/DuPont,etc...) It may cost more but will last a hell of alot longer. I have gotten into this discussion with people I used to live with that are a PPG Paint distributer. your choice though.

 

I wouldn't recommend single stage either it will not look as good especially if this is your first time shooting, spend the extra coin and save yourself some stress and time. Just an FYI, I used to work at a shop where we did some wholesale cars for dealerships, the type where the dealers doesn't want to pay ****, and we always used base clear even on those cars.

 

Try not to use single stage, although basecoat clearcoat does cost a little more the paint job will last longer. Its well worth the little bit extra.

 

thanks folks; i didnt get the single stage; they mixed me up a batch of black base and i got some clear, it was maybe $100 more and I think it will turn out much glossier as long as i take my time can't wait to get started on it this weekend!!

EDIT: I bought some clearcoat pearl (red) as well, think that would look good with black? just a LITTLE bit; they showed me some samples and it looked like a vegas showgirl outfit, I just want the factory look amount of metallic shine in the paint and thought red would go well with black since the suspension will be red and the calipers will be red as well... has anyone done that before?

 

I'm going to go ahead and lay down what I think the process is real quick, if yall don't mind correcting me if and when I'm wrong. I've looked at a lot of the resources on the sticky and that crankshaftcoalition site is awesome!

#1; Wash everything off the car, and sand to scuff up the clear/paint that is already on the car
#2; Take care of the smalllll amount of damage on one of the quarter panels with the body filler...
#3; Mask and cover all windows, openings, places I don't want to paint.
#4; Shoot prime onto the car; how many layers?? And how long of a drying time between each layer?
#5; put down a guide coat (rattle can primer alright?) and sand to find high spots, then sand those spots down to match the surrounding areas
#6 wax/grease remover all over to clean the surface, spray sealer (how many layers??)
#7 After sealer is dried, clean off surface again and then it should be ready for base coat right?
#8 Put down a coat of clear with the pearl in it, then wait for that to dry (how long is long enough?)
#9 Finish off with another coat of clear without the pearl in it
#10 Sand the clear a bit; I still need to review the best methods for this...Should I use 1500 and 2000 grain paper and then buff it all out? What should I use to buff (i'll be hand polishing by the way, no tools ) in the way of materials?

 

#1- good
#2- get it to 220 grit prior to priming
#3- yup, a little wax/grease remover helps the tape stick to areas where it doesn't want to
#4- 2 coats should be good let it flash off for about 15-20 mins
#5- good make sure you get up to at least 400 grit after re-priming any spots that need it (where you burn through it) and then I usually hit everything with a scotch-brite pad
#6- one coat of sealer should be good, I like to wear gloves when using wax grease remover and be sure to "wax on wax off"
#7- a light wipe with a tack cloth should be good here and make sure to vary your start/stop points on the panels to avoid excessive buildup
#8- flash times vary (should be on the can) but generally 15- 20 mins, again vary start/stop points
#9- again vary your start stop/points
#10- not sure about hand buffing after you water sand after 200 grit, I generally use 3M machine compound (on a buffer with a wool pad) followed by their swirl remover (on a buffer with a foam pad) and finish it off with a hand glaze

This is what I mean by varying your start stop points:
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/tip-...tml#post542621

By the way when shooting the clear don't try to get it looking like glass when it's still wet or it's going to run, remember the top coat will "melt" into the first one, but also don't get it on there too dry. Like I said before practice on something, and best of luck......

 

1) on #10 did you mean 2000 grit?!?? haha I've got an aftermarket SS spoiler that's already primed so I'll practice on that and hope for the best

2) if you'd recommend I get a buffer then I don't mind spending the money to get a tool like that...I just heard it might be a bad idea for someone that has zero experience with one...

3) What exactly is a tack cloth; I bought a box of 100 'shop cloths' but i think they're just ordinary...rags...

4)on #5 you mention a scotch brite pad; is that one of the green and yellow sponge looking things? If so, you use that green kind-of-abrasive side and just make a couple passes over all the primer after the 400 grit?

5) not to sound like a total noob, but i am one but a "flash time" is the only amount of time you need in between coats???? is it alright to wait a little longer than what is shown?

hopefully i'm getting to the end of my questions. thank you very much for the knowledgeable responses

 

1- yes 2000 my bad
2- with base clear a buffer is not as scary as everyone thinks just go slow (start with slowest setting working your ay up) and stay away from the edges and body lines (this is where it's thin), you can pick one up one at harbor freight for less than $100
3- they have tack cloths at the supply shop its kinda like a sticky gauze pad that will clean small pieces of dust and dirt off. just lightly drag it against the panel after sealing and after base. be very very gentle, applying just enough pressure to keep it on the panel.
4- they have scotch-brite pads at supply shop as well I usually use gray ones for this. you can also pick them up at Lowe's in smaller quantities
5-yes flash time is the amount of time for the solvents in the paint to evaporate, or dry, you can wait a little longer just read the paint can for minimum to maximum times to re-coat.

 

alrighty does it matter what grain sandpaper I use when I'm sanding the car to scuff and scratch up the clear/base? How far down do I need to go into the layers, all the way to the paint, or just rough up the clear a bit?

 

Yes it matters. If you have heavy orange peel you can cut it down with 1200 then go over it again with 1500-2000, then do your buffing. You want to sand until you can't see any shiny spots or until its flat , and stay away from the edges.

 

I haven't painted the car yet haha

I'm asking about what to use when sanding it down, then I'll primer/sealer/bc/cc

I've got some 400, 1500, 2000 grit paper, and I even found some 60 grit in the garage...is that unneccesarily coarse for just scuffing the car up? I would think that if I used it the primer would fill in all the scratching/scuffing anyway and it would be fine, but I wanted someone's opinion that has done it before...

 

Depends on what you plan on doing on the section, if you're just blowing primer on there then 220. You could even cheat with a DA and 320 on a soft pad, but I'd recommend doing everything by hand on your first go round. However if you need to do some body work (ie filler) then you'll want to sand through the paint with 120 then apply your filler. Then I usually start with 120 to knock the filler down a little, then use 220 to get it nice and straight and to feather the edges.

 

IMO:
house of Kolor (more custom paint/experienced skill level)
Sherwin Williams Auto Paint. They can answer questions im sure you have...and ill bet there is one near you.

 

Thanks for everyone's help thus far; I had to run to the store to pick up the last bit of things (some safety stuff) and had a change in the game plan thanks to the manager of the store, who seemed quite knowledgeable.

He recommended skipping the primer and just covering the car with sealer after scuffing it up; I did still get some primer, since I had to do some of the body work and the stripes on the hood were peeling. The hood is going to be replaced anyway but it is my guinea pig. I did the body filler last night and just shot the small amount of primer I planned on using and am waiting for it to dry! Then, it is time!!

One question though, how do you guys/gals clean your guns? This time all I did was wash out the cup with a bunch of lacquer thinner then put some in the cup and spray the gun until there wasn't anything left.. is that what I need to do each time??? I'm going to need some more thinner I think...