How difficult is painting a car?

[bradartigue]

I have probably six books on painting cars, and they all lead me to believe that either a complete goof (me) can do it or that it is so hard it is best left to a professional. I take a car to a place like Maaco and I think hell, I can do better than that. For those of you who've done it, is it a reasonable pursuit?

My theory is that the only way I can build a nasty 1800cc rally Spider and have it painted in orange and white is to do it myself. The mechanicals, etc. are easy, but I know nothing of paint.

I realize those of you who think me a purist may think I lost my mind. Not an Abarth replica, but I would like a nasty little rally type Spider to run through the woods and trails back home.

[81SPIDERMATT]

not a folly at all .... totally doable ... like anything else better equipment will help and prep is key

[toplessexpat]

Brad - you'll be needing the hood + light pods that I'm going to dispose of then...... and the paint job isn't bad

[azruss]

Painting requires a lot of stars to align to get a great paint job. With new paints much can be fixed with color sanding the clearcoat. modern HVLP are much more difficult to shoot than old school paint as the paint does not atomize well thus goes on more orange-peely. There is always walking that thin line between getting a coat to flow but not run. What lays down on the surface is not what you see 15 minutes later. Read the books, watch the videos and memorize how far the painter has the gun from the surface and how fast he is moving. Then do some practicing before you start on the real deal.
Dust is your enemy. Spend some time building a paint booth out of 2x4s, nylon cord and plastic sheeting. get yourself a good fan or group of fans and blow into the booth thru some good paint booth filters. This will pressurize the booth and help keep the dust out. You can go in and out of the booth through a seam in the back.

[djape1977]

first time paintjob is most likely to turn out a horrible mess

first practice on something

[spider2081]

Many of todays paint products are extremely toxic you need a respirator for sure

[81SPIDERMATT]

my other love ... 76 scout .... not much detail specifically about painting but gives an idea what knowing nothing will produce .... over my head and beyond my capabilities most of the project but it came out ok .... thinking about a trail and woods running fiat ... does it need a 6000 dollar paint job

http://www.binderplanet.com/forums/inde ... ut.119063/

[DieselSpider]

Facing the same as I have not painted many cars since the original few dozen over 30 years ago. With Straight Enamel or Old School Lacquer I was pretty good however with the new stuff I have some initial trepidation too.

I found the Paint Shop Videos from Duplicolor interesting and that line of paints is supposed to be a tad more forgiving for the shade tree guy to apply.

Painting an old International Scout:
https://youtu.be/KoP0plWTirs

Quality of video is not as nice but he does give more details:
https://youtu.be/ZwkFgPyCQic

Off Road Paint Job:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... BB6fzW0NgA

I may respray mine in performance red after taking off whats currently on there. It was done so poorly and put on so thick that its peeling off in places like it was Plasti-Dipped.

[bradartigue]

For a single car does the cost of the equipment/paint/etc exceed the cost of having a "pretty good" paint job - about $4000?

[seabeelt]

Brad, it shouldn't. I assume you already have a decent compressor. Just make sure the duty cycle and volume can keep up with whatever spray gun you get. Look at TCP global for paint and paint supplies. They also sell a pretty decent HVLP paint gun set for less than a couple hundred bucks. You don't need a 6-700 dollar gun to get a good paint job. Additionally they have a pretty good assortment of paint chips for our cars. Try HobbyAir for a full face mask and fresh air source with hose. Again not much mone. Tyvek paint suits are only a few bucks each as well. Paint is the big expense depending on a couple of factors. If you go acrylic single stage, it's paint wait and cut/buff and done. If you go base coat/clear coat, it's more involved and paint cost is more. Either way you need self etching primer for bare metal, and then probably some high build primer to level things out some. Paint and primer use different spray tips, so make sure you have a range of tips. 1.8, 1.4, etc. most all of the work for a really good to great paint job is in the prep work. Lots and lots and lots of sanding, then sand some more. You get the idea. Paint runs anywhere from 1-200 bucks a gallon and you need reducer and catalyst, depending on paint and conditions. Plenty of really good videos out there explaining stuff. Top global,is really helpful as well.
R/

[81SPIDERMATT]

For a single car does the cost of the equipment/paint/etc exceed the cost of having a "pretty good" paint job - about $4000?

craigslist .... compressor..paint guns .... 300 bucks ... sanding block kit and 3 rolls of sandpaper ... amazon 120 bucks .... primer ... filler ... paint and mix and hardener ...glazing compound ... paintforcars.com 350 bucks delivered ..tape and other things I am forgetting 250 bucks .... and my time at a dollar an hour 150 bucks .... experience and ability to do 10 times better next time .... priceless

[azruss]

take Matt's numbers and double it. A first time user is not a efficient user of materials. You are still half the cost of buying a paint job as long as you are figuring your labor at $.01/hr

[DieselSpider]

If you use the Duplicolor Paintshop paints you should be able get it done for about the same price as the Maaco Special.

Lets face it with no roof to paint the Spider does not have a lot of surface area.

Now if you go with the PPG World Class paints at $150 a pint that will be a different story however choosing a forgiving paint system that does not require specialized equipment will let you work with the $154 vertical compressor from Harbor Freight and one of there mid range low pressure automotive paint guns.

Yes you will have to watch your pressure as it drops in the tank from 125 psi to 45 psi and wait for it to build up again however with a 20 ounce gun most of that will likely be while your stopping to refill the gun or taking a breather.

http://www.harborfreight.com/21-gal-25- ... 61454.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-hvlp ... 62381.html


Many swear by this $119 self contained HVLP system for refinishing antique cars which uses a turbine and needs no compressor:

http://www.harborfreight.com/high-volum ... 4677.html#

[bradartigue]

One reason I'm asking is I find that most of the $3000 jobs I've seen are about as good as the $700 Maaco jobs. It seems a real good paint job comes in at a minimum of around $4000, and show quality up in the $8000 range. In other words, I'm not - ever - interested in show cars (cars are made to be driven) - and the once or twice a year I could paint a car this may be worth it.

And I need a big old 220V compressor.

And it sounds like fun.

And really I'm not sure I'd paint a car white and orange, or take a Spider offroad. But the next time some redneck paint shop 'expert' acts like he's auditioning for a Velocity show I'll puke.

[AndyS]

I paint classic cars for a living for the past 25 years. it is harder than people think. The prep work has to be first class, or it won't hold up well no matter how well the paint is sprayed. You could write hundreds of pages on how to prep an older car body and do the body work so that the panels look good and stay that way..

as far as the spraying, I am partial to the turbine paint sprayers. Apollo makes some great turbine sprayers, and I find them easier to get a good finish without runs and orange peel even on cool days. You can also order a larger needle set and spray all kinds of materials for around the house use.

for a beginner who doesn't have a great environment to spay in, I recommend base coat clear coat with the new super fast drying clears. The high solid single stage paints currently available are harder to shoot, and don't polish that well, and are more prone to solvent pops. I like the 5star extreme fast clear--its easy to spray, dries very fast, has a nice gloss and durability, and polishes really well. You can wet sand it out with 800, then 1200, and use a good compound like Menzerma's power gloss to get a show quality finish.

And a fresh air breathing system is very important. i had a friend who sprayed 2 part urethane primer on his Triumph Spitfire using a regular paint mask, and ended up passed out on the concrete floor.