who here has painted there own car

[MACnonsence6]

ive done a Lerner course on spray painting/panel beating course.

things ive learnt is prep everything!

dont use cheep guns they'll end up spitting and fuck up the whole thing.

use the same brand of paint as your primer/clear otherwise it might start just flaking off.

mask out properly with perfect lines,doesn't matter if you have to try masking the same thing 5 times,as long as its perfect.

defiantly do on a day absolutely no wind ,if your doing in a shed clean all the dust out.

spray form top to bottom.

dont spray from one side then stop then the other then stop,try keep the gun going on air so it doesn't spit.

ill try thing of anything else...

are eclipse guns cheap? / i was planning to use duplicolor paint / so when i paint i shouldnt stop when i reach the end of the car i should backtrack with the gun still spraying?

[J00bles]

i have a degree in collision repair and refinishing, and im going to warn you now that this is far from a cake walk.

with the questions you are asking here, i wouldnt suggest that you do ANY painting at all.

prep is 99% of any GOOD paint job. every piece of your car needs to be scuffed, any dent needs to be fixed, and all trim and windows should be pulled if you expect the paint job to last more than a year before peeling and flaking begin.

once the body is 100% straight and smooth (absolutely NO hard lines, anywhere!!!!!!!!!) you need to tac-rag and degrease the whole car. do it twice or three times to be sure. DO NOT degrease the car using a towel that leaves cloth behind and DO NOT use a towel that has any sort of fabric softener or cleaner on it.

using a HPLV gun with a 1.6 or 1.7 tip, lay down 2 or 3 coats of primer or sealer, then wet sand the whole car to remove any rough textures left from the spray gun pattern. you will then need to degrease and tac-rag the car a few more times to remove particles and contaminates from the surface. once the car is clean, you can begin to shoot your basecoat with a 1.3 or 1.4 tip. work your way from top to bottom, and do not "stop" spraying at the edge of any panel (you are most likely to create runs when doing so)after a few light-medium coats of base coat, let it dry for the recommended period of time.

once the base is 100% dry and the chemicals have evaporated from the paint, tac-rag the car again to remove the dust that has settled, and begin to spray your clear coat with the same 1.3 or 1.4 sized tip. DO NOT USE CHEAP CLEAR. clear is what will make or break any paint job.

once you are finshed spraying clear down, let it dry for the recommended time, and then from there, you can begin to wet sand the orange peel out of the finish (be careful to not sand down into the basecoat/primer/sealer... this is where the 100% smooth body and proper paint-layer-thickness is very important)

from there you can buff and polish the car and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

but from a man who has painted numerous cars... don't do it. paying a REPUTABLE shop the money is much more worth it if you dont know what you're doing.

p.s. i left out many steps of the process. if you decide to try it, buy a few books on correct painting techniques, lighting techniques, ventilation techniques, prep techniques, etc.

.02 -Derek

[MACnonsence6]

what are some good brands of paint,primer and clear?

[CleanSierra]

what are some good brands of paint,primer and clear?

Dupont, PPG, House of Kolor....to name a few

[Purplehaze]

Man, if you have never used base clear, than get ready to spend some money and a lot of time doing it two or three or four times before u get it right. I aint trying to bash your dreams at all. I'm just talking from REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE!

And yes I have painted my own ride, few years back. Here is a pic

Took me 3 tries and for what I had in the paint alone, I could have paid a body shop and saved all that time!

[MACnonsence6]

that turned out mad sexy. idk if i fail then ill have to try again. something i really wana do though.

[Purplehaze]

that turned out mad sexy. idk if i fail then ill have to try again. something i really wana do though.

Thanks man, but for real I had over a thousand in materials, plus over a hundred hours of hard ass labor. The clear is a little tricky. You need someone to show you how to spray/wetsand/buff. THAT is the key! And MANY MANY MANY hours of prep sanding!

[CleanSierra]

that turned out mad sexy. idk if i fail then ill have to try again. something i really wana do though.

Thanks man, but for real I had over a thousand in materials, plus over a hundred hours of hard ass labor. The clear is a little tricky. You need someone to show you how to spray/wetsand/buff. THAT is the key! And MANY MANY MANY hours of prep sanding!

Did you use a DA or line sander?

[Purplehaze]

Did you use a DA or line sander?

I used a DA after the second screw-up, but doing the body work and prep for paint I used my hand and a sanding block mostly.

I didn't know what I was doing, I only thought I did b/c I watched other people do it and make it look easy. I had to find out the hard way that it is NOT easy AT ALL!

[Dylank811]

I'm gonna chime in a say you could do a Rustoleum Roller job. (joking, of course)

If you want to do this because of a personal goal, then go for it. If not, what about a cheapie paint job from Maaco? I would like to know some opinions on this for myself, too. My clear coat is peeling and my car needs alot of body repair, which I was thinking of doing all the bodywork myself. Or at least the majority that I can do.