Painting the Beast

[SubaSteevo]

Pics of the day:

[SubaSteevo]

Put on the other hood today.

Tomorrow I will be wetsanding the rest of the car, then that'll probably be it (for the exterior atleast) until the 27th.

[SubaSteevo]

Painted the dash silver today (looks ok, not perfect but it doesn't need to be). The aluminum dash kit goes on tomorrow and I will be wetsanding the rest of the car.

Just got a set of rims too, will pick them up sometime this week. They're cheap, with cheap tires, but I think they'll look good. Kinda ricer-ish, but I'm getting a good deal on them, going to be a pain to clean though...

[SubaSteevo]

Wet sanded with 400grit:

[dannmarr]

Another trick to see the inperfections of the body work is to shine a flashlight against the car in the dark.( don't aim the the light directly at the car, aim it from front to back) You will see the shadows of any raised body filler.

[svxcess]

Originally Posted by BurgundyBeast

I was going to do copper, but I was worried about resale.

Plus the gf said copper was too "ghetto" and she wouldn't be seen in it

You better not let Michelle Duracell hear you ragging on the copper as being a preferred ghetto flavor.

[dannmarr]

When can we see the finished product?

[n00b on demand]

I'd wait a little more....he started the painting on friday so he might just be finishing up.

[SubaSteevo]

Originally Posted by soobiesvx93

I'd wait a little more....he started the painting on friday so he might just be finishing up.

It's done

Pics and a how-to to come tomorrow!



P.S. I love suspense!

[Chiketkd]

Originally Posted by BurgundyBeast

It's done

Pics and a how-to to come tomorrow!



P.S. I love suspense!

Hooray! Congrats Steve. Looking forward to seeing the final pics!

-Chike

[SSSVX]

Originally Posted by BurgundyBeast

It's done

Pics and a how-to to come tomorrow!



P.S. I love suspense!

Coool. Congrats!

How many hours it's taken out of you?

[SubaSteevo]

Originally Posted by SSSVX

Coool. Congrats!

How many hours it's taken out of you?

WAYYYY too many

1 hour sanding
2 hours of bondo
2 hours sanding
1 hour cleaning
4 hours masking/removal
2 hours primer
2 hours base
2 hours clear
1 hour reassembly/demasking

Add in drying time and cleanup time and I bet I put in over 24 hours

[Chiketkd]

So...where are the pics Steve?

-Chike

[SubaSteevo]

Ta da!



You can see the rest in my locker in the "Painting" folder, just click the link in my sig. (Didn't want to bog down the server with too many img codes).

It's not quite perfect, there are darker lines from the edge of my spray pattern, and a few minor runs, but overall it turned out better than I thought, and I love the color!

[SubaSteevo]

Needed:
400 grit sandpaper (about 4 sheets)
1 gal Primer*
Primer activator*
1 gal Base*
Base activator*
1 gal Clear*
Clear activator*
Two spray guns (atleast one HVLP gravity fed)
Air compressor (atleast 2hp, atleast 10 gallon)
Respirator
Masking film
2 rolls masking tape
Contractor paper

*get all the same brand to insure compatibility

1. Buy paint, to insure compatibility get the same brand primer/base/clear.
2. Wetsand the entire car with the 400grit sand paper.
3. (optional) Sand any dings with 80grit, then fill with bondo and resand with 400.
4. Use the contractor paper to cover the floor.
5. Mask anything you don't want painted. Take off anything that would be difficult to mask (I chose to remove the front bumper cover, the side mirrors, and all the lights). The best way I found to mask was to outline the area with masking tape, then tape the film on top with a secon piece of tape.
6. Spray primer. Primer is mixed 4:1 with activator. 1st coat should be on the light side, then 2 more medium-heavy coats. Allow ~10 mins between coats.
At this point I noticed the primer was not sticking in some areas. I sanded it down again and resprayed wherever there was a problem.
(optional) Let dry fully and resand with 400grit.
7. Base coat. Base is mixed 4:1 with activator. 1st coat should be light. I was afraid it was going to look like crap, because after the first coat it was hideous. 2nd and 3rd coats should be medium. Allow ~15 mins between coats.
I got a couple of major runs due to moving the gun to slow. I had to let these dry, then sand smooth before repainting. Even though it felt smooth, it wasn't and you can see the runs slightly on the finished car.
8. Clear coat. Clear is mixed 3:1 with activator/reducer. I did one really light coat, then a medium coat, then two medium-heavy coats. Allow ~15 mins between coats.
9. Let dry for 2+ hours, then remove masking. Instead of pulling up at the tape, pull it backwards over itself. I found this makes it harder to pull up paint along with the tape.
10. Reassemble
11. (Optional) Let paint sit for atleast 24hrs and wetsand with an ultrafine sandpaper (1000+grit)

I haven't done 11 yet. Because I used urethane paint, the paint has kind of a texture to it, I'm hoping wetsanding will make it a little smoother.

Overall it wasn't any harder than I thought it'd be, and despite the dark spots, it came out better than I thought it would. However it did take a LOT more time than I thought it would, and I don't plan on ever doing it again

If your car NEEDS paint, and you want to get it done decently for as cheap as possible, give it a try. Total cost was about $225 for me. Be prepared to bring it to Maaco if you screw it up bad.

I know I'm leaving lots of stuff out, but this is all that came off the top of my head (must be the fumes), so now I'll turn it over to you guys for questions.