Hi all,

I'm deadset on painting my own car, let me get that out of the way. I've have done everything to it, from engine to suspension, interior and audio/lighting, Cooling system and AC repair. Even fiberglass. I'm very quick to learn a new skill. I'm not paranoid of other people messing with it, I'm just proud of what I've accomplished. So now I want to be able to say I was the one who painted it. I have a shell to practice on, and I've studied at youtube university. Maaco (I know) quoted me $500 for the car, $150 for the body kit, no clear coat, and I just feel like I could come in close to or cheaper than that WITH clear coat and learn a valuable skill along the way.

I have nothing as far as equipment goes. I painted another past car of mine with the duplicolor rattle cans from auto zone and usc 2k hardener clear coat, and it turned out really good, but just the front clip cost $200 in rattle cans and I know paint guns are faster and the paint is more affordable. I'm looking for an affordable but reliable air compressor (small), paint gun, and reusable respirator. I have a garage and that's about it, so any other materials or equipment that experienced painters have used and can suggest would be appreciated.

 

While I have never painted a car, I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I have however been researching this a lot. So with a compressor set up you have to account for a few things. Where you'll be spraying is one, and how large of an area you'll be spraying (car panels, or a full car). If you're just spraying panels then you can pull it off with a smaller compressor. If you're planning to paint a whole car then you would want a minimum 60 gallon compressor. For a 60 gallon compressor you're going to need 220v wire in your garage. Plus some type of filtration system set up. This filters out any water, oil and/or anything else that could contaminate your paint. Also 60 gallon compressors can get kind of pricey like 600-1000's of dollars pricey. You could shop on offer up for one. Also, ive read good things about the harbor freight 15 dollar purple gun. People have claimed good results with it. Since its so cheap they just use it once and toss it. Supposedly its not very sturdy and probably breaks easy when you take it apart.

Then you have a second option. This is the route I decided for many reasons. It's spraying with a turbine sprayer system. It's basically a turbine engine that sucks ambient air in, which allows you to spray. The problem with these units is they don't offer as much CFM to atomize paints, especially more viscous paints. Over the years this technology has improved though. Also another huge issue, is the air coming out of your line is heated in the process. Which doesn't happen with a normal compressor set up. So you have to account for that extra heat, by adjusting which hardeners your using, and or cooling the ambient air coming into the machine. The biggest benefit is, its 110v, so no need to wire 220v. It's cheaper than a full compressor, gun traditional set up.

If you're like me either route you go, you're going to wet sand and buff. Even with pro set ups, there will be some orange peel. Wet sanding and buffing can correct this. Honestly you're probably going to want to do a lot more research. I could probably write 5-10 pages of what I've learned and still not hit everything. For a full paint job though I can say you'll need more than gun, compressor, and mask. I've almost got all my materials and I'm almost at 2,000. That doesn't include my turbine set up. Basically Paint, primer sealer, clear coat, sand paper, masking tape, sanding blocks, bondo, paintable plastic sheeting, masking paper, and other misc supplies.

Good luck with your project, maybe I'll write up a review of the Mini Mite 4 turbine sprayer when I paint my car. I'm waiting for the temps to cool down to the 60's before I start. Take lots of pics =D

Chris-

 

Honestly I'm not phased by the possibility of orange peel. It'll be a daily, and anything is better than how it looks right now.

 

When I started out doing paint for myself I bought a Husky HVLP paint gun and a 20 Gallon 110 compressor from Home Depot. You can also pick up a 25 dollar mask which is all you really need as far as equipment.

You are always going to get slight orange peel no matter what but to get it smooth you will need to wet sand and buff.

Now days I have a 60 gallon compressor and Iwata spray gun that I typically use. If I spray a car I do try and use a booth, my buddy has a body shop and I kick him down with a little cash to rent it. By the way you can rent booths but a garage is plenty fine to paint as well. I have done plenty of garage painting.