Okay well I am going to TRY and paint my 85 CRX in March. On spring break .

I have a good understanding of what I need to do but still kinda confused.

Here is what I think I need to do..

1. Wash the car with soapy water

2. Remove the trim, door handles, lights (or do I do this first, help?)

3. Degrease/dewax the car

4. Sand off the clear coat (what grit, help?)

<U>(optinal for rust problems)</U>
<U>o1</U>. Remove all paint and primer from surrounding area of the rust, till its bare metal

<U>o2</U>. Remove the rust, cut, grind whatever it takes.

<U>o3</U>. Weld in new pieces of sheetmetal.

<U>o4</U>. Use rust converter/sealer in spots where welding is not necessary.

<U>o5</U>. Bondo it till its smooth, thin coats (not sure if I prime it first, help)

<U>(done with rust, back to normal operations)</U>

5. Spray a coat of Primer/Epoxy sealer. (can I get these seperate or is it better to get it seperate? help)

6. Spray on a light coat of a 'tracer' primer, so you can tell where the high and low spots are.

7. Sand it. (what grit? help)

8. Spray some more primer. (Do I add more 'tracer primer? help)

9. Sand it. (what grit? help)

10. Spray one more coat of primer. (do I add more tracer primer? help)

11. Sand it, hopefully all the low and high spots are level

12. Apply a coat of paint on it.

13. Apply another coat of paint on it.

14. Apply last coat of paint on it.

15. Apply a coat of clear coat on it. (what kind of clear coat do I use? help)

16. Apply another coat of clear coat on it. (assuming same clear coat)

17. Apply last coat of clear coat on it. (assuming same clear coat)

18. Buff it.

<U>I believe that is it. I put a help at the end of all the numbers I have questions with. </U>

<U>1a</U>. Is there any steps I am missing?

<U>2a</U>. Am I doing to much of applying primer, paint or clear coat?

<U>3a</U>. Also I am not the procedure of how to retarr the bottom of my car, How do I?

<U>4a</U>. How do I go about the grill of the bumper? The skeleton of the hood? Pretty much all areas of difficulty sanding.

<U>5a</U>. The 85 CRX came with plastic fenders how do I sand those, same technique?

<U>6a</U>. Also the bumpers should also be sanded as though it was metal?

I am planning on using the following tools.

Spray paint gun HVLP, not sure what kind any good ones you guys know of?

Electric or Air sander (with the circular disc, any recommendations?)

Anything else you guys can think of?

I know this is a lot of questions please if you know can you post up so I can know. I know this is a lot to do all within 1 WEEK especially for a beginner but I am confident I can do it. Thanks.


-Shane

 

bump

 

bump it up. Any input?

 

your gonna have to do a search, plenty of info

 

yes I have done some searching. I HAVE a good understanding of how to paint my car I just am unsure of certain specific areas.

If you guys have any input please post it up. Help a fellow H-ter, Minnesotan, red-pepperacinger, National Guardsmen, college student, full-time worker, car fanatic, 1st time painter out!!!

Thanks.
-Shane

 

first of all
do not remove any trim or door handle's unless you absolutely have to, when sanding off the clear coat use about 220 grit paper, get the bondo as smooth as possible, the apply spot puddy for pinholes, use about 320 grit on primer to sand out runs and etc, and the most importants...........before you paint take an air blower and blow any and all dust off the car and out of any cracks....and i mean all of it, then tach cloth the car 2 times........the finally clean it with final wash, (wax and grease remover) then your set to paint

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 89hbcivicguy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">first of all
do not remove any trim or door handle's unless you absolutely have to, before you paint take an air blower and blow any and all dust off the car and out of any cracks....and i mean all of it, then tach cloth the car 2 times........the finally clean it with final wash, (wax and grease remover) then your set to paint</TD></TR></TABLE>

I would like to remove everything so I it doesn't look like a crappy job. I don't want overspray all over and masking a tape lines here an there.

What do you mean "apply spot puddy for pinholes"? Are you referring to small indentations?

I was planning on using a vacuum. But a blow dryer is also a good idea.
What is a tach cloth? (lint free cloth?)

So then I wash it? With soapy water? I'm assumming the primer is a sealer or a sealant has been applied.

then use wax and grease remover?

Thanks.
-Shane

 

step 1: save up money
step 2: take it to a good paint shop


from what i see, your just gona **** up your car, dont do it yourself. is saving 400 dollars gonna be worth it when you have to redo it and spend more, or **** it up and have your car look like ***

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hybrid97coupe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">step 1: save up money
step 2: take it to a good paint shop


from what i see, your just gona **** up your car, dont do it yourself. is saving 400 dollars gonna be worth it when you have to redo it and spend more, or **** it up and have your car look like *** </TD></TR></TABLE>

Is that what you did when you just didn't quite have a grasp on something? Why not give the guy some helpful advice instead of bloating the thread. It sounds like he has the gist of it, and he's just trying to iron the details out. Cut the guy some slack and help him out.

 

reading steps doesnt give u a good "grasp" of painting. thats cool if he doesnt care and just goes for it, but if youve never painted a car before then i wouldnt recommend startin on the car u have to drive

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hybrid97coupe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">step 1: save up money
step 2: take it to a good paint shop


from what i see, your just gona **** up your car, dont do it yourself. is saving 400 dollars gonna be worth it when you have to redo it and spend more, or **** it up and have your car look like *** </TD></TR></TABLE>

not all of us are concerned with just looks.. maybe saving 400 dollars is worth it to someone who drive an 85 crx. not all of us can afford to take our hybrid97coupes to get it painted by some "pro" at a "good paint shop" who will just write it off as some old pos and do a **** job on it anyways and those same people probably have a bit more pride in working on their vehicles and like doing their own work rather than paying some guy to do something they want to learn how to do anyways. im sure in your next post you'll recomend yourself or one of your "homies" that will hook his car up phat.

the best info i can give to get yourself a how-to book or video and practice a bit on stuff like the door jams or the underside of the hood where it wont be too noticeable. also, im with you 100% on stripping te car before painting it. but be careful not to scratch the **** out of everything when reinstalling your parts.
i stripped my car down to nothing and busted out all of the windows to do a complete color change on my car but im still practicing a lot with my new finish line spray gun before anything lands on my car.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by skittyscott &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

not all of us are concerned with just looks.. maybe saving 400 dollars is worth it to someone who drive an 85 crx. not all of us can afford to take our hybrid97coupes to get it painted by some "pro" at a "good paint shop" who will just write it off as some old pos and do a **** job on it anyways and those same people probably have a bit more pride in working on their vehicles and like doing their own work rather than paying some guy to do something they want to learn how to do anyways. im sure in your next post you'll recomend yourself or one of your "homies" that will hook his car up phat.

the best info i can give to get yourself a how-to book or video and practice a bit on stuff like the door jams or the underside of the hood where it wont be too noticeable. also, im with you 100% on stripping te car before painting it. but be careful not to scratch the **** out of everything when reinstalling your parts.
i stripped my car down to nothing and busted out all of the windows to do a complete color change on my car but im still practicing a lot with my new finish line spray gun before anything lands on my car. </TD></TR></TABLE>

hahah oh man...maybe u should know what your talkin about before u talk ****. My friend who owns Dreamakers Customs here in NY painted my car...who won Best Paint at Nopi Nationals, and has had at least 15 cars in magazines to date, so it wasnt some random old assfuck that charges people out the ***. and yeah i did all the prep work because I like to do as much as i can on my car, but sparyin paint isnt somethin u can just do, its somethin that takes years to master. all the prep i can do tho and did. i'm just giving him real advice because i see soooooo many cars around here that have been destroyed because some retard thought painting a car is as easy a spray painting their "jdm" rims flat black. paint can make or break a car, so why even **** with it??? and yeah, it is better left to pros ya tool, so shut the **** up thaaanks


ps...i go to rochester once in awhile to race since i know alot of people up there... what car is yours?? so i can witness this sickkkkk paint job first hand and laugh at it

 

Why do you care so much that some one wants to paint his car himself? well if it is such a big deal to paint your own car then why did you do prep work on your car? Why can't he paint his car but you can prep yours.

 

wow this is retarded....i never said he couldnt, if he wants to god bless him...but from what ive seen 90% of the times it turns out like ****. just alitte warning. but if u dont care and just need to paint it cause anythign wil look better than go ahead and good luck

 

i just read a auto body repair book at school today it was written in 1950, but i dont think alot has changed...one interesting fact they said when painting was to ground(electrical) the frame of your car so that it doesnt collect dust due to static.

im planning on repainting my car too. good luck!

 

haha thanks for the positive comments. I am a diyer. I plan on doing myself. Its a learning experience. I am heading off to a paint shop today to talk to the owner of the paint shop so I know what to do and what not to.

 

Big props to the DIY people out there! I'll be painting my hatch myself this spring. Don't let people tell to let some who knows what they're doing to do it. You'll never learn anything that way. Jump in and get your hands dirty.

 

i wetsanded my car with a 600 grit. its not necessary, but will give it a smoother finish. you could also just use scuff pads to get rid of the gloss. and after painting you are gonna need to etsand before you buff.

 

Every single thread I read on here turns into an argument this site is getting old.



And to the guy painting his own car. Good luck. Ignore all the *** clowns who just want to bitch and put people down, or want attention, or whatever their purpose is. God ******* damn..

 

Check out http://www.hotrodders.com they have a bodywork forum on their site with tons of great info. Just make sure you practice first dont just go out and spray your car. Also, make sure everything is clean as you can get it and I mean perfectly clean be super **** about how clean everything is. Just make sure when you get paint you get all the same brand do not interchange and make sure you get all the msds with the flash times etc.

 

It sounds to me like you are going about it the smart way... reading and researching

I personally am the same way, I would rather do it myself after spending months reading up and gathering information than just taking it to a shop...

How are you going to learn if you are afraid to try it for yourself?

I agree that there are a lot of hackjob cars out there but I bet the majority of the people who ended up with bad paint jobs didn't do as much research as this guy is doing...

I think if you do enough research before hand, and get enough oppinions and advice from people who know what they are doing, you can end up with a great finished product, and you have the pride in knowing that you did it all yourself

Sorry I don't have any painting tips... I think you are on the right track though...

 

Just remember a paintjob is only as good as the prep work and prep work is 90% of the job. As for what grit sandpaper to use the product directions will tell you what grit to sand it with also ask for msds as they have the flash times and lots of other information you want

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crxandy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Every single thread I read on here turns into an argument this site is getting old.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Word - Lets try to help each other , insted of being an ***. If you have nothing to contribute dont even post.

Help this guy out. Will be painting my car soon too.

 

These are the questions I am going to ask him. I am heading up there right now. lol I'm going to take notes and I'll post those bad boys up when I am done.

Also by the time I paint I will have researched day in day out of how to do this. I hope to get the tools this weekend and practice on a scrap metal .

Thanks for the support. I am aware of the fact that prep work is the major thing. I just wanted clarification lol not a big huge debate whether or not if I should paint it.

Bottom line I am painting my car!!! I just need the correct advice.

 

PM kid-honda here on HT. He's a body guy, Honda guy and local being in Duluth. He could help you out maybe.