So I have decided to try painting my car. Please see the fourth post.

Modified by SlowB16 at 6:38 AM 3/25/2008


Modified by SlowB16 at 7:59 AM 3/28/2008

 

For your question on the bare metal spots, the best thing to do would be to spray some epoxy or etching primer on the spots your talking about, either one of those primers will simulate a factory e-coat and prevent rust.

A rough estimate on the materials depends on what kind of materials youre going with...weather its a paint manufactuers fleet line or their top of the line...also weather its going to be single stage, or bc/cc. To keep your costs down and since your doing champ white, id say stick with a single stage, thats what maaco is going to do anyway, and i can probably tell you that your cost of materials is going to be around the same price that they are charging you for, if not more.

As far as painting it yourself...im assuming this would be the first time painting, if so Id say if you want it to come out decent and save yourself the headache, just take it to maaco. The reason i say that is bc if this is your first time painting your going to be running into a lot of problems bc your going to be dealing with alot of variables in order to get it to come out right, especially if you plan on doing it in your garage...thats why i say save yourself the headache and frustration.

 

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it. I was kind of thinking along those lines anyways...

 

Well after giving it some more thought I am leaning more towards doing a single stage job myself. It sounds like if I buy quality products a ss will hold up well. I understand it won't be as good as a bc/cc job, but it sounds more doable myself. In addition, it sounds like a ss system can be had for under $200, which will also save me at least $200 when compared to a Maaco job, and it will also probably turn out better. Now for a few questions....Some may be very stupid and I tried to search, but for those that I didn't find answers to I want to make sure I get difinitive answers. Thanks in advance for your help.

1 - I think I will be able to create a decent booth setup in my garage with plastic, fans, water, etc., so I don't need any help here.

2 - When applying a ss do you use a primer (probably a stupid question I know)? If not would it be smart to do a primer anyways and sand it down for better results? I ask because I have some exposed metal right now that I want to make sure gets protected.

3 - In addition to the ss can of paint, compressor, gun, and mask, what else will I need. I don't know if you need hardeners or activators or other things for ss.

4 - I am going to go with Championship White. What brand of ss paint would you recommend for this color? I have seen people say PPG, Dupont, and Omni. What are your opinions?

5 - I am not sure I understand the whole cut and buff process. I think it involves wetsanding with 1000, 1200, 1500, etc. grit sandpaper and then using a polish or sealant or something. Could someone clarify?

Thanks again for you help and please feel free to add anything I didn't ask about that I should know.