Has anyone here considered painting their own car?

PerfectFinish1 · 05-01-05, 12:05

Well, I'm searching for that "perfect" MR2 and just can't find one in decent shape in my price range. I'm considering buying a poor condition MR and painting it myself. When done right, custom paintjobs on these cars can make them look just completely amazing. I've never painted a car before, only smaller components like rims, things under the hood, etc. I have wetsanded and buffed out a new paintjob, and have friends that have done show quality jobs on their own cars, though.

With obvious obsession with details... I think with the right prep work and taking my time, I should be able to do a very good paintjob. The only problem is cleaning my garage to actually get it ready. I plan to build a 1-car paint booth out of wood and plastic, instead of just wrapping my entire garage in plastic, due to dust. I figure it will be much easier to get a 1-car section dust-free than the entire garage.

Opinions?

If nothing else, hopefully it would give me a better understanding on what actually goes into painting a car instead of just keeping the surface perfect

GearHead_1 · 05-01-05, 12:14

I've not only considered painting my own car but have actually done it. It came out very well. I did however borrow the paint bay and had a little expert supervision each step of the way.

I wouldn't even consider trying to make a regular garage the type of environment that would deliver a dust free paint job. Sorry, I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear but it sounded like you are looking for a paint job that will knock your socks off and it's all but impossible in a regular garage. This used to be a very common practice among old hot rodders and lots of people used to do it many just panel painted a vehicle but the difference is that they usually hit them with a fairly heavy coat of lacquer and relied on hours of wet sanding to perfect the finish.

With all of the great paints available on the market today that's not even a consideration anymore. Especially on a vehicle to be driven on the streets.

PerfectFinish1 · 05-01-05, 12:19

Is it possible to rent out a paint bay? Any other suggestions on how to get a dust-free area? I really don't know anyone in the business, so not sure who I could contact for more info.

GearHead_1 · 05-01-05, 12:23

Quote:

Originally posted by PerfectFinish1
Is it possible to rent out a paint bay? Any other suggestions on how to get a dust-free area? I really don't know anyone in the business, so not sure who I could contact for more info.

I can't really say. I was a Master Automotive Technician and had friends that were in the Paint and Body business. I let them use my lifts for there own Hot Rod builds and the returned the favor. We referred customers back and forth all the time and developed great relationships, it wasn't much of a stretch for them to allow me to use their shop under these conditions.

I would think your best chance to do this is to get in tight with a car/truck club inner circle. Someone, somewhere knows someone else who does this and you might be able to work a deal out. Having said that if you actually get to know someone well enough to do this you would probably be better off to have them make you a good deal and pay the pro to do it for you.

I'm sure you can find a high quality custom shop that is willing to work with you. Most of these shops are used to working with people who like to be heavily involved with their own cars. You can pull parts off the car, do the prep work you are capable of handling and mask the car etc. then let them take care of the actual spray work.

roughrider · 05-01-05, 12:26

Quote:

Originally posted by PerfectFinish1
Is it possible to rent out a paint bay? Any other suggestions on how to get a dust-free area? I really don't know anyone in the business, so not sure who I could contact for more info.

I remember a guy who did body repair and paint for a living said that if he didn't have access to a paint booth, he would cover everything in the garage and then wet the ground in the garage to keep the dust from moving around, and then he would paint. Now he said that the paint job came out great but you can take that for what it's worth.

You may want to go around to a few body shops in your area and ask them if they'll rent out the paint booth to you on their days off which is usually the weekend or just Sunday.

Shiny Lil Detlr · 05-01-05, 02:25

I'm toying with the idea of painting my old rusty trailer out of my garage; just something fun to toy around with. I figure with that as long as I can take care of the rust and get a halfway decent paint job on it, it'll be fine. Of course, I will still be trying to get as close to perfection as I can.

Burlyq · 05-01-05, 02:35

Whatever you do if you paint your car get a respirator!!! Modern paint fumes can pickle your brain even after one time. You need well ventilated area and proffesional respirator, then go for it. The cool thing about doing it yourself is you can put many coats on, so it will last for decades. Wetsand after the SS, and then again after the CC if you decide on putting a clear on. You might want to do a search on mixing clear in your paint, it is getting more and more popular.

dlw · 05-01-05, 03:14

I've posted these before, but it's been a while. This is a home garage paintjob (coach black) that I did a year or two ago. Shaved all the emblems, antenna and window washers on the hood. Ditto on the really good respirator, covering everything and wetting the floor a bit to keep dust down. Also, make sure you have a good dessicant filter if you have a smaller compressor as they run a lot and moisture can really screw a paintjob.

94BlkStang · 05-01-05, 03:21

Quote:

Originally posted by Burlyq
Whatever you do if you paint your car get a respirator!!! Modern paint fumes can pickle your brain even after one time. You need well ventilated area and proffesional respirator, then go for it. The cool thing about doing it yourself is you can put many coats on, so it will last for decades. Wetsand after the SS, and then again after the CC if you decide on putting a clear on. You might want to do a search on mixing clear in your paint, it is getting more and more popular.

Good points. Another thing to add to that along the same line is the legality of it. The fumes that modern paints put out can be very toxic and most cities and states have very tight regulations when it comes to emissions. Professional paint booths have large filtrations systems to absorb any of these harmful particles from entering the atmosphere. It's something that should fdefinitely be looked into as a fine could end up costing more than a paint job.

Lowejackson · 05-02-05, 06:21

An alternative could be to find a decent bodyshop and you do all the prep, get them to spray and you do all the subsequent work.

Shiny Lil Detlr · 05-02-05, 09:34

Quote:

Originally posted by dlw
I've posted these before, but it's been a while. This is a home garage paintjob (coach black) that I did a year or two ago. Shaved all the emblems, antenna and window washers on the hood. Ditto on the really good respirator, covering everything and wetting the floor a bit to keep dust down. Also, make sure you have a good dessicant filter if you have a smaller compressor as they run a lot and moisture can really screw a paintjob.

Ah, DLW. Good to see you still around. That Prelude is still amazing to me. That's what inspired me to want to experiment with self-painting on that trailer of mine. I'll have to post some before shots for you all to cringe at sometime.

Scottwax · 05-02-05, 09:38

Do what I did. Take an auto body paint class at your local community college. Unfortunately for me, my Chevelle was in such bad shape all I was able to finish was the body work and get it primered before the 12 week class was over. I did assist in painting a Torino though. Turned out pretty good too.