I`m gonna paint my car myself... Need some autopian help!

[blackntan]

Anyone paint their car themselves?



My dad is in the process of painting his MGB, and I`m considering pulling my 96 miata in there afterwards...



We`d be using base/clear, but I have a bunch of general questions..



1) flex additive. How`s it work? Can I mix it into the entire batch, or would I do the bumpers seperatly?



2) my car has a textured lower panel rock guard. It`s chipped and rough in a few places, and I`m thinking about just removing it all, and smoothing out the bottom of the panels... Anyone done this? What`s involved?



3) anyone know of any websites where they discuss technique, coats, tips, and such? I need all the help I can get...



FWIW, It`s a 96 black and tan right now, and I`m thinking of going subaru STI blue, but if you have any other colors that would look awesome with tan interior, lemme see em!



Oh, and nothing too close to black... After all these years of detailing it, I`m kinda over it...

[Jngrbrdman]

You are going to sand down the car before you do this, right? If you want a bad paint job then the first thing to do is not prep the car properly. You need to sand off the paint that you are trying to paint over. That will take care of any nicks or chips in the existing paint.



Flex is usually added to the paint and the bumpers are painted seperately. If you want a good paint job then I would suggest removing the bumpers when you paint the car anyway. That limits the chance of drips in the seams that will crack if you ever have to remove them.

[blackntan]

Yeah, I`m doing a bunch of prep work. I have a few dents to fix, some emblems to remove and holes to plug, and the rocker panel rock guard to remove...



I then plan on sanding the whole car down, and using some filling primer to smooth everything out.. Prolly a bunch of coats.



Then of course, base coat, and lots of clear coat..



I suppose you`re right, it would be smart to remove the bumpers... Although they are a pain in the arse...

[MorBid]

Painting a car is a lot of work, 75% -85% of the cost when you take it to the shop is straight labor.



-Trim, moldings, mirrors, and bumpers need to be removed.



-Existing paint needs to be cleaned with a wax/silicone remover



-Because fresh paint will not "bond" to Clear Coar Prep Sand the entire car w/400 grit paper till the surface is unifomly dull. This can be done with a D/A but will have to be followed by hand to make sure the surface is perfectly flat.



-Clean the car again with the wax/silicone remover



- maybe now your ready to paint.



All this assumes the sheet metal and body panels are in perfect shape. If not then you`ve got more work to do.



Changing the color of the car is also more work than just repainting it because it usually involves stripping the old paint off.

I mean if you get a scratch you don`t want it to show the old color of the car do you?



Changing the color of the car also means that the hood`s and doors will need to come off so they can be painted on the inside as well.



Visit the Autobody Store (http://www.autobodystore.com/). They have a wealth of info on the subject as well as friendly forums. Also as the name suggests they sell products and tools for this type of work.



I`ve painted two of my cars and I`ll tell you this, it makes detailing look like a walk in the park.

[the other pc]

Here`s one guy`s thoughts on a whole bunch of painting topics (http://members.tripod.com/~bobstory/faq.html).





PC.

[admac]

try



http://www.paintucation.com



there`s a good forum there.



http://www.autobody101.com



and



http://www.autorestorer.com



the q&a section has a good paint and body board

[Lowejackson]

If your changing the basic colour of the car, are you going to strip and remove the doors, boot etc. Additionally, what is the plan for the engine bay - remove the engine?

[capt512]

I agree with what everyone else is saying, prep work is the most important part to get a nice looking paint job. Without good prep work it will never look good. I also agree with Morbid, painting a car is alot of work, I painted a jeep myself years ago and it was alot of work back then. (Though I don`t know if it was easier or harder using Krylon rattle cans:-) lol)



Before

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/12393jeepbefore.jpg



After

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/12393jeepafter.jpg