[I_AM]

Just out of being curious and being bored at work I'm wondering if anyone on here has done car painting. Is it doable if I buy a spray gun and do it myself? What kind of gun am I looking for? Any recommendations for around $200? How much paint is needed as well?

 

[Im_In_San_Fran]

It is best done if you have a friend who is a semi-pro, willing to advise you along the way. Laying paint down well is a craft, not a task.

 

[Narcosis]

don't forget prep

 

[NitroMidgets]

Very true! Any paint job is defined by the quality of the body/prep work. Otherwise you end up with nice color on shitty work. Waves are a common sign of a shitty prep job.

 

[Dror Sapir]

Seems too risky to be worth it if you're not pro.. You'll save money, but not enough to risk destroying your paint job...

 

[tecaholic2]

I've painted quite a few cars, mostly with good results. Paint is not permanent, if you make a mistake it can be fixed. There are also lots of good books on the subject. Painting is kind of an art though, you either have a knack, and a feel for it, or you don't. For me the body work is hard, but spraying paint is easy. Can you paint well with spray cans? If the answer is no, don't waste your time and money. It's really more about your natural feel for it than whether the paint is in a can, spray gun, or even on a brush. If you think you may have natural ability, learn on smaller objects than a car. There are many things to consider when painting a car, temperature, humidity, the envirionment you will be painting in, type and brand of paint, temp. range of the reducer you will be using, additives for the paint, all of these need to be matched, and be the same brand. Will I need a hardener? Do I need a fish-eye remover? Viscosity of the paint, etc.

I could go on for a long time, and the list could get pretty long. Keep in mind though that if you want to do this that you can. I have no formal training, I learned it all on my own, with a little help from my friends. All things are possible, just depends on how determined you are.

 

[seantc]

if you really want a $200 paint job, you should do as much of the prep work that you can, like masking and sanding, and then cruise to a place like maaco.

 

[MCquik]

Ask Joseb about cheapo paint jobs. He loves them.

 

[Nachtmensch]

I sprayed my aero with cans. I went to a Sherwin Williams auto paint store and had them put 1D0 color matched paint in cans. Paid about $40-50 for a pint. Scuffed up the aero, laid primer, paint, then clear. Never got around to wet sanding it but it turned out pretty good. Skirts are a bit splotchy though.

 

[Narcosis]

Ask Joseb about cheapo paint jobs. He loves them.

:lol2: forgot about this!

 

[I_AM]

Thanks all the for the reply I was just mainly asking for educational purposes. Not sure if I would do it myself. I was going to go with a matte black finish so that wouldn't be as hard right?

 

[qmtran]

Thanks all the for the reply I was just mainly asking for educational purposes. Not sure if I would do it myself. I was going to go with a matte black finish so that wouldn't be as hard right?

It's harder. You can see imperfections in your spray pattern, ie tiger striping.

You would also need to buy a large compressor. 60+ gallons. The small units wont do because you will run out of air and if pressure drops then your spray pattern will not be even. And don't forget a booth. If you are planning on doing it in your garage, then let your neighbors know because it will stink and it will be hazzardous to their health. Not to mention if you have a HVAC system, it will get into that and your house will smell for weeks.

 

[tskracer911]

I've painted cars before, probaly a total of 10. Even though I did get better each time, I never got a flawless paint job. I can paint a single part off the car fairly well however (body kit's, spoilers, etc.). It's something that take a lot of time to master and have look good. If you've never painted a car I would say hire it to be done. But if you want to learn, get a cheap car to learn on first.

 

[I_AM]

And don't forget a booth. If you are planning on doing it in your garage, then let your neighbors know because it will stink and it will be hazzardous to their health. Not to mention if you have a HVAC system, it will get into that and your house will smell for weeks.

I didn't think too much about a booth. Probably too much of a task. Would be interesting if I could cause a zombie plague though!

 

[qmtran]

I didn't think too much about a booth. Probably too much of a task. Would be interesting if I could cause a zombie plague though!

Only if you spray neon green and your neighbors are outside getting blasted in the face with the residue. haha. Take pics, that would be funny.

 

[drobbs]

I sprayed my aero with cans. I went to a Sherwin Williams auto paint store and had them put 1D0 color matched paint in cans. Paid about $40-50 for a pint. Scuffed up the aero, laid primer, paint, then clear. Never got around to wet sanding it but it turned out pretty good. Skirts are a bit splotchy though.

I hope this side view is a poor picture - because the color match / quality look BAD! :angry: Take the car to a body shop and get a decent paint job - your rattle can with "custom paint" didn't make it!

 

[Nachtmensch]

I hope this side view is a poor picture - because the color match / quality look BAD! :angry: Take the car to a body shop and get a decent paint job - your rattle can with "custom paint" didn't make it!

I'm on my 3rd lip and I track the car. Exact match is not going to happen in any spray can. If anyone wants an exact match, better buy some TRD factory painted aero or repaint the bottom half of the car to blend it. It could look worse, like the MRS in your avatar.

 

[spyderdrop55]

I do body work and paint jobs, for almost 9 years now.....the silver car isnt that bad, silver hides alot he's just missing a little gloss. Go professional or bring your car to me, I'm repainting a white mr2 later this week, mines white and will be repainting that soon...its worth the $ and if you dont know what your doing you'll end up aggrevated. There is so much involved in making a car painted, right, without paint chipping, fading, having waves, dry spray, over spray, orange peel, blushing, blotchiness, runs, fisheyes, gun water spatter from not having a separator, list continues.....go to maaco like 4 hundred..done

 

[Narcosis]

go to maaco like 4 hundred..done

anyone who recomends maaco or a 4 hundred dollar paint job for a loved spyder...

 

[NHinNC]

Not intending to hijack thsi thread, but...
Mine was poorly repainted. I get LOTS of chips, both bumpers are spider cracked (spydercracked??). I got new bumper skins. The whole car will have to be sanded to get rid of the old paint first. I assume this is is something I can do. I would remove any trim that I can, the bumper skins, and top. What equipment should I use? I figure hand sanding would probably take a couple of weeks, but the proper sanding equipment would probably be a day or three. Dust must be epic.