well im going to be doing body work on my car this week, putting in new headlights blacking out my tails yada yada.. anyway, my whole car is going to need a new paint job, im reluctant to go to a body shop cause i dont wanna spend a wad of cash to get it done, the only other options i have is maaco .. which is gonna end up overspread all over my car and look disgusting OR buy the paint myself .. which im thinking about and painting it myself. I need to know when it comes to sanding down the car, what # sandpapers should i use, and what order should i use them in. I also need to know about how many quarts i would need to cover the whole car, i heard 4 but that kinda seems like alot. i have a friends dad who used to work in a body shop doing painting who is willing to help me spray the car and tape it off and stuff , so getting that done wont be to bad , but i need to do all the prep work. any suggestions would be much appreciated thanks.

 

Here is a post I did a while back that is in the stickies. It has some info in it and links to good sites with loads of info.

If you have your dad there to help it will be good although things have changed since back in the day with guns and paints...the same basics to painting obviously hasnt though so he will be a big help.

Dont think that body work and painting is an easy thing. It is very involved...a lot more than most people realize.

If you just want a nicer paint job and dont have to fix any dings or dents then yeah just scuff it up and spray it (of course even that is simplified since there is a lot of cleaning you need to do first).

as far as sand paper goes...that really depends on what you are doing. If you are just going to paint it without doing anything major just take 600 wet and go at it...be sure to sand it thouroughly. Lighter colors like you have show sand scratches bad so dont go any courser than 600 unless you are going to use sealer and then use the grit that the sealer recommends. Sealer isnt necessary for your color since the paint will stick well...black pretty much requires sealer since the pigment is so thich and heavy its hard to make stick.

if you have to do body work then you really need to research how to do it correctly and follow the steps for sanding and grits to use.

Also metalics are harder to paint because you can get tiger stripes (metalic flakes pooling in one area) if you dont do it just right.

If you dont have the equipment to paint the car it will cost more to buy the proper equipment than it would to go get a quality job.

 

depends what are you sanding for...final grit should be 600..don't jump grits too much when you sand. if you're doing the entire car a DA would really help. don't sand w/ your bare hand..use a board...longer the better.

amount of paint depends on how much are you wasting and what color are you talking about. 3 quarts seems about right for base...you can maybe even get away with 2.5 quarts but that's pushing it. remember you thin the paint using reducer so 1 quart is probably 2 when mixed. also you need the same if not more clear...i would go for 4 quarts of clear. whatever primer you use make sure it works w/ your base and clear.

do you have CLEAN place to paint? do you have a compressor that can keep up? where ever you paint it has to be very well lit. buy the most expensive masking tape you can get your hands on...3M makes a good green one that i use. use 3M foam tape for the gaps in the body...and if you want spend your $ on something that's worthwhile GET A GOOD RESPIRATOR!!

 

You mean 3 qts mixed right? I think thats how I read your post. On the two Maxima's I have painted I used 2 quarts of unmixed base which is of course 1gal of mixed paint...I actually had some left over. I think I used about 3 quarts of unmixed clear.



What you dont want him getting woozy

I still want a fresh air unit...I dont feel very good for a couple of hours after painting even with my good 3M mask and new cartridges.

 

that would be the earl scheib way

 

not sure they scuff it up lol.

 

well they did 20 years ago.
and they wanted $20 more to paint in black

 

if you want a good job, pay your dad's friend to do it and let you help to learn along the way. otherwise it will come out horrible. i speak from experience, so dont think i'm trying to stop you, but a decent 10 yr paint job looks 100x better than a brand new f'd-up job. i learned plenty along the way, if you're planning on making a hobby or future career out of it, great, but if you just dont want to spend the money, leave it be.

 

my friends dad would do it for free but ofcourse i would pay him , he would make me do all the sanding and buy all the paints but he would teach me to spray.

 

yeah 3 quarts mixed.

i rather not get the guy high.
3M makes that portable fresh air thing..you wear it on your waist or something. might be worth looking into.