SSZ2891

Id like to compile a thread of advice to help all who attempt to paint their car. I would like to paint my 90 camaro this spring. Id like some advice on everything from prep to paint to final buffing. Im almost clueless to the whole painting process. I want to do it right, Im very meticulous. any tips/advice would be greatly greatly appreciated. Here are just a few quesstions to get this thread started, but I and others would love to here from you guys that have painted your third gen before and already been throught the process so you know the does and donts.

how much would it cost for all sandpaper, paint, and buffing supplies?

I plan on stripping the car, painting the jams and engine bay.
How do I begin with the prep? Whats the easiest way to get it down to the bare metal.

Any tips on body filler work?

How many coats of primer? What type of paint do you guys recommend? How to spray it?

FYRCHKN

That depends on several factors. It could possibly end up in the thousands of dollars depending on which paint you decided to go with.


The easiest way (since you're planning on filler anyway) is with a wire wheel on an angle grinder. So much easier, faster, and cheaper than sanding. Stay away from chemical strippers. They're expensive, don't do that good of a job, and they burn. You'll still have to sand the remaining gummed up paint off afterwards.

Don't use Bondo brand. I prefer Evercoat, personally.

As far as this goes, I tend to go a little off of the beaten path with my materials. You can check out the link in my sig if you're interested in saving a great deal of money.

jb3829

iTrader: (1)

I painted mine over the summer but I didn't strip it down to metal (which isn't always necessary) so can't help ya there. But, I took everything off the car I could and fixed any rust spots first, then primed(2coats), painted(2-3 coats for coverage) an cleared(4 coats with wet sanding after the first 2 coats). I ordered a complete package from TCP Global (about $300) plus about another $350 in sand paper, cleaning supplies, masking, buffing, etc. I later found out I had a Sherwin Williams automotive supply nearby so I'll work with them in the future but the TCP products worked out well. I would suggest buying all your supplies first and setting up your work area. I don't know what kind of environment you're gonna paint in but treat it like a operating room.....the cleaner/neater the better......you'll also need good ventilation. Take your time and make sure you have enough lighting so you can see what you're doing.....

camarotucker

iTrader: (2)

Pay someone else to do it.

am muscl

if the paint on your car is in good shape you dont need to sand it down to bare metal. and as far as paint goes their are alot of different paints out their, so it all depends on what your budget is. as im shure youve seen on here your can spend $50 or $10000. ive bought automotive paint that was $40 a gallon all the way up too $2500 a gallon. the biggest thing is no matter what you use practice on something else first.i keep an old pickup hood around just for spraying on to adjust my guns

SSZ2891

Well the paint is actually pretty good. The body is pretty straight Theres a
Few small dents and stuff but not too bad. The worst part is probably arOund the doors where it looks like someone tried to break in with a pry bar so there are small circular rusty spots where it's down to primer. This will be my first paint job so I'm not looking to spend a lot. I need a gun, paint, sanding materials, tape and masking. Any recommendations for budget guns and paint. I'm thinking black or some shade of red.

lonesomeloser

These threads helped me alot. I got a couple of books from the library also. Take your time and do everything right. I am in the process right now of sanding my 27 year old paint down to the metal. I have found a few small rust spots where I did not expect. I have a few dents to remove, too.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...t-project.html

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...o-i-paint.html

am muscl

im not shure what stores you have in your area but menards is where i got my first gun and i think it was like $20, and actually i still use that gun as a primer gun and its probably 12 yrs old. and since its your first paintjob i would follow some of these threads on here about cheap jobs, i believe one was $54 for paint.

91 Droptop

What are you looking for? just an average job? show quality? Do not use a wire wheel or a grinder to take the paint off. If it has not been painted ever you are fine to just sand it down, are you changing color? I cannot really help you on cost since I buy everything in bulk and at the wholesale price. I know the Dupont (this is what I use) clear can go from $180-350 a gallon. I can tell you a good paint job is only that because of the prep work, watch videos and read. Painting is not a hobby its an exact science, you have reducers, accelerators and othe catalysts. Remember you will need to learn about flash times and all that goes with painting. It may be cheaper to just go get it done at a shop, a good gun can run upwards of $500 (I shoot with a Divilbis) people will tell you there $20 gun from Harbor freight is just as good BS! Price it all out and decide. The worst part is I have seen people spend upward of $1500 in materials and it needed wet sand and buff, not to bad until they burnt the paint with the buffer. A high speed buffer with a wool pad in the hands of someone who does not have expieriance can be a disaster, paint will come right off the edges if not careful, good luck and feel free to ask questions as you go. Here is mine in various stages, I did not strip it down to bare metal since it was never repainted

sailtexas186548

iTrader: (2)

you can get PPG shopline primer/base and generic clear for $250 from Tasco for the whole car, spend $150 on a decent guns and have GOOD prep, and have a decent result. I personally use a $40 husky gun for primer and base, and have the husky "pro" gun for clear ONLY, and I having done 3 major paint jobs now I have it down fairly well. I recommend getting a hood from the junkyard that's not perfect but not too banged or with a lot of rust, and strip it, do the body work and prep, and primer/base/clear it before you actually do your car. I found actually painting something was the best way to learn, and the little bit you spend doing the hood will be worth it in the end. I didn't practice and paid the price on my first paint job (my camaro.... )

Oh yeah, buy lots of reducer/thinner for clean up and completely disassemble the gun when you switch from primer to base, and before you put the gun up.

And one more thing, body work SUCKS but if you end up with nice paint you'll be super proud you did it your self

FYRCHKN

I stripped mine down to metal with a wire wheel because it had several layers of paint on it. I used the cheap purple gun from Harbor Freight. I used $29/gallon tractor paint from Tractor Supply that was sprayed in the gravel driveway of my old house. Basically, I did all of the "don't do thats" and ended up with this:







Perfectly smooth paint with absolutely zero orange peel. Are results typical? If you take your time and don't rush it you could have close to the same results. But, this was my second paint job. The first one produced similar results but the paint was poor quality (rustoleum) and faded rather quickly. There was a great deal of prep work that went into this before I ever laid the paint though, many hours with a long board to get the panels this smooth.

This is just to show what kind of results you can get with a "budget" paint job.

Paint material costs:

1 gallon Valspar Massey Ferguson Red - $29.99
1 gallon Naptha ---------------------- $13.99
2 8oz cans of hardener--------------- $12.99 (X2)
-----------------------------------------------
Total cost for just paint supplies-------$69.96

Sand paper---------------------------$50.00+/-
Purple gun----------------------------$15.00
Harbor Freight high speed buffer-------$30.00
Buffing pads--------------------------$20.00
3M polishing compound----------------$15.00
Masking tape--------------------------$5.00
-----------------------------------------------
Total cost of other supplies----------$135.00


My total cost for this paint job--------$204.96


I will be using the same paint and process on my convertible this spring. The only difference will be that I have a garage to paint in now.

sailtexas186548

iTrader: (2)

that does look great, and if your ok with single stage paint go for it

Do keep in mind once you start the cheap, not automotive specific paints the car WILL never be the same unless it's totally stripped, not just wired wheeled I mean all the nooks and crannies and everything, which is NOT fun with the cheaper types of paint. I've had to strip a couple vehicles with "alternative" type paints that were used to save a few bucks... never again it was awful. You can get decent auto primer/base/clear paint for cheap, to me it's not worth using anything else.

Ron U.S.M.C.

As far as the process gos,maybe some of these photos will give you a idea as to what the steps look like. I am very, very, lucky to have a friend that is a "professional" painter and offered to paint my car so I documented the process... As far as prices for the paint,I would have to dig out the receipts.(In the first two photos,the tan patches is not bondo,the car looks like that because its showing high and low areas)I saved money for 3 years to get this done "because" of his offer to paint .Try finding a "professional" shop that will take on a full primer/base/clear for 3,000.00 and have it done in thirty days. It cant be done.Here's the link =

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...nt-photos.html

am muscl

fyrchkn, that goes to show you that even in a driveway with tractor paint if you take your time it can turn out really good. beautiful car man, i would be damn proud of that car. ive never tried tractor paint but i am planning on it here shortly on my pickup. the cheap paint ive used on cars is called omni, it lays down good and has decent durability. carralo1 for a first timer unless your gonna use tractor paint which is a single stage, go with a 2 stage base clear its easier to fix messups

SSZ2891

Well the guns id probably buy would either be from lowes, sears, or home depot. Are any of those any good? What about the campbell hausfield guns? Ive bought stuff from harbor freight before and i dont think ill ever buy any power tool from them again, let alone a spray gun. I have a 35 gallon 3.5 hp craftsman compressor. Is that enough? With the tractor paint do you prime and spray a clear over it?

FYRCHKN

With the tractor paint you can prime, but you don't have to unless there is filler. Some have sprayed clear over it, but I didn't. That's after a wet sand and buff. It shined like that for two years and then I sold it. It was never garaged and was in the 100*+ Texas summers.

SSZ2891

I think this is the route I'm gonna go. Yours came out great and if mine can look half as good for my first paint job I'd be happy. The rattle can primer is what you used correct? Would you suggest upgrading to spraying the primer just as if it were a prime, base, clear paint job

Firebird_305

I agree with you carralo1! His method was the way to go. I just finished with mine today, first paint job ever, and it came out great. Obviously it could be better, but I followed his post and went at it from there. For about 100$ I won't complain either!!

SSZ2891

Did you polish and buff? Did you spray any clear? Id love to know how it looks after a while, keep me updated

Firebird_305

Nope actually just finished with spraying 5 coats yesterday. Going to polish and buff it like chicken did and see how long it lasts! Living in NY may be a bit different, but we'll see.

And in regards to the paint job, if you know a little bit about painting it will come out great I feel! The better you prep the car, the better it will look. I'm sure you will do it just fine!

SSZ2891

I just came across some paints on summit. Heres their 1 gallon for 79.99.http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-UP300/

Also seen some Duplicolor paints that go for 20 a quart in a variety of colors.

These seem like good prices anyone ever try these paints? How much of an upgrade from the 30 dollar tractor paint..

am muscl

duplicolor isnt too bad. its easy all you do is put it in your gun and spray. just make shure you clear it. i painted a pickup with it about 6 months ago. heres is a pic before i buffed it