Molotovcockteas

So, as much as I would hate to I am considering doing a rattle can paint job on an old car I bought. The paint on it is bad and peeled off a lot. If I go to a shop it will need to be completely redone.
I have had an estimate from shops saying if I color change it like I want it will be $3000-$4000.

I don't mind paying that. That is the end goal but I will need to save up and that will take me at least 8 months to a year.
since the paint job is bad I was considering doing a quick sanding and then rattle caning it just to have the paint not get worse and not have exposed metal until I can afford a professional paint job.

Do you think I should do it? Do you think I should just leave it the way it is and just wait the year it will take me for a professional one?
no matter what I am going to get the professional paint job. It is just the paint job looks bad now. I am worried about the car possibly getting damaged from lack of paint.
I don't want to spend a ton of money if I have to get it painted again anyway.

advice please. Thanks.

GXP

I don't want to be "that guy" but I felt the same way after buying my repro aero spoiler for my 91 Trans Am. The body shops around here quoted at least $300-400 to have it done to match my car and that would have me close to $1000 in a spoiler alone. So I decided to pick up Plastidip while I was at Summit.

If I were you and absolutely had to or wanted a cover up, I would just do that since it would be temporary as well as easily reversible. I used Plastidip as a cheap alternative and $16 later I had a flat black spoiler.

I used a rattle can but I also went to Walmart to get one of those cheap dollar triggers that latch onto the top of the can. This is of course temporary until I'm out of college with a stable job and can afford to have it done right.

But for now, I think it looks good and if done right, it could last you years and still have a good look to it for cheap.

L67ss

I wouldn't even mess with plastidip. Reg acrylic enamal duplicolor works fine if you prep well

GXP

If you plan on doing any prep work and sanding yourself then yeah go with something like that. I have 0 tools and experience and like the idea of just peeling off anything I get tired of or anything I may mess up. That's why I went the plastidip route.

It can look nice for the price but it definitely isn't a replacement for the real stuff. Good luck

L67ss

Issue I've run into with plastidip when I was getting other peoples cars ready for a reg paint job(for some reason a bunch of import kids loved my bodywork lol) is when its left on too long it is nearly impossible to get off. On one particular infinity q45 it didn't even wanna sand off.....kept clogging the sand paper

jworks

iTrader: (1)

I kind of thought the same thing, I'm currently doing a bunch of light body work on my car and I figured I would get some cheap primer to cover the bondo until I get the money to have the whole car painted, the problem I ran into was that the primer really gums up the sand paper when trying to sand through it. I even tried drywall screen (has the holes so it wont clog with drywall dust) but no luck, still gummed it up pretty badly. im not sure if a better quality paint is any easier to sand but don't go the 99 cents a can route if your buying rattle cans.

Molotovcockteas

Thanks for the replys everyone.
I was planning if I did it using duplicolor or Rust-Oleum not Plastidip

naf

iTrader: (7)

by the time you buy enough cans to cover your car you will have likely spent more than the cost of a gallon of inexpensive single stage automotive paint.

Borrow a compressor and get an inexpensive gun at HF or the like. Bet you could come out under $150, not counting the sand/paper/polish you will need anyway-likely you'll use more on the cutting/buffing of the rattle can spray. And keeping it looking 'decent' will be a never-ending task.


AND you may learn enough to decide to tackle a quality paint job in the future.

vinny R

You would be surprised at the finish you can achieve with Rustoleum paint. It is the best and if you keep a wet edge it does not look like you puffed canned it. I would agree with the op in get a small compressor and a gravity feed gun from harbor freight ($15) and single stage enamel and go to town. The only issue with the puff can is it is hard to paint large surface area's with the limited spray pattern of the can.

Molotovcockteas

I have rattle caned other things like I cleaned (almost an inch of grease and grime) an engine my husband had and primed and painted it the original GM blue with engine paint. But I have never attempted to paint a whole car.

W.E.G.

If you are planning on a lot rattle-canning two issues I'll mention:

• Your index finger will get tired of holding that button down
• The rattle can needs to be held at the correct angle for proper spray

Once my finger cramps up, I'm pretty much done. Maybe I'm just old and weak. But after one can, I lose my "touch" and control of it really starts to suck.

Painting vertical surfaces is one thing. Horizontal surfaces with a rattle-can are something else altogether. Once the can starts sputtering and skipping, the result will suffer enough to matter.

Depending on where you are doing the work, time may be a real issue. So, having a rig that will let you complete the job when the time is right will make the difference between good-enough and that-truly-sucks.

L67ss

Enough duplicolor to do an entire f body=bout $50

L67ss

Advantage of duplicolor is it has a better spray pattern than most paint cans

WTR388

Lacquer paint SUCKS to sand off in the future. It gums up the paper fast. However, if in the future you plan to strip the car to metal with something like 80 grit or chemicals then it's not a concern.

I spray painted my old 94 sunbird, I washed it really well with dish detergent, scuffed it, used wax and grease remover and then painted it in my mom's garage. It turned out really decent, however as mentioned, the tip will build up paint and it will sputter out on to your panel. It lasted a couple years until I put the car out of it's misery.

Last summer I bought a truck cap for dirt cheap and I sprayed it using my compressor, a $400 gun and RUSTOLEUM thinned down enough that it would shoot from the gun properly. I couldn't believe how nice it turned out for $40, very smooth finish to it and it still has gloss after a harsh, salty Canadian winter. I hardly wash my truck either. That said, it took a few days for the paint to dry up enough to put it on the truck and a few weeks before it was tough enough to resist scratching/chipping.
Had I planned on keeping the cap or possibly painting it again, I would have sprayed it with the cheapest "real" single stage I could find... But I spent $80 on the thing and this was an experiment.

Also, fyi, most primers from a spray can will absorb and hold water, and do nothing to prevent oxidation, the paint layer over top is what stops the water, the primer is just for the paint to bite in to so it all sticks to the car. If you do a rust repair, prime it and paint it.

NoEmissions84TA

iTrader: (1)

Here is what I'm going to do. My car is going to the professional body shop to have the bodywork done and then the car is being sprayed with EPOXY primer. That's it - no color. Everything but the topcoat. The epoxy primer seals everything out, unlike regular primer which absorbs moisture. I don't plan on ever putting a finish color back on, but if I were to, the prep has already been done.

BTW, the Summit paint is cheap. Consider that over spray cans. And what was said about your finger and spray can buttons is true. I still have "spray can finger" 20 years later.