paint advice please!!

[stprorolla49]

well i went with my buddy to a friend of his who does side jobs (painting, body work, etc.) to see what he would charge to do a paint job for me...turns out he doesnt do full jobs but gave me a lotta great advice i'd like to share with you guys, and maybe you guys can throw in some info to because im trying to figure out what to do with the car paint wise because i'd like it painted in late april...

what he told me is that for any half decent paint job including tear-down, prep, paint, and re-assembly, i would spend anything less that $2k which as a high school student working for minimum wage 15 hrs a week, i can't do....

that being said, he told me the best way to go about this would be for me to prep it all myself....the body is pretty much immaculate panel wise except for 2 tiny dings on the door, a dime sized ding on the roof, and a few very small scratches on the used front bumper i bought to get the car driving again....

i will be getting a used cobra r hood next week which i will fit on the car and prep as well, and i'll be getting a new drivers fender because the one i have now, AAA ruined trying to tow it....

this guy said to do all the prep, then the day before getting sprayed, take the bumpers, head and tail lights, side skirts, spoiler, mirrors, and weatherstripping at the bottom of the windows off, and putting them in a pickup, throwing my car on our trailer, and have maaco spray the car with one of their better quaility paints...

theres no doubt in my mind that we can prep this car seeing as how my father has done his car and it looks mint....im just weary of putting my car in maaco's hands....

can some of you guys please offer some advice as to what i should do here? i'm aiming to have this car done during the 3rd week in april, and i only have a week because i need the car for school and work.....thanks guys!:SNSign:

 

[MysticKeith50]

i don't really know...but what I do know is that some 03 cobra wheels would look sweet on your car.

 

[stprorolla49]

i don't really know...but what I do know is that some 03 cobra wheels would look sweet on your car.

you have no idea man.....ill be ready in about 2 months...maybe sooner if i get good $ for my bday i hope you still have them....please....save....them.....

 

[Blackened302]

i say you tackle the work yourself, michael! i was able to pull off my body work (hail damage is a b1tch!! there were at least 200 small dents on my car, no joke!) w/ a couple buddies' help--95vert included. i was also able to install my body kit, so i def think you and your pops can hack it.

from what i hear, maaco doesn't do any prep work, they just spray, so make sure you cover everything. take off everything you can take off (headlights, a & c pillars, tails, bumpers, hood, mirrors, weather stripping, etc) and tape up the rest w/ painter's tape. also, don't go too low of a grit w/ the sandpaper. start w/ about a 220 and work your way up to 600--don't wanna have scratch marks like i do (started w/ 80 grit, hahaha, like a damn roof shingle).

for filling dents, i recommend flowable putty--"autobody icing" is the one i used. it's rather expensive @ about $16 a bottle, but all you'll probably need is one ( i used 2 and a half--lots of dents) and not even that. bondo is really hard to sand, but this one is really easy to work with. good luck!

 

[stprorolla49]

i say you tackle the work yourself, michael! i was able to pull off my body work (hail damage is a b1tch!! there were at least 200 small dents on my car, no joke!) w/ a couple buddies' help--95vert included. i was also able to install my body kit, so i def think you and your pops can hack it.

from what i hear, maaco doesn't do any prep work, they just spray, so make sure you cover everything. take off everything you can take off (headlights, a & c pillars, tails, bumpers, hood, mirrors, weather stripping, etc) and tape up the rest w/ painter's tape. also, don't go too low of a grit w/ the sandpaper. start w/ about a 220 and work your way up to 600--don't wanna have scratch marks like i do (started w/ 80 grit, hahaha, like a damn roof shingle).

for filling dents, i recommend flowable putty--"autobody icing" is the one i used. it's rather expensive @ about $16 a bottle, but all you'll probably need is one ( i used 2 and a half--lots of dents) and not even that. bondo is really hard to sand, but this one is really easy to work with. good luck!

thanks a lot man! i'veonly got 3 tiny dings to fill so that wont be an issue, and i wont be sanding a whole lot...the guy at the shop who i talked to last night has done some of the most beautiful paint jobs i've ever seen (and trust me i know a good job when i see one) so i trust his opinion...he said to fill the dings, sand them out smooth, and just scuff the body with a brillo pad til it looses all of its sheen....then dissasemble it acordingly....also how hard is it to get teh a and c pillars off? he said they break easy...

 

[nmcgrawj]

also how hard is it to get teh a and c pillars off? he said they break easy...

I was right at this step when i took my interior all out this weekend. U take off the interior "c" panels. SO basically, unbolt the seat belt and the shirt hanger thing at the top, then it pops off. Then u can unbolt the exterior c pillar.

 

[stprorolla49]

I was right at this step when i took my interior all out this weekend. U take off the interior "c" panels. SO basically, unbolt the seat belt and the shirt hanger thing at the top, then it pops off. Then u can unbolt the exterior c pillar.

sweet deal man! thanks for the info!! the gy last nite said they use clips and glue and they break easy...guess he was wrong...

 

[BlueOvalStangGT]

Bump for you! Im looking to paint my car this summer as well.

P.S. Mystic, Ill buy those 03 cobras off you!

 

[mytight95]

only horror stories i have heard about maaco involved their prep work(they skimped) and the paint didn't stick as well as it should have..... so i would say if you prepped it yourself, you would prolly have good results....

I have a mutual friend, that is gonna spray my car... I am just gonna rent time at the shop he works at and he is gonna do it after work one night...... i am looking at around 1k i think..... the paint is around 400 for everything...


jason

 

[stprorolla49]

Bump for you! Im looking to paint my car this summer as well.

P.S. Mystic, Ill buy those 03 cobras off you!

im buying them from him next month dude...we've talked already

 

[mo_dingo]

If you can do the prep, then you can spray it. You just need a compressor, air lines, a good gun, paint and some reducer.

The hard part is the prep. But since the paint is in good condition, sanding it all down should be pretty easy.

You will need an random orbit sander with several grits of sandpaper to smooth the surface. It will keep your arms from falling off. I would recommend a small one, because a big one will sand too much in certain areas (where the car curves a lot) and go through too far.

There are plenty of threads on this subject if you have questions.....and remember, if you spray too much and get some runs...all you have to do is said the area down smooth and respray it. No biggie.

As a novice, I would also recommend spraying in several thin coats, so you have more control of the paint flow on the car.
Scott

 

[Blackened302]

+1,000,000 on the sander! if not an orbital, get at least an electric sander, a dewault or something.

 

[stprorolla49]

If you can do the prep, then you can spray it. You just need a compressor, air lines, a good gun, paint and some reducer.

The hard part is the prep. But since the paint is in good condition, sanding it all down should be pretty easy.

You will need an random orbit sander with several grits of sandpaper to smooth the surface. It will keep your arms from falling off. I would recommend a small one, because a big one will sand too much in certain areas (where the car curves a lot) and go through too far.

There are plenty of threads on this subject if you have questions.....and remember, if you spray too much and get some runs...all you have to do is said the area down smooth and respray it. No biggie.

As a novice, I would also recommend spraying in several thin coats, so you have more control of the paint flow on the car.
Scott

heres the thing...i have everything already!! LOL...my dad sprayed the chevelle so he knows how to do it all! i just hvae nowhere to spray it which sucks ass...im gonna search around and see if i can rent a booth...my buddy is also askin his parents if we can spray in his garage for a few days....that would be SO clutch cause he lives a block away so i could literally drive my car with no bumpers, wing, mirrors, etc. to his house, clean it off the final time, put it in the garage on jacks, and have at it....