Cost of a DIY body & paint job
going to monitor my expense of my final body and paint work.
have spent around $1,000 on just body and primer products already and another $500 today on Ppg epoxy primer and a few other items. not including sanding, mixing, application supplies. going to include those in the end though. I'm not experienced enough to know what generic brands are just as good as name brands. so I stay with higher end name brand products. I figure if i'm doing this myself and trying hard to do it right I at least better give myself the best chance and use the name brand product. always seen Ppg so going with that. I would like to hear what others have spent when completed doing it themselves and especially what a pro thinks a QUALITY diy job should cost? I'm guessing $5,000 ? and I don't mean the cost of a spray a cheap paint and accept orange peel type jobs on an average prepared car your trying to flip. tons of those out there. you know, the type of job you might do on a chevy. ;):):p |
Chevy? Hold on now! I painted my 55 Chevy ten years ago with TCP Global paint (clear,base) for less than two grand. It looks just as nice today. Two years ago I painted my 72 Lemans with PPG clear, base (tri coat actually), for three grand. But, that Lamborghini orange pearl paint on top of white is expensive. I know supplies have gone up lately, but I'm sure you can stay withing your budget.
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I'm almost through the process of painting my son's 79 Y84 TA and I think we'll have about $3500 or so in materials. It's black, and we went with single stage Valspar, so the paint itself wasn't too bad. But the primer, sealer, etc., and all the odds and ends (e.g., sandpaper, tape, masking paper, plastic sheeting, wax and grease remover) really add up if one keeps track. On my last trip to the paint store I spent over $600 on 3m compound, machine polish, ultra fine polish and pads. That was a surprise. I spent about 50% more on materials for my 70 Formula...difference being Carousel Red in high end B/C
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I estimate $5k to $7k on the cars we do in our club (on the higher end for a body off). PPG Epoxy and hardener, SPI Epoxy and hardener, pack of lead, filler, 1 Qt Deltron base, 1 Qt Concept clear and hardener, sandpaper, cost $800 to do the door and trunk lid below, and I get a discount. I already had compounds. I have some material left over, but....:oogle: https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...1&d=1667521859 |
so whats the deal with spi epoxy primer being best for endura bumpers vs Ppg epoxy on endura bumpers?
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The SPI epoxy seems to stay very flexible ... if you ever let dry in a can you can pull out what appears to be a rubber plug in the bottom. And it sands extremely well ... so you can build up nice layers of flexible primer.
The Verdoro green paint job on my 68 cost $3000-3500, used SPI epoxy primer, SPI clear, Motobase base, half a can of filler, lots of sandpaper (bought rolls of it). This was a vinyl top car so that saved some paint, it didn't require a lot of body work, averaged about 2.5 coats of base, 3.5 coats of clear. I already had most of the necessary tools, good compressor, good gun, sander, buffer, disposable cup liners, etc. I had to order some more paint products halfway through the job as I under estimated by about 25% what I needed. I do have some left over though. If you have to "over order" one thing ... make it the base coat. You want one big consistent batch of color ... the primer and clear you can usually get in smaller amounts as needed. |
wet sanding
I'm getting way ahead of myself here but my first effort paint job was pretty good but not what I wanted. I had a real tough time getting wet sanding scratches out of it. the process was a nightmare. my patience is not good.
my car will be white. can I avoid the wet sand process altogether and still have no orange peel? |
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Of course this doesn't take into account any rust repair or bodywork that may be required before the car is ready for primer and paint. |
Great info posted here as usual. I’m also a huge fan of SPI. From their products, to ordering, to support, to the free shipping I always get, nothing could go smoother and the products are exceptional. Especially love their epoxy primer and production clear. Their forums over there are a fantastic paint/auto body resource. This is a good start; https://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/perfectpaintjob
I think with quality products (whichever brand you choose) and attention to detail you’ll be very happy. |
Flexible parts
I have Ppg as my local supplier has that as their main line. with the epoxy primer it states that in using the particular type of Hardner it's a sealer or for flexible parts. I purchased the DP401LF for flexible parts and is supposed to be good for the Endura bumper and fiberglass panels.
also, the base coat clear coat urethane is a flexible system. all new learned info for me. this is my 2nd go at painting. I'm after a very nice job, not show. the car will be cameo white, is it possible to not do all the wet sanding and still have a nice orange peel free paint? I have read in a pontiac restoration book, you can go straight from color coat to the clear coat with no wet sanding. for show quality you must wet sand the color coat. I am hoping being a white paint I can skip color coat sanding. fortunately for me I wanted the white/blue stripe Trans Am I know white shows far less discrepancies. I have learned as a non professional to go for what I will be satisfied with instead of trying to duplicate what a multi experienced pro does. |
I've sprayed three of my cars base/clear and have never sanded the base before clear. Just wipe down with tack rag. I have only sanded the clear to get peel out and a smooth glass shine. If you flow coat your clear and it goes on without runs, you shouldn't have orange peel. I'm no pro painter, so I tend to try to stay away from too heavy of clear to flow it and end up with orange peel to sand.
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blue is decals
thanks, great info and I appreciate it.
thank goodness the blue stripes are decals so no worries there though. great looking cars to. |
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It seems the base coat/clear coat method is most forgiving to fix an error.
I like the idea of single stage but from what iv'e researched its much harder to shoot flat and nice. great info, i'm getting intimidated already and i'm not there just yet. should the evercoat superbuild be applied before epoxy primer? |
Usually epoxy primer is you first coat. Even on bare metal before filler work.
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I would go with a clearcoat, it looks better and will stand up to the elements much better.
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so my first ever paint job I used base/clear. I wet sanded the color coat, no issues there other than the work. I had a very tough time spraying the clear. orange peel real bad. I was able to wet sand all the orange peel out but I was left with to many very fine sand scratches in areas even after polishing it a lot. I may have had my gun set wrong I dont know.
so I have this pre built in fear of shooting the clear coat now due to that experience. but, the single stage paint has this stigma to me of a cheesy maco job. also if you dont shoot it very very well it sounds like your toast and stuck with a classic orange peel job. if that happens I would let it cure and redo the entire car. in fact if im not happy with either system i choose i will redo the entire car. have to much hard work and all new metal in this one to accept mediocrity. but......painting a white car, if I could shoot it really well, single stage sounds fine to. gonna be a game day decision. leaning towards base/clear because I want another chance to beat the clear coat demon and get it right and have vindication. ha, i'm like that. |
Practice spraying a panel , try different settings and different air pressure. If you don't have an old panel ask your local body shop for a damage one in their junk pile.
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Don |
supplies & equipment
Like I said, even though I have painted one car, theres so much to learn.
Really did not realize single stage is just urethane clear with the pigment added. I get the 2 stage would make metallic colors and deep colors appear nicer. but would it for white? and why is it that single stage is more prone to not laying out flat and with more chance of orange peel? I plan to get a better spray gun for paint this time around, the one pictured I will use for primers. iv'e since learned a lot more about gun adjustment and I do have an old hood and fender I can practice on. I painted my last car with it. l now, the water remover set up I have is not a big deal, don't know if better is needed or not. between it and the disposable filter at the gun, I did not seem to have a water problem. dont even get water in the small sight glass filter on it. I dont use a regulator at the gun, is that a must? i'm asking questions early so I can review all the info, right now I am in the filler application & sand and block stage. long way to go but going real well. sounds like I cannot use my everrcoat polyester superbuild and remain compatible with the epoxy primer so I will stick with using just epoxy primer. |
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Get a small regulator for the gun so you know what the pressure at the gun is. The paint tech sheet will tell you the recommended pressure.
Depth of the paint is also kinda misused and very debatable. Any paint will look great once you polish out all the fine scratches. The fine scratches that show in flourescent light are what causes paint to look dull. Remove all the scratches and you have a crystal clear view of the color. Obtainable with base/clear or single stage. This Corvette is single stage universal black in the shade. https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...1&d=1667852750 |
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Epoxy primer can be used with polyester primer. I do it all the time. They are compatible. I painted this car in SPI black single stage. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...c-firebird-43/ Don |
It is doable without a paint booth, this is only the 2nd car I've painted and both in my garage.
You're going to have to sand some peel so prepare for that. I use 600, 1000, 1500, and then 2000, and a good orbital buffer. First pic with no trim is with no workover, so as out of the gun, bc/cc. I don't even use an expensive gun, its a devilbiss FL3. 2nd pic is after cutting & buffing. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...75376dc4_c.jpgUntitled by JL Clark, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...45aee92c_c.jpgUntitled by JL Clark, on Flickr |
Single stage should ONLY be used on SOLID colors, NO metallic, No Pearl for a DYI set up. Why?
In single stage the mettalic and or pearls are suspended in the paint, and will sit in any imperfection and look darker there. Also the metallic can " run" inside the coat causing a " zebra effect". Base/ clear gets you a LOT of UV protection, especially the SPI paints. |
For solid colors, you can also use a mix of single stage and clear for the final coat. On many paint lines anyway. This is done to get a somewhat tougher top coat while avoiding the clear coat look.
Check the P sheets for compatibility but I think most are OK up to around 50%. You mix the ready to spray single stage with ready to spray clear. |
Orange peal fear.
1. Never use a 1.4 nozzle 1.2 or 1.3 is much better 2. 1.3 to 1.5 bar, no more 3. Slow or med reducer. 4. Let sit 20 min between coats to avoid solvent pop. |
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what is a 1.3 to 1.5 bar? what is the most common reducer? thank you, I appreciate all the help I can get. |
1 bar = 14.5 psi
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Don't worry about orange peel , you can always wet sand and buff it. Just put 3 or 4 coats of clear.
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When you produce orange peel on flat surfaces, you can get solvent pop. ( hood roof deck lid)
Finer mist ( 1.2-1.3 tip) with 75% overlap and slower reducer/hardener and good wait times of 15-25 minutes will eliminate possible solvent pop, and eliminate sanding 1 coat of clear off. Most likely will still buff off 1 coat though. |
I would say "don't panic" if you get some orange peel, specially if you have enough coats of clear. If you are painting at 70 degrees or warmer ... use the slowest reducer possible, the slower the better in my opinion. I have some direct experience with this from painting on a late afternoon when the sun had warmed one side of the car a tad more than the other ... the warmer side had noticeably worse peel as it didn't have as much time to settle down.
The finer mist you can get the better ... but I gotta admit I had a hard time making that happen with a Iwata gun with a 1.3 without using about 30 psi. (although that was at the gun inlet, no idea what it was at the cap). Regardless, some orange peel just means some quality time with your car to get to know all it's curves :) |
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