Considering a driveway paint job
 

Having a hard time pinning anyone nearby down on painting my car. I'm seriously considering the ins and outs of doing it myself. Anyone here done that?
I know they have but I can't come up with the proper search terms apparently.
It is metallic paint and I know it's not the best to learn on but I figure the worst I can do is have to sand it all off when I finish.
Feasible?

Greg,
I did this this past June.
I sheet plastic'd my garage and did the job.
Are you talking about base / clear? Because that is the easiest in my opinion.
I did a single stage about 13 years ago, metallic paint, and it was kinda really hard, and it came out kinda lousy.
I did this last job on my GTO with basecoat/clearcoat and it was much easier. In addition, when you put on 4 layers of clear, you can "cut and buff" it to a super shine. This effectively gets rid of most of all the dust and flaws also.
Turns out the cheapest supply for paint was a local supplier for me. I spent 800 bucks on materials, not including a couple extra gallons of epoxy primer. that was for RM paints.
A cheaper way would be to get all your materials EXCEPT the basecoat from SPI, Southern Polyurethanes. I got some stuff from them, they're great to deal with. SPI only makes a few colors of base. They don't mix base colors to spec. so you have to get it locally unless you're okay with the limited color chart SPI offers.

I'd say go for it. I'm pretty happy with my first base/clear job, except I wish I had just done one thing different....dusted on one last thin layer of base (a 4th coat)....it would have eliminated some slight tiger striping I have. but overall I am happy with it.

That's exactly the kind of information I'm looking for Dave. Yes, I plan to do a BCCC. I did the jambs in single stage. I did it without too much tiger striping and just a couple of runs...but not good enough for an entire paint job. I have sanded all of the overspray from that away, right up to the edge of the doors, hood, etc. . I have since determined that BCCC might be more forgiving....if I can avoid tiger striping.... due to the reasons you just mentioned: I can cut and buff the clearcoat.
I was a little concerned about the tiger striping as well. I know that white, yellow, red or something of that nature might be easier than the Meridian Turquoise Poly but that's the color of my car...so, that's that.
I buy all of my body supplies at a local house so that's not a problem. I've got the car ready to paint...to my satisfaction anyway, so I just need to paint.
I figure I'll need a better quality gun and I'll need a good buffer and some good instructions on how to proceed once the paint is on but I know I can get that here.
I have a friend that I can call also for instructions on that. I was going to get him to paint it for me but I don't think I have the patience to sit and wait while he gets it done. Could be months I think.
I'd rather be doing something, and after all...he was the one who told me years ago.."If the body work is good and you know how to cut and buff, you can do a good paint job yourself."

By the way...I followed the link in your signature and I agree...Came out great!

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...O/DSCF0370.jpg

Greg, if your having troubles with "striping" in the jambs you might want to reconsider or at least practice untill you figure it out.
What kind of gun do you have, cheap or quality? Do you have a friend or club member that can be on hand to help out, mixing/thinning, air pressure, distance etc..etc... Even just a quick lesson on moving the gun and trigger operation can make a lot of difference. I have seen friends try to work a spray gun and it has been very entertaining. I have taken the gun and showed them a little how too's and they could operate quite a bit better. FWIW.

About time you get some paint on that car Greg :D Good luck & let me know when you get it painted so I can come see that color But hope it warms up I was up there this weekend had thick frost on car & ground all 3 days I was there

Actually, the only place I have any striping is on the underside of the trunk lid which I painted on the car. That may have had something to do with it...spraying up from an awkward position. The door jambs came out fine except a run here and there...but even the factory left runs in there. Also, again, I painted them while on the car so it's a little awkward getting into the hinge area.
The gun is a cheap 'Startline' model. Fine for primer but not optimal for topcoats I know. Generally, I feel ok about my spraying technique as far as my mechanics go at least..... If I have any issues, and I do, it's with setting the air/product mixture ratio consistently. I'll definitely get some practice in first on some scrap panels I have around here. Right now, I'm leaning towards trying it though.

I think you can do this with no problem.
I am cheap, because I have to be (lo budget). But I try to do the best I can with what I've got.
I used an Astro EVO LVLP 1.4 tip gun, and I think it was a pretty good gun for a cheapie. Key thing is with these is to make sure you have at LEAST 22 PSI at the gun. Any less and poor atomization is just going to be miserable.
My 60 gallon compressor kept up with painting with no problem, but I think I could have been better off with hi flo fittings. I just never got to it before I sprayed. The plumbing of the hose with traditional fittings limits good air flow.

I am saving for a buffer right now. I haven't cut and buffed yet after 7 months! (just taking my time assembling everything else) As for the cut and buff, I am going to use 1500, 2000, 2500, and then the Maguiars route with the 205 and 105 compounds.
I only "hung" a few small runs down low on a fender, and I have already sanded those down with some 600 grit VERY carefully.
I watched the James Freddys guy on youtube on how to "cut" the clear, and I think he did a great job explaining it. It's on the Bronze firebird he did. A good resource to check out.

Anyway, GOOD LUCK!

Dave

If you were closer I'd come over and shoot it for you. A good gun is important, don't try putting paint with a cheap gun and expect good results. Especially if you don't paint all the time. A good painter can do a decent job with a cheaper gun, and a new painter can do a decent job with a good gun but... a new painter and a cheap gun and all bets are off. There are lots of sites on the net that can give you some tips on how to shoot bc/cc, you should at least read some of them.

Here is a forum you can read, some good info there.
http://www.asetusa.com/phpBB3/

We'll do...but I can assure you, it probably won't be before mid-March, maybe early April. Temps should be nice and the humidity should still be low.
I haven't seen any frost this year here and the coldest temperatures of the year so far are forecast for tonight...27 degrees. Not bad for mid January.

Mark, I wish you were closer too...I can assure you that I will be looking at that and almost everything I can get my eyes on. I do plan to get a better gun for this as well. Already have some good advice just from this thread.

Dave, I appreciate the vote of confidence. I'll try not to let you down!

A couple of more tips: Spray in the A.M. if possible, usually less wind and less bugs. Keep the gun perpendicular to the surface, In other words, move your arm and body when spraying, not your wrist. Pull the gun back slightly on your last coat of base if its a metallic, you'll get a more pronounced look. If your neighbors are close, spray on a workday to minimize potential overspray complaints. Observe the minimum "flash-off" times between coats of clear (won't hurt to wait longer) to minimize chances of solvent popping. finally, wear a respirator, especially when you spray the clear, and don't worry about a run or two in the clear, they can be fixed. Good luck.

No neighbors within a thousand feet or so and nothing but woods in between. What kind of respirator is recommended? Not looking to go into business mind you...just what will work for a hobby type car nut like me...

You can get an adequate respirator at Menards or Home depot (3M) for about $30-40. Just change the filters on it after spraying your clearcoat. I would not recommend this if you were spraying every day, but you're only spraying one car and its outside.

The paint store should have a good 3M respirator for about $25-30, I would also get a pair of overspray goggles (about $13), unless you buy a full face respirator but those are spendy at about $160. The isocyanates have easy access to your system through your eyes, so protect them one way or another.

edit: Paint guy posted while I was typing... He's quick

I've once again proven the old adage. I had an old but never used full face respirator that I'd had for years and never used. I had no instructions for it and didn't know what cartridges it used. In a fit of housecleaning, I threw it out.
Anyway, keep the suggestions coming. I'll be using this thread as a reference when the time comes.

Greg I painted my car in my own garage in 1996 & did it all by myself ,,, well with a bunch of ideas & help from my paint shop mgr. I asked I think about every question I could think of & he told me all the things he does in the body shop at the dealer i worked at at that time. So ask as many questions you need to feel comfortable. I did & it helped. I've done a few more since then & each one gets easier. If I was closer to I'd come & spray it for you to. Just a few hints, again get the best gun you can get. See if you can barrow one from someone , rnt a GOOD ONE, or buy a good one. Binks & devillibus make good guns, there a little expensive but well worh it if your going to want a good job. A couple of hints. Whereever your painting make sure you have good ventalation. If your painting inside it's good to blow the space out good before you paint a day before. I painted in my 3 stall garage, I put up plastic on the walls to keep my parts & everything else from turning red when I painted. Also I went in a few hours before & sprayed the floor with water to hold down the dust. I didn't have a vent fan so I put 2 fans in the door way (garage door) & covered the middle & sides with plastic & that gave me a good draw out of the garage because I had a small window open in my compressor room so I could get fresh air in. I sprayed the walls a little just to help keep the dust down. Make sure you have everything you need close so you don't have to go in & out any more then you absoulity have to. Set up a table with all your paint & clears so you don't have to go in & out. Make sure you have a step so you can get up above your work , your hood , trunk & roof without falling into or on the car. Now your close to spraying. Have something in the area your at to test your gun spray on, not your car first. Make sure you get your gun set before you start spraying. That way when you spray the car whats coming out of the gun is a good pattern. It's best to if you have a springy belt on so you can put the hose over your sholder & hook it in that belt so it doesn't swing out & hit the car on accident. Make sure it's over your sholder going behinde you. Have a couple of the filter for you mask handy to, you don't want to have to stop spraying a full coat because you can't breath. Keep a rag handy so you can clean off your fase mask if for some reason it gets paint on it. The best & next thing to remember LOCK THE DOOR so no one can come in & get a blast of bad air in your spraying area. LOCK THE DOOR>!!!!!! Last remember anything can be fixed so relax & spray easy. Overlap at 50% when spraying & keep the same distance while spraying. Follow these simple thing & I think you'll do just fine. Remember relax & go easy , have a good time & think about how nice it will turn out. :jumping::jumping::jumping:

Garage Paint Job
 

:) just to give you some idea,mine was painted this past summer 2012 in my friends big garage.
He used several fans to push-pull air out,plactic covered every thing,all the lighting you can get.
The car came out great,base coat clear coat,Matador Red.
We still plan on having the car wet sanded and buffed. I'd like a little more shine:D
Have fun and take your time.
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Thanks rex. Good advice. It's going to be a stretch doing it inside unless I wait until my wife is out of town...or I send her out of town. My garage is large enough (maybe...barely) but the only way for me to ventilate it would be to use the door going into the house for return air.
I really think it's going to be outside. I may have to use a lawn sprinkler to soak the nearby ground for a few hours before I spray.

1969 GTO, that looks very nice. That's how I'm planning to do mine. It's completely assembled, the jambs are sprayed and I just want to tape it off and spray. I thought it would be easy to find someone to do it in a couple of weeks or so but no luck.

Some of my best and great looking paint jobs came from a driveway. I even painted a Camaro in my gravel driveway in 2010 that did not even have any dirt in the paint. :)

I've been looking at some of the link posted by 65Mark and also at autobodystore.com
There seems to be a concensus that I need a dedicated gun just for clear and another for base and other uses. I gather that it's to keep the clear product from becoming contaminated by a gun that has had color in it.
What are your thoughts on this?
I've already got like 4 or 5 guns around here for primer with variously sized tips. Some have barely been used. Can I use the best one of those (Start Line) for base and buy a nice quality one for clear?

Base and clear shoot differently and may or may not require different guns or air caps. The Iwata LPH400 has 3 different air caps to optimize the atomization of the different paints. The silver cap is for clears, the orange cap is for 90-95% of bases, and the purple cap is for more difficult bases such as silvers, golds, pearls, and candies. That being said for your color you could probably get away with using the orange cap for both your base and clear, keep in mind however that the silver cap will do a better job on clear. This gun is at the upper end on the price scale though so may not be worth it for one paint job. That's up to you to decide. Sata makes a good gun too although you need to buy two guns to optimize for each type of paint. If you go looking for guns online stay away from Spraygun World, we ordered one from them because of price with all the caps and never received it, we had to dispute the CC charges. TCP Global came within $5 after I called them, and our local paint store matched TCP's price. You're looking at spending $750 for the set at least. The gun with one cap is around $600.
Hope this helps.

Like I said, I'm not looking to go into business. Any recommendations in the $300 neighborhood that will give satisfactory results for the base and clear? I mean, my body work is probably not even worthy of that kind of gun. I understand that I may need separate caps for the clear and base and don't mind buying that.
I mean, if this goes OK, I may paint two or three more cars in my lifetime.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/spraygundep...mno=DEV+703496

http://www.tcpglobal.com/spraygundep...no=DEV+FLG-670

Stay way from the Devilbiss Starting line guns, we have a set of those and they are not good for bc/cc. Don't know much about thier Finish Line guns.

I have used one of these, it's an ok gun. I wouldn't choose it over the Iwata though for the price difference though.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/spraygundep...mno=SHA+253434


I figure it this way. What's your labor worth? What does the paint cost? A $6-700 gun is cheap if you have to go back and redo a paint job because the gun wasn't up to the task.If you are going to do more cars in the futuire, even 2-3 more, divide the gun cost amongst the 3-4 cars, and it feels better on the wallet. Plus the fact you don't have to pay a painter or shop to paint it for you, and wait months for them to do it.

You are welcome to use the psychology on your wife if needed. :D

What about catching one of the guys at a local body shop to come by and give you advice, I stopped by the shop that fixes my truck and cars after accidents and he was more than helpful to lead me to one of his painters. For a few bucks on a weekend I bet one of them would help you. I've even talked to them about renting their booth when I'm ready, not sure if I'll do that or not but at least I know I have help when I need it.

Don't forget a disposible spray suit/coverall and spray sock hood.
Avail at any paint store or body shop supply/jobber

One time spray mask:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_69634-98-R60...torDisplayView

I've got a Start Line kit with main and touchup guns and I knew when I bought it that it was only fit for primer. It's been OK for that and for learning.
I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger on a $700 gun...no pun intended...lol
I just can't believe my bodywork is good enough to justify it.

As for getting a painter over here to look at it, here's how I got to this point....
First guy was my first choice and is actually a friend. I was going to get him to do it a couple of years ago. Actually, just finish the body work and everything. When the appointed time came, I couldn't get him on the phone. He's about 40 miles from me and I couldn't see renting a trailer and driving it down there when I didn't even know if he was there or was still game to take the car on. I talked to him later but by then, I had just decided to finish it all up at home.
Fast forward a couple of years and a lot of learning about body work-
I finally, got a couple of pros to look at it just about two months or so ago. I drove it to them both since the car is now basically finished.
First guy agreed to give me a price on the following Monday. About 6 Mondays later, I happened to see him again and he suddenly remembered he was supposed to get me a price. He will 'definitely' call tomorrow. That's been another 10 tomorrows...so, actually getting him to do it is another story apparently.

Another guy I talked to looked it over and said it looked good but that he needed to really look it over closer and wouldn't be able to get to it until after New Year's. This was back in late November I think... I called him yesterday morning and he told me to call him back in about 2 MORE months and he MIGHT be able to LOOK at it.
When I hung the phone up, that's when I started to think about the feasibility of just trying it myself and started this thread.
I have about two other guys I would be interested in getting to do it (one of which is the first guy I mentioned from way back) but I just don't have the patience...so I'm just about done asking someone to take my money....and like I said, my car is probably not really good enough for a $5,000 paint job anyway...and even if it is...I live on a dirt road for goodness sake!
Nothing against any of the folks I'm talking about here...I know that's how it goes in the paint and body business. Heck, it's taken me years to do it myself but I'd rather be doing something than waiting for someone else to do it.

I used a Copper Tekna with 7E7 Cap and 1.3 and 1.4 tip to paint my car. Gun also included a digital pressure gauge. Cost was a little under $400 shipped. The 1.3 is intended for base and 1.4 for clear. You don't need a separate gun for base and clear, just be sure to clean the gun very good as soon as you are done. Since we are not doing this for a living spending longer to clean the gun is no big deal, certainly not worth buying two guns.

I don't recommend trying to paint outdoors. I can't imagine the conditions 40 miles south of me would be that much better. I always had bugs, leaves, trash, pollen, etc blow on anything I attempt to paint outside. Get some 2x4's or PVC pipe and construct a frame. Cover it with automotive grade plastic sheeting. The roll I purchased was 12'x400' and sold for about $30. This sheeting is designed so that paint and over spay sticks to it and does not flake off.

http://peripheraltech.com/gto/jam019.jpg

I think part of my success in painting my car in my basement was due to use of this sheeting. Look at post 390 and you can see that I put this stuff down everywhere. Dust is also attracted to this plastic.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...584076&page=20

With all the $$ you would spend on equipment & materials why not drive it to your local Maaco? Their mid level paint job is downright reasonable......

My personal preference for a quality paint gun for a reasonable price is a DeVilbiss Plus GFG-670. You can buy it from autobody101.com online store for $310, free shipping. It is a high efficiency conventional gun, not hvlp so it uses less air. It comes with a 1.2, 1.3 and a 1.4 cap so it will work well for base, clear or single stage. IMHO these guns perform as well as any for a reasonable price. As far as a respirator goes Summit sells a Gerson half mask , P95 organic vapor for $20, disposable spray suits fo $5 and they sell head socks also. If I order from them I recieve my order the next day.

Abe, I'd love to find a Maaco around here and I have searched. They just aren't there. Even the similar types of paint shops that are within 50 miles of here not only got 100% bad user reviews on their paint but they were accused multiple times of stealing parts off the cars. I'm not dealing with that. If you know of one, even one other than Maaco in my area, I'm totally open to that.
As for the dust, bugs, etc. fbrown, that has been my main concern when ever I thought of doing it myself before....and I've thought about it for years.... Especially out here where I live in the middle of the woods. Haven't figured out exactly what I'll do about that yet. I have considered getting one of those metal car sheds...I am going to get one anyway....and use the plastic in conjunction with that. There are problems with that too such as placement. The problem is it probably won't be easy to move once it's constructed...and the best place to have it for painting is not where I want it to be permanently. Just things I'll have to figure out for myself over the next couple of months. .

Greg,

No advice here, but I've been watching your resto for a long time and hope that whatever you do, it turns out good. Good luck!

-J

Somehow missed that post sonjaab. Thanks for the link on the mask. I actually have a case of the disposable coveralls.

Judas, thanks a lot.

So, you prefer the conventional gun as opposed to the HVLP? Is that strictly due to air demand? I always thought the HVLP guns were supposed to be better in regard to putting the product on the object as opposed to having it float away into the atmosphere.
I have a 60 gal. compressor and so far haven't had any real issues with air supply for my lower quality HVLP guns....but I've got a lot to learn in this arena.

Greg,
You CAN do this yourself! There is a lot of satisfaction when completed. Plenty of good advice has been given. If you do this outside don't do it in the late afternoon/early evening as there seem to be more bugs around-and they will find your car!!! A good gun can work wonders with even a mediocre painter-make sure it is matched to your compressor. I use a Deviibiss CVI-it can lay paint down like glass. One word about safety-I use a fresh air system--period. While a good mask may suffice why take any chance with your health? Isos can do some pretty nasty things to your body. I understand that many shy away from a fresh air system because of cost but you can purchase one and sell it after you are done with it and loose very little. Hobbyair makes a nice low cost unit.

Hey Greg, How far are you from Mableton, Ga they have a maaco there if you decide to go that route also one in Jonesboro, Ga

Greg, regarding painting outside or inside....for grins and giggles, check out this thread on autobody101.com....

http://www.autobody101.com/forums/vi...p?f=12&t=15614

this guy painted a 1980 Porsche kinda sorta outside in a little metal carport type of thing. His paint job came out fantastic. The thread is super long, but the essential point is made in the first page or two. He used the **670 devilbiss gun also. Check it out.

Wow...that looks fantastic Dave. The shed with the plastic is exactly what I was thinking of doing.
Jonesboro and Mableton Maacos are within 30~40 miles of me but I don't like the reviews I'm seeing. I found one positive for each but they were the exact same wording left by apparently the same person. The one review I found that was from someone else was negative. Not going there.
Thanks for all the advice so far. I'm feeling pretty positive I'm going to try it unless someone comes along begging to do it for me. Somehow, I don't think that's happening.
The one thing that keeps worrying me is whether I'll have the motivation to start going over the car again to make absolutely sure I have it as good as I can get it before I just start spraying. I can be impulsive like that and let the chips fall where they may.
I have to be patient now. Make sure I get the best gun for me. Make sure I come up with the best location I can here on my property to do the job right, etc. Patience!

You might be able to rent the spray booth for a weekend from a local body shop, I have done this in the past. In Saturday morning, out Sunday afternoon. It's worth asking the question.

Yeah, I've looked around to see if there was any place that did that. I hadn't thought about asking the local body shop....but I will say this- The local body shop owner is the guy that's still supposedly going to call me tomorrow.
There's another one down the road from me a bit but I've never been up there.. I may stop by his place to see what's what.
One concern I have about that is that I have absolutely no knowledge of professional paint booths, ventilation systems, etc. I'm thinking he may be hesitant to let me loose in there after talking to me about it for a few minutes.

Just bring it up here and I'll let you use our booth and my personal Iwata for free! Just had to say it... A temporary visqueen booth with pvc pipes and positive pressure fan's works ok. Lay visqueen on the ground first and build a "tent" over the top of it. Or... you can get a storage tent from Sam's club, Costco, etc. for a couple hundred bucks and use it afterwards for storage. just cover the framework with clear visqueen instead of the cover that comes with it for a booth, and paint on a sunny day. Have your fan blowing into the booth with a filter on the fan, and have a filtered hole on the other end to let the air out. I've done a driveway job or two that way in the past. It worked pretty good.

If you supply the paint and all materials you can get a good job at a Macco.
Work out a deal to do after hours so the car can be left in booth overnight.
Make sure you see what they are capable of first.
For what youll spend on a good gun and tent etc you could pay them and a generous tip too.
How far are you from Daytona?
Buy enough paint for a couple cars....... Ive got a Firebird thats ready too.

Greg,

If you need to borrow a paint gun, I'd be willing to send you mine. I'm not even close to painting my car. It's been so long since I've looked at the gun, I can't tell you the specs. But it is a hvlp gun. It's not a cheap gun, but not the top of the line either.
Let me know if you are interested.

Thanks
Jeff

The one thing that keeps worrying me is whether I'll have the motivation to start going over the car again to make absolutely sure I have it as good as I can get it before I just start spraying.

Sanding a black guide coat will show you your problem areas.

The DeVilbiss plus gun has a transfer efficiency that is equal to a hvlp, it doesn't kick up the fog that the old conventional guns do. It runs a higher pressure at the gun, atomizes really good and is faster than most hvlps. It might just be what I'm used to, I started painting 47 years ago and used conventional guns for years. I sold my Iwata because it was S-L-O-W. I have a DeVilbiss finishline 3 also with a conventional air cap and a 1.5 fluid nozzle that I still use occasionally with single stage but you definitely need good ventilation because it really kicks up a fog so I wouldn't recommend it, but it puts the paint down slick and fast.

Ok, I'm headed out now. I'll call you in about two weeks when I get to NW Idaho...lol
I think the PVC 'tent' is going to be my best and easiest approach. I'll make it like a giant pup tent. All I have to do when I'm done is to pull it apart and save it for my next paint job, or plumbing emergency. A/C filters on one end and a couple of box fans on the other.

I haven't found a GOOD Maaco around here yet. I'm about 500 miles from Daytona. You want your Firebird Meridian Turquoise, bring it on up. I'll be happy to practice on yours before I do mine...:)

"All I have to do when I'm done is to pull it apart and save it for my next paint job, or plumbing emergency." - LOL. Good one!

will be keeping an eye on your progress. Hope to see a shot of the pvc tent- it might be my solution as well. I am a working stiff and can't afford paint/body.

-J

I have not found anyone saying anything bad about that DeVilbiss gun so far. It's on my shortlist along with the HVLP gun that fbrown says that he is using.

I haven't borrowed anything like that from anyone in more than 20 years. If anything happens to them, I feel responsible for replacing them with brand new ones. I've done that a couple of times and thought immediately, I could have just bought it for myself. Sooo...ever since that last time, I always just buy what I need. If I can't afford to replace it, I can't afford to borrow it. If I can afford to replace it, I can afford to buy it in the first place.
I really, really DO appreciate the generous offer though!

I'm talking about worrisome things like sanding scratches, adhesion problems lurking and waiting to pop up in the future, etc. I don't want to paint this thing and next year have bubbles popping up, paint coming off in sheets, etc. As for the surface being flat, I'm pretty.....fairly..... confident it's blocked ok.