[72projectbird]

Originally Posted by Tim Corcoran

Any stories of the first time you (anyone) painted your car at home? I'm not talking about a pro but an amateur with no autobody/painting experience

It can be intimidating. When researching what you need, and what steps you need to follow it can become confusing awfully fast. You'll get 10 different answers from 10 different people.

When I started doing my own stuff, I just jumped in with a full paint job. I used NAPA brand primer and paint, and quality fillers like Rage Gold. I took my time doing the body work, constantly block sanding and checking my work.

I like base coat clear coat jobs, as it allows me to wet sand the car totally flat and smooth. I haven't mastered laying clear down flat enough to be happy without wet sanding it down, but on a classic car I'd be wet sanding it regardless.

I actually painted that 77 SE I posted with Summit Racing paint. I think all the materials cost $500.

Heres a pic of the door and roof before I wet sanded it. Anyone who's done bodywork on a 2nd gen knows those doors are a pain to get straight. They're huge and flat, and unforgiving in black.