[dataway]

Just wondering ... trying to decide whether I should paint my GTO myself or not ... I painted it the last two times ... both of which sucked But I was a kid with no knowledge, no good tools etc.

Anyway, before any decision is made I'd like to try to shoot some of whatever I plan on using on a spare fender or two just to get a feel for if it's going to be feasible.

I plan on using a SS Verdora Green if possible. This is a restoration, as correct as possible, so I'm not shooting for a show car paint job, I'm shooting for a factory quality paint job, in fact within reason it's more important HOW the car is painted rather than how well.

First .... I have no idea what brand SS paint I would use ... but, out of the most popular brands for painting Pontiac will they commonly mix a quart so I can practice with it before springing for a couple of gallons? If I think it's possible for me to do a decent job myself (I already have some decent guns, good compressor, filters etc. as I paint other things already) I would like to nail down exactly what paint, what reducer, what hardener ... what everything ... I will be using .. before I start.

Doing it myself just doesn't seem as daunting as the logistics of getting the main body, all the parts and pieces over to a painter, without the rolling chassis. And then worrying about waiting a year to get it done, things being lost, damaged, stolen etc.
Thanks

[400 4spd.]

You might get a paint store to donate 4 ounces for shooting a test panel. Reducer and hardener speed depend on temperature conditions, so no one can answer from here.
Why do you want to use a single stage rather than base and clear?

[critter]

Consider this. Why not do as much of the prep work you feel comfortable doing and finding a shop to take it over when you get out of your depth?

I have stripped my TA to bare metal, shot epoxy, done the panel replacements and filler and am now in the final stages of build primer and blocking. When I'm done with that I'll seal it with another epoxy coat and hand it over to a shop that has agreed to finish it with a quality BC/CC job.

[First Bird]

I painted my Firebird. Get a couple books on how to paint. Study up. Paint a friend's crappy car. They would never pay to paint it. And it will look better no matter what mistakes you make. Get a good spray gun - learn how to adjust and clean it. Practice with it on junk panels. Always shoot a test pattern before spraying. The hard work is in all the prep. Spraying color is the fun part!

[Tempest]

Go for it. I am going to try.

What is the worst that can happen?? you have to sand it all off, and start again. big deal, after 8 years, that can be done in a week.

When you prime your car, that is great practice, after you have applied a few coats of primer, you will feel more comfortable with the process.

I plan to 'jam' mine at home in the garage, then reassemble it, mask it, and use a booth from a guy a know. (rent it for the weekend)

from what I have learned, the 2 stage paint system is much more forgiving, lay on a nice even coat of color, and then apply the clear, and you can fix the clear after. (if you need to)

with a single stage, you apply it, and you really have no room for error, as you can't fix anything without leaving repair marks.

"you can do it"

[TedRamAirII]

Originally Posted by critter

Consider this. Why not do as much of the prep work you feel comfortable doing and finding a shop to take it over when you get out of your depth?

I have stripped my TA to bare metal, shot epoxy, done the panel replacements and filler and am now in the final stages of build primer and blocking. When I'm done with that I'll seal it with another epoxy coat and hand it over to a shop that has agreed to finish it with a quality BC/CC job.

This is the best advice. Paint costs too much to piss away learning how to paint. You could have it really nicely prepped, then ruin it with a bad gun, bad technique, moisture in the air lines, etc.

[bdk1976]

Go for it - It's not rocket science.

That being said I'd read/research a lot - all the info you need is out there on the web.

I'd suggest bc/cc for a metallic color - do some reading and you'll probably come to the same conclusion.

I also wouldn't get too tied up in spending big bucks on ppg, etc. from your local jobber. I'd look at lower tier/brands as a viable option. Again, do your research. Note that just about any modern paint will be superior to what your car originally had on it.

Go to sites like autobody101 and similar forums and read the entire archives before you start.


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[dataway]

I have no doubt BC/CC is a better paint and easier to paint ... but, I'm looking for a finish as absolutely close to factory as I can get ... BC/CC basically just looks too good.

I'm not new to painting by any means, painted a few cars, lots of bikes, some turn out ok, some not so much, but they were usually race vehicles so it wasn't really that important.

One of my options is to have someone I know can paint come over and shoot it. I just don't think it's in the cards to load up the body, all the panels and such, transport them to a shop, have them sit around a shop for months and then get them transported back.

My other option is to trim everything out here, install and line up everything on the chassis, then transport to a shop for painting. One problem is I refuse to have the car sitting around for months in someone's shop, that's just not going to happen. Too much to go wrong, too much to steal or go missing.

And yet another option is to transport body on chassis to a friends shop who does pretty good body/work paint and have him to the final prep and shoot it. He's very reasonable, would probably do it for $3000 plus paint.

But .... I'm not horrible with a gun .... for me the hard part is not handling the gun, it's the proper selection of product, and proper prep work.

As with most people that decide they might want to paint their own car ... I have to work myself up to it, bounce it off people, have them tell not to do it, tell me to do it etc.

It's part of the process

[indymanjoe]

I completely agree with ya Mr Data.I'm ready to tackle the paint myself and the cost of tools prep material etc is why im starting to think i'll take it to a buddy that does paint/body work for a living.Not to mention the neighbors may not want all the stink from the solvents.I havent ruled out the DIY way but there is alot to think about.Good luck though.

[indymanjoe]

Ps i have watched hundreds of vids on you tube.just picking a decent DA is maddening enough LOL

[roy381]

My head spins every day on the direction of my 67 #matching goat. I have a limited budget so I'm always saying paint it myself how bad could it turn out. Then I think about materials and how much a good gun will cost then building a temporary booth. Add it all up and Maaco will cost the same and be done in a booth and possibly with an experienced painter. If I screw it up its my fault if I take it there and it comes out like **** its my fault. But I like the idea if I do it with proper research that it will be done the right way on my own! Past experience already cost me quite a bit as I let someone paint the car that proclaimed to be a painter. I'm still undecided as to which way to go. But i think I would rather give it a shot myself than leave it in the hands of maybe someone (Maaco)that has a little more experience than me. Or i can save for the next several years and get a reputable shop to do it. Hopefully some of the experienced painters on the forum can chime in a help steer the inexperienced in the right direction.

Thanks to all

[dataway]

That's why I'm thinking if I can shoot a couple of fenders, and if they turn out nice ... no reason to believe I couldn't shoot the whole car without it being a total crap show.

[RocktimusPryme]

I was planning on it, but never could get the front sheet metal to line up. Finally gave up and took it to a body shop. If I could have ever gotten to the actual prep and paint part I would have given it a shot.

Seems companies like Eastwood have done alot to make home paint jobs more reasonable to do. Honestly I wouldnt expect myself to be able to put a SEMA paintjob. But a drivable job? Yeah that I think I or most of us could do.

There are alot of people (especially professional body shop workers) who tell you its a colossal mistake. But I think that all depends on expectations. If you think your going to lay down a chip foose candy job that looks like you can reach your arm in? Yeah you will probably fail. If you have a car that you want to be proud to drive around in, as opposed to being afraid to drive it because you have 20k in the paintjob.......I think thats very achievable.

[Goatracer1]

Everyone seems to be concentrating on your spraying the paint. Where are you going to paint the car? You have a spray booth? Remember not only do you have to make sure you start with a clean car (and clean air to spray it with) but you have to keep the car clean while you paint the car and while it dries. What if the atmospheric conditions change in the middle of spraying it. Also how friendly (and close) are the neighbors? It is not legal in most places to spray paint your car in a residential area. How would you like the cops to show up in the middle of the paint job? Even if they didn't ticket you they would make you stop.

[dataway]

I could care less about cops or legality ... I'm in the middle of nowhere up on a mountain ... most of the cops would help me paint the car Up here in the free world we don't need no stinking badges

I'd build a temp paint booth ... got 12 acres to do it on, all the tools, lumber, filters, fans etc to do it. Couple hundred to build the booth probably ... maybe I'd paint my tractors in it too.

For the most part the logistics of painting it at home are not an issue ... just the fear of it looking like "wrinkle" paint when I'm done.

Strangely enough, of the full paint jobs I've done .. the one I did in a booth turned out worse than the one I did in the middle of field in Tenn

[bkmont]

Originally Posted by dataway

I could care less about cops or legality ... I'm in the middle of nowhere up on a mountain ... most of the cops would help me paint the car Up here in the free world we don't need no stinking badges

I'd build a temp paint booth ... got 12 acres to do it on, all the tools, lumber, filters, fans etc to do it. Couple hundred to build the booth probably ... maybe I'd paint my tractors in it too.

For the most part the logistics of painting it at home are not an issue ... just the fear of it looking like "wrinkle" paint when I'm done.

Strangely enough, of the full paint jobs I've done .. the one I did in a booth turned out worse than the one I did in the middle of field in Tenn

I hear you about wanting to do the job yourself. I have no experience and was thinking that I might as well learn how to use a HVLP paint system. I'm looking at maybe buying one of the Showtime 90 HVLP paint systems.
http://www.tptools.com/Showtime-90-H...Guns,2992.html

[Tempest]

try it out on a hood or deck lid.

Here are pics of my 1st experience with BC/CC from a cheap Harbor Freight Gun, in a garage, with no booth

If you look close, you can see where it is 'tiger striped'....other than that, I think it turned out OK.

I did not wet sand and buff this at all, this is how it dried.

[rohrt]

Way back when I did my bird. I saved a bunch by doing all the metal work and body work myself and then having the final spray done by a pro.

For me it was the lack of a booth and a really good spray gun.

I was reading up on spray guns the other day and several people were talking about how a nice SATA gun can make a monkey into a Michelangelo. A good Sata gun can be around $800 or more.

Sometime it just a matter of how picky you are on perfection. Or the cost of equipment. If you don't mind wetsanding and buffing you can still get excellent results.

TEMPEST - That looks pretty good.

[Tempest]

Thanks, the tiger striping was a result of having the spray gun too close to the hood, and or too much paint. (I think)

When I do the complete car, I think the key to base, is just laying on more light coats and not trying to get complete coverage in 2-3 coats. If it takes 4-5 light coats, that is OK too, for some reason I was in a rush, must learn to slow down.

But getting back to OP, look for tips on the web, look over websites that members here have created (Squidward) try it out on a test panel, get the feel of it, and decide from there.

that's my 2 cents

[bdk1976]

Tempest- make sure you have a good spray pattern (preferably wide!) and make sure you do a good 50% overlap as well.

One tip I found useful in dialing in my gun was to turn the nozzle so it's spraying horizontal and spray it on a vertical surface for a full two seconds or so until it starts to run. Should be running evenly across the pattern and not loaded in the middle. Then you can fine tune from there.




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