$50 Paint Job Project

[Laser0385]

So I picked up a "new" daily driver about a week ago and to put it bluntly, it needs some paint/bodywork/exterior loving.

Being the car is not worth a several thousand dollar repaint and I really like DIY projects, I searched around the forums and came across a $50 paint job thread.

Here is a link to the thread:

$50 Paint Job

Here are some before pictures:

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And here are a few pictures after hitting the hood and fenders with some sandpaper (80, 100, 220):

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However, I have a few questions:

-How do you paint the front/rear bumper covers?
-How do you paint the door trim pieces? Rear spoiler?

Basically, I am not 100% sure how to paint anything besides the metal parts of the car. Thanks!

 

[dylan702110988]

You paint all the parts the same way you paint the metal...

there are two ways to do the $50 paint job

1) rolling : the original way...takes along time and you get a lot of bubbles
2) spraying : the way i did my car...its a lot easier than rolling, and more precise...but you do get a lot of orange peel doing it this way...

rolling paint ratio...

1 paint : 1 mineral spirits....but i think it goes on and dries harder with a 1 paint to 2 thinner

spraying...

i used 1 to 1 and it turned out nice

remember to sand 800-2000 then buff

 

[Laser0385]

u paint all the parts the same way u paint the metal...

there is 2 ways to do the $50 paint job

1) rolling : the original way...takes along time and u get a lot of bubbles
2) spraying : the way i did my car...its a lot easier than rolling, and more precise...but u do get a lot of orange peel doing it this way...

rolling paint ratio...

1 paint : 1 mineral spirits....but i think it goes on and dries harder with a 1 paint to 2 thinner

spraying...

i used 1 to 1 and it turned out nice

remember to sand 800-2000 then buff

I am going to follow what the original poster did. He said as long as you roll it on thin, you shouldn't get lasting bubbles.

And seeing as my paint is in pretty bad shape, I have started at 80 up through 220 on the hood and fenders. I plan on going up to a wet-sand 400. For the rest of the car, I will probably start at 100 and work up to the same wet-sand 400.

Any tips for the spoiler or door trim pieces?

 

[dylan702110988]

take em off!

that will probably be the only way to get even coverage on those parts

 

[dylan702110988]

or...

use a small foam brush and take your time...

that should work out OK

 

[vanilla gorilla]

Are you going to prime it first?

BTW, I'd strip the car down a good bit before painting. I take off the bumpers, spoiler, mirrors, lights, all the moldings especially.

 

[jesselyons2002]

id bondo dents n tht. then primer then paint then clear

Don't use alot of bondo on a huge dent. It will crack after time. Just remember to push and pull out all the dents first.

 

[jesselyons2002]

Are you going to prime it first?

BTW, I'd strip the car down a good bit before painting. I take off the bumpers, spoiler, mirrors, lights, all the moldings especially.

I would do what he recommended. But don't forget about covering up stuff where you don't want paint to get on.

 

[VTEC_THIS]

I thought you didn't have to prime or clear coat the rustoleum?

 

[Laser0385]

I thought you didn't have to prime or clear coat the rustoleum?

You don't.

I am just going to sand the whole car down and follow the original posts advice.

This is not my pride and joy, it just needs to look decent. And with a good amount of prep time and careful painting I think I can accomplish that without removing everything from the car.

I will post up more pictures as soon as I can.

Any advice is welcome, just post it here!

Also, any PacNW DSMer's feel free to PM me and I will give you information on when to come over for free beers and sandpaper/paint rollers!

 

[Laser0385]

Updates!

Here are few pictures of the car prepped, completely sanded to 220 grit:

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And, some pictures of the car as of today. Few layers of paint, some sanding and some touch-up work done:

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I still need to let this set fully and wait a week before I polish and wax it up. I have to admit, it did NOT turn out like I had originally wanted/expected based on the pictures/links I saw prior to starting. However, I am only out $70 and as you can see in the before vs. after, it's a BIG difference.

Comments welcome...

 

[VTEC_THIS]

Did you wet sand it between coats? It's not perfect, but your car looks a lot better then before.

 

[Laser0385]

Did you wet sand it between coats? It's not perfect, but your car looks a lot better then before.

Well, many things went wrong during the process.

First, the ratio of mineral spirits to paint was WAY off. People said it would be around 1:1. Wrong. I did probably 3:1 or 4:1 and it still ran.

Second, regardless of how little or how much paint I used, I got LOTS of bubbles. It didn't matter how light it was rolled on, bubbles formed and did not go away in many places.

Third, it said that it would take several layers to get coverage. WRONG. The first coat covered in very well, which is not a good thing.

Overall, you are right. It's not even close to perfect, but for my daily driver beater, I will live with it for now. If in a few days/weeks I can't stand the imperfections, I will get it repainted or try something else.

 

[jesselyons2002]

Don't wax your car for a month. Remember start wetstand with a spray bottle from a 1000-2500 to get a nice glossy finish.

 

[dylan702110988]

Well, many things went wrong during the process.

First, the ratio of mineral spirits to paint was WAY off. People said it would be around 1:1. Wrong. I did probably 3:1 or 4:1 and it still ran.

Second, regardless of how little or how much paint I used, I got LOTS of bubbles. It didn't matter how light it was rolled on, bubbles formed and did not go away in many places.

Third, it said that it would take several layers to get coverage. WRONG. The first coat covered in very well, which is not a good thing.

Overall, you are right. It's not even close to perfect, but for my daily driver beater, I will live with it for now. If in a few days/weeks I can't stand the imperfections, I will get it repainted or try something else.

the first coat is supposed to go on almost transparent...just enough to see the color tint...the reason why its running is because your putting WAY too much paint on at a time and/or your putting too much pressure on the roller

again bubbles mean the paint is too thick...thin it down...u will still get bubbles just roll over them with another CLEAN roller

like i said the first (and 2nd) coat should go on very lightly!

 

[Laser0385]

the first coat is supposed to go on almost transparent...just enough to see the color tint...the reason why its running is because your putting WAY too much paint on at a time and/or your putting too much pressure on the roller

again bubbles mean the paint is too thick...thin it down...u will still get bubbles just roll over them with another CLEAN roller

like i said the first (and 2nd) coat should go on very lightly!

Well, I tried everything listed in the original thread when I was painting, nothing seemed to work out properly. Regardless, I will give it a few weeks and see how I feel about it until polishing/waxing time. If at that point I am unhappy, I will consider alternatives.

 

[northendtrooper]

Once done. Get a 3rd party opinion at 5 feet. If they can't tell then you did a good job.
I'm going to do it in white, so it should be easier to pass

 

[Jeff822]

I hope you know black is one of the hardest colors to paint?

 

[cciesielski]

it doesnt look too bad
and your right as to being out only 70 bucks and you get what you pay for
i would try to wet sand it ad then throw another coat on it possibly then wait and buff and polish

 

[Laser0385]

True, I chose black based on what I wanted, not really what was going to be easy. Who knows, after a while I may mix it up and go at it again with a different color...

Yeah, for the $70 I have spent, it's fine for my daily driver. It's going to get really dirty, cover some of the imperfections. And since I already have all the sandpaper, mineral spirits, etc if I ever wanted to change colors it would just take some time, a new color of paint and I could have a "new" car in a few days!

 

[Laser0385]

That paint job is awesome for that amount of money....

 

[DougR]

Its absolutly amazing what ppl will do to save a buck. WTF

Anyways GL on geting all of that orange peel out.

 

[Laser0385]

Its absolutly amazing what ppl will do to save a buck. WTF

Anyways GL on geting all of that orange peel out.

Save a buck or several hundred? This is not supposed or will ever be a professional paint job, period.

As I have stated, it's better than what it was before. This is NOT my pride and joy, just something to drive around when I don't want to drive the other car. Yes, I agree the paint is not even near perfect, but it will never be perfect. This car is almost 20 years old. They stopped making new OEM pieces for it years ago. So whether it's to "save a buck" or not, sometimes you have to deal with what you got.

 

[VTEC_THIS]

Don't even worry about what dougr said, it looks a lot better than it originally did .

 

[Laser0385]

Don't even worry about what dougr said, it looks a lot better than it originally did .

Ah, I'm not worried at all. Just interesting to see what kind of reactions you get...