Car paint

[MrTrout]

Ok, my first time painting.. my car that is.. I have an air compressor and gun. I just need a little help choosing paint..

From what I can see there is A LOT of paint to choose from. I have my color code and my color number. But where can I buy some good quality pain for not such a high price?? Also, I am painting my whole car and was just curious approximately how much paint would a person need to do perhaps two coats. And I guess I am ganna need some clear coat too.

I believe O'Reilly will mix paint for you, but not too sure.

 

[hypergenesis]

They do but their paint isn't too great at all. You do have all the sanding equipment as well right? I'm about to do the same to mine, as for cheap paint best bet is to find some online for cheaper than what you can find in the stores.

 

[MrTrout]

Ya, I have already started sanding my hood, it was easy cause it was primed when I got it. I am ganna get a power sander to do the rest etc.. Just need a lil help on the paint.

 

[68442]

The dupont nason they sell at orileys isn't too bad, put a good clear over it. Red however had terrible coverage. Think I had a half gallon of red for the 1g laser, 1 gallon reduced. If it wasn't red would'be had left over. I used cheap kirker epoxy primer. Still looks nice two years later, father in law never washes it.

 

[stormy69]

i havent looked at orielly paint in a while, my memory says it was lacquer, at least where i live and dont remember it being nason (good and cheap) look for a name brand acrylic enamel and you should be ok. make sure you use an inline air filter (cheap plastic disposable ones work fine) at the gun inlet.

 

[MrTrout]

Ok, well I have started;
I sanded down my roof. It was rusted, so I sanded down to the metal. I primed the whole roof and have sanded it with 400grit paper. Am I now ready to paint it? I have heard some people paint after a 400 grit sand and some use a 800grit before painting. After I paint, do I sand it again with a 800grit or 2000grit or 4000grit and then clear coat? or just not sand after paint?

 

[4g63tc]

Your paintjob will only look as good as the prep.
400, then shoot basecoat, followed up by clear, wet sanding the clear with 1500, 2000 then compound and buff.

There are plenty of Youtube Videos on doing this, and always follow the manufacturers suggestions.
If possible find an Autobody supply store in your area they can usually set you up with the correct paint,clear, reducers etc. and are pretty knowledgeable about the products they sell.

If you wanted trick, sand the clear with 1000., then pick up a 6" 3M trizact pad <foam backed 3000 grit> finishing pad. It will remove the fine scratches, and all you will need to do after is use the rubbing compound, then wax.

The whole cost from the Local AB supply shop was 350.00 minus sandpaper to have all the supply to repaint mine A52, Minden silver pearl.

 

[Carlz0r]

If you wanted trick, sand the clear with 1000., then pick up a 6" 3M trizact pad <foam backed 3000 grit> finishing pad. It will remove the fine scratches, and all you will need to do after is use the rubbing compound, then wax.

If you're going to use the trizact, I would highly recommend sanding with 1000 grit and then 1500 grit before polishing. When I painted my RX7 in College, I used the trizact, and it didn't do the best job of getting rid of 1000 grit scratches.

As far as sanding before paint goes, 400 grit on a D/A sander should be fine, but if you're hand sanding I wouldn't go any lower than 500 grit.

 

[Bud92gsx]

Her's a thread I started a couple weeks ago..Lots of links for cheap paint..Everything you should need to paint a car..Infact Ktgurl87 just got her car painted with paint through one of the links.. http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/appearance-interior-exterior/397404-paint-quote.html

Here is Ktgurl87's thread on painting her car.. http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/hangout/394865-patches-update.html

 

[MetalMulisha]

The Matrix system is a good affordable product, the base is supposed to be 1:1 but its a lil thin, so go 1:1/2 when you mix it and itll cover just fine. as for the clear, if you buy cheap clear just put an extra coat on there for added UV protection. Ive used the ppg shopline base countless times and i personally like the matrix clear or the concept 2021 clear, its just a lil harder to buff. The slicker you apply the clear the less wet sanding/ buffing youre gonna have to do. if you use a warm weather reducer the paint will take longer to dry but itll flow out more so thats what id reccomend.

 

[icemanracing]

Don't buy Cheap Paint you get what you pay for. House of Kolor All the way.
Cheap Paint don't look good and Good Paint ain't Cheap..

 

[4g63tc]

If you're going to use the trizact, I would highly recommend sanding with 1000 grit and then 1500 grit before polishing. When I painted my RX7 in College, I used the trizact, and it didn't do the best job of getting rid of 1000 grit scratches.

As far as sanding before paint goes, 400 grit on a D/A sander should be fine, but if you're hand sanding I wouldn't go any lower than 500 grit.

The 3000 grit Trizact pads? Grey, and foam backed right?

I Like Using the 3M Trizact Line of sanding discs, they also come in a P1000, P1500, and the 3000 grit 6" Hookit discs. Just use plenty of water

I used the p400, p800, p1000 then the 3000 grit to refinish my CF hood, then compounded it with just the Rubbing compound, and it came out beautiful.

 

[Carlz0r]

The 3000 grit Trizact pads? Grey, and foam backed right?

I Like Using the 3M Trizact Line of sanding discs, they also come in a P1000, P1500, and the 3000 grit 6" Hookit discs. Just use plenty of water

I used the p400, p800, p1000 then the 3000 grit to refinish my CF hood, then compounded it with just the Rubbing compound, and it came out beautiful.

Yep, those are the ones. I found that, at least with the clear we were using at college, 1000 grit wasn't quite fine enough, as it just took far too long to fully polish out all the 1000 grit scratches. After doing half my hood and saying "Screw this" I went over the car again with 1500, and the polishing process went far smoother. Granted, I was hand sanding the whole car. I'm sure if I'd used a 1000 grit disk on a D/A it would have been a different story.

 

[gstryyder]

So, do you plan to GUIDE COAT and BLOCK your car after you primer the whole thing? i hope so, because it would suck to put all this effort into painting your car. Then, have it not turn out very good because you skipped a critical step. Just throwing it out there. As far as paint goes... you need 3-4 quarts to do what your wanting to do. Good luck with the paint job.

If ya don't know what a quide coat is feel free to ask. It is very basic and will save you from kickin yourself in the a$$ later.

YOU NEED, to drain the tank of water before use, and make sure you have a good water air seperator at the end of the line right before the spray gun. Another easy thing to miss that will cause headaches.

I used to work in a VERY high end custom fab shop. Making 10-30k paint jobs turn out perfect. I was not the painter body guy, I was the fabricator. I used to help them all the time though, and they gave me all their tips for KISS. I may not be a great painter, But i know how to paint great... LoL

IF that makes sense.

 

[Shake_Zulla]

Late to the party again but here we go anyways.

Ok, my first time painting.. my car that is.. I have an air compressor and gun. I just need a little help choosing paint..

From what I can see there is A LOT of paint to choose from. I have my color code and my color number. But where can I buy some good quality pain for not such a high price?? Also, I am painting my whole car and was just curious approximately how much paint would a person need to do perhaps two coats. And I guess I am ganna need some clear coat too.

I believe O'Reilly will mix paint for you, but not too sure.

This sentence will not work. Good paint = good paint job, bad paint = bad paint job. I don't skip on ANYTHING paint related even masking tape. You will get a better paint job that will last longer.

So, do you plan to GUIDE COAT and BLOCK your car after you primer the whole thing? i hope so, because it would suck to put all this effort into painting your car. Then, have it not turn out very good because you skipped a critical step. Just throwing it out there. As far as paint goes... you need 3-4 quarts to do what your wanting to do. Good luck with the paint job.

If ya don't know what a quide coat is feel free to ask. It is very basic and will save you from kickin yourself in the a$$ later.

YOU NEED, to drain the tank of water before use, and make sure you have a good water air seperator at the end of the line right before the spray gun. Another easy thing to miss that will cause headaches.

I used to work in a VERY high end custom fab shop. Making 10-30k paint jobs turn out perfect. I was not the painter body guy, I was the fabricator. I used to help them all the time though, and they gave me all their tips for KISS. I may not be a great painter, But i know how to paint great... LoL

IF that makes sense.

This ^
I will explain what guide coat and block is for future generations. Spray a light mist of paint over the primer so it looks like little dots on the car then get a 12 to 16 inch wood block and sand in an X pattern. You will see the high and low points of the car because the little dots will disapear on the high ends. Fill the low with a build up primer or HIGH QUALITY filler that will not shrink or pin hole out. Use a WOOD sanding block NOT a foam or padded block your sand paper needs to be even on the car. This is important because you wont see this untill after you clear coat the car. The base will look flat and not shine untill after the clear is on. Also you can wet sand between coats, however, if you can avoid sanding the last coat of base it will make your car shine more after the clear is on.

"I may not be a great painter, But i know how to paint great"
Amen brother!!! If you take your time and correctly paint your car you will come out with a job that looks like a professional. The difference between a good painter and a beginner is a good painter can get the job done quicker NOT always that the paint job will look a lot better.

 

[boostinout]

I paint a car a week and about 20 golf carts a month. used house of kolor, sems, alsa, sherwin williams ,nasons and shopline and so on. the shopline by ppg is great and is very reasonable. clear coat finish1 its a high solids and is about 90$ for a gallon of clear and a quart of hardner.

 

[Carlz0r]

I will explain what guide coat and block is for future generations. Spray a light mist of paint over the primer so it looks like little dots on the car then get a 12 to 16 inch wood block and sand in an X pattern. You will see the high and low points of the car because the little dots will disapear on the high ends. Fill the low with a build up primer or HIGH QUALITY filler that will not shrink or pin hole out. Use a WOOD sanding block NOT a foam or padded block your sand paper needs to be even on the car. This is important because you wont see this untill after you clear coat the car. The base will look flat and not shine untill after the clear is on. Also you can wet sand between coats, however, if you can avoid sanding the last coat of base it will make your car shine more after the clear is on.

Just a couple points/suggestions I'd like to make:

1. I would recommend using a real guide-coat as opposed to using paint. Though paint works, it will clog your sand paper a bit faster. It's a great way to save money, and in the case of the OP it'll be fine, but for anyone who's looking to really spend the time (and, as with high-end paint jobs) the money, there's really no substitute.

2. Though it works, primer filler is a bit of a band-aid for poor bodywork IMO. Your filler/putty work should be good enough before primer that, unless you've had to fill a very large area, once you have 2-3 coats of primer surfacer on, you should be able to block it out without needing a re-prime. If you start to break through the primer, and you still have low-spots, you can use a polyester putty on top of the primer to fill them. Just make sure that you hand sand in the low if your sanding block hasn't put any scratches into it yet - If you don't, you'll have adhesion problems that may come back to haunt you.

3. There is absolutely no reason to sand between base coats unless you've allowed the base to flash off for too long, at which point a fresh coat of base won't adhere properly anymore. Check your base and clear (or single stage, if that's what you end up going with) for the proper flash times.

Also, seeing as it hasn't been mentioned yet, cleanliness and prep is paramount to a good paint job. Before doing any bodywork, the car should be completely washed down with soap and water, and then with wax and grease remover. Before priming, blow off all dust, mask, and then clean all the areas to be primed with W&G remover. Once you've sanded and are ready to paint, again blow all the dust off the car, mask, and then clean with a proper final wash. Though normally I would recommend using a tack-cloth to remove any final little bits of dust that may have settled on the car again, you're not going to be spraying in an actual spray-booth (I'm guessing), so it's a bit of a moot point.

 

[MrTrout]

Thanks for the explanation of the GUIDE COAT and BLOCK! As I said before, I have never painted a car so this is all new info for me.

Ok, I have decided to keep things cheap (money wise) I may be trying to do it cheaply, but I am definitely being patient and I really want to do this right!. I have sanded the hood and the whole roof with the little sides by the side mirrors, not sure what you call it. I have primed and sanded by hand with a 400grit sandpaper. I didn't find any major dents, there was like two tiny dents. I believe the body work is complete. Now should I sand with a higher grit (800?) before I paint or just paint with the 400?? And once my clear coat is on, am I right saying that I sand it with about a 1500 grit and then buff and polish or polish and buff?

I am looking at all the pain now. Sorry for all the questions, but I think you guys understand I wanna do this properly

 

[Carlz0r]

Thanks for the explanation of the GUIDE COAT and BLOCK! As I said before, I have never painted a car so this is all new info for me.

Ok, I have decided to keep things cheap (money wise) I may be trying to do it cheaply, but I am definitely being patient and I really want to do this right!. I have sanded the hood and the whole roof with the little sides by the side mirrors, not sure what you call it. I have primed and sanded by hand with a 400grit sandpaper. I didn't find any major dents, there was like two tiny dents. I believe the body work is complete. Now should I sand with a higher grit (800?) before I paint or just paint with the 400?? And once my clear coat is on, am I right saying that I sand it with about a 1500 grit and then buff and polish or polish and buff?

I am looking at all the pain now. Sorry for all the questions, but I think you guys understand I wanna do this properly

If you've hand sanded with 400, you should be ready for primer as long as all the dents are fixed. Just make sure you go over any edges (or other tough spots that the sand paper might not have caught) with a red scotch-brite, just to make sure you don't have any unsanded areas.

 

[98awdturbo]

what if youre using a DA post wax/grease remover? Think you should use a different grit than 400?

 

[MrTrout]

Ok, I have gone further and have finished the body work on all of the car, I primed where metal was showing and sanded the entire car.

I put my first coat on and it came out pretty good, I put the second coat on and it came out a little different, some places look like this the following picture.

I really do not want to buy some more paint to paint this over again, so can someone tell be how to fix this? Buff it? There must be a way to do it without painting again.

Thanks guys

 

[92AWDHX40]

Ive painted mine and doing it soon it takes time is it a show car or street car, goals, if you make mistakes its going to cost more, meaens more materials being used hardner, clear, reduceir it all takes a toll. Well with painting problems arise and sometimes we have to repaint ive done that its all about learning from mistakes. Im still learning,ive come a long way in 6 years though, when its done i said i did that and i happy about it.

 

[68442]

Was that single or dual stage? Looks like a dry spot or dye back.

 

[MrTrout]

I used Duplicolor's Paintshop (jet black). It is the pre mixed paint, I have a couple buddies who suggested it to me. It is single stage paint. I have not put a clear coat on yet.
Would it be possible to buff it so it can even out?

 

[68442]

I believe that's laquer, no recoat window on that stuff, easy to fix.