Who has painted their own car, and how did it turn out?

[r_biccum]

Is it a  or  job? Post pics! If you have pics of where you painted it (home made booth or just in the driveway) post those as well!

[doctorpimp]

Depends...
What type of compressor you have, which paint-gun, space to do it.  What's available in paint in your area...

I did mine in a portable vinyl garage, with a vinyl tarp floor.  I have a 30 gallon compressor and HVLP guns.  I used PPG Omni single stage Urethane.  I read books on the subject and decided it was the way to go for me and it was fun to do.  I had some drips and dust spots, but it's a very good 10 footer job...  Maybe even closer... LOL.  I still need to wetsand it but I may just leave it...  We'll see how durable it is, but I did hear good things about Urethane single-stage.

BTW I painted in August 2007 when the humidity was low, low winds and not much dust.  About 85* outside.  The leaves in the pic were still on the trees when I painted but you can see the type of garage (pics from Oct).

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,35562.msg389175.html#msg389175

Finished pics:

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,45513.msg497736.html#msg497736

It was fun, but remember prep, prep, prep, and cleanliness!

[73rallye440magnum]

Painted mine when I was 17 in '05

It turned out nice. A few flaws here and there. I'd love to do it again. Only this time it would turn out about 5 times nicer.
I get a lot of compliments. Sorry for the crappy picture.

[KS71owner]

I'm hoping to paint mine myself when it's time to repaint it. My shop has a booth that should be just big enough to spray the car if it's on a rotisserie.

[mopar_nut_440_6]

I have painted several cars in a garage I had built. I added 4 sectiona above the door which I placed spray booth filters in. I then used a motor out of an old furnace and mounted it in the bottom of my front wall and ducted it outside. I then built a bench which slid over the fan assembly and had it hard wired into a wall plug on a switch. The airflow seemed quite good. I am not sure if the fan was safe but I never had any issues.

Prior to painting any car I would thoroughly clean the shop and blow off all the walls and ceiling with the floor wet with water to capture dust as it fell. I would leave my fan running and let things it for a while and come back out and blow the car off and tack it off with a tack rag. After doing this a couple of times I generally would have no dust.

I then would let the car sit over night, come back in wet the floor blow the car off and tack it again. By this time I would have virtually nothing on my tack rag. I then would prepare my sealer (I always like to seal the car prior to paint) and then tack the car again and spray. After the sealer has set up I would have my gun cleaned and my paint prepared. I always tack between coats to remove any extra dust which may be present until I get to the clearcoat.

One other thing I need to mention is make sure you have no bugs in the shop and also check for spiders in lights as they seem to drop out after spraying for a while!!

All of my paint jobs have turned out very good IMO. Granted I used to work as an assistant manager in a paint shop for 10  years so although I have had minimal paint experience, I was able to watch painting occurring on a daily basis.

My suggestion is to as as many questions as you can, read up on paint guns and technique and if at all possible watch some professionals paint a vehicle and that should help. If using a base clear do not lay the base on too heavy as you do not want any runs in these coats.If you get a run in the clear this is no big deal as it can be wet sanded out and polished. Pay particular attention to areas such as wheel lips or anywhere you are overlapping coats as it is easy to get a run. In the event you get a run in the base and it is bad, (I am sure we have all done this) I have used a piece of masking tape and lightly laid the tape over the run to lift off excess paint and then let it set good, lightly sand and spray another coat of base.

Be patient, clean your guns properly and wtch your spray speed, not too dry (pebbly or orange peel)  and not too wet (runs)!

I hope this helps.

[Frank Bullitt]

Picked out a nice still day, watered down the grass, and painted this '70 Charger in the front yard.  It turned out really nice.

[r_biccum]

What temp are you looking for as "ideal" for laying down the paint? Im building my own booth (have seen a few threads on here how other members have done it) got my compressor, dryer, filter, HVLP gun, etc getting ready to lay some paint in the next month or so...

[69bronzeT5]

I've been really wanting to paint my Duster by myself but I have no idea what to buy tool wise.

[mopar_nut_440_6]

I've been really wanting to paint my Duster by myself but I have no idea what to buy tool wise.

What year Duster? I have one too you can check out on CarDomain. A little /6 I turbocharged! I was going to put my stroker in it but it was in such good shape I did not have the heart to chop it up.

As far as tools go you will, need assuming you have no bodywork tools at all, the following is a start:

-Orbital Sander

-2-1/2 X 17 long board (hand and air is what I have but you can get by with the hand only and will have better arms for it and it will slow you down so you do not take too much filler out if you are learning)

-8 inch hi speed grinder (one with handles 90 degrees from each other) with a 3M Hookit pad is nice for removing paint with 80 grit. It will remove paint quickly so you do not get heat buildup and warp panels. I have done many cars with tons of paint and takes roughly 8 hours to do a complete car.

-5 HP compressor with  80 gallon tank if you want enough air to work continuously is pretty much minimum.

-filler spreaders in different widths

-hand sanding blocks

-body hammers and dollies

- Paint guns - I use a less expensive one for primers and a more expensive one for paint and sealer.

That should be a start. I have quite a bit more but have been accumulating tools for 25 years, I would hate to have to replace all of this stuff.

My suggestion would be to try to find somebody to work with and learn helping out as I find it easier to learn this way than a book and maybe you could make a few bucks, maybe cash under the table. I started working with a guy when I was 18 and he had me strip the vehicles and do all of the crappy sanding but did teach me a bit of bodywork, putty work, priming and final sanding. He was a bit of a "butcher" but we were doing 2-3 paint jobs a week working in the evenings so I got quite a bit of experience. After a few years of that I started working with a very knowlegeable fellow and we rented a shop and worked on much nicer stuff for about a year. He is the one who taught me the rest of the skills. I am only what I would consider a novice though and am always learning. I seem to be able to do what I would consider a pretty good job it just takes me a bit longer. We will have to see how my 68 turns out.

I hope this helps!!

Cheers,


James

[69bronzeT5]

I've been really wanting to paint my Duster by myself but I have no idea what to buy tool wise.

What year Duster? I have one too you can check out on CarDomain. A little /6 I turbocharged! I was going to put my stroker in it but it was in such good shape I did not have the heart to chop it up.

Hey James, thanks for all the help! It's a '73. You can check it out at http://www.cardomain.com/id/chargercody. I'll send you a PM regarding your Duster.

[mopar_nut_440_6]

I've been really wanting to paint my Duster by myself but I have no idea what to buy tool wise.

What year Duster? I have one too you can check out on CarDomain. A little /6 I turbocharged! I was going to put my stroker in it but it was in such good shape I did not have the heart to chop it up.

Hey James, thanks for all the help! It's a '73. You can check it out at www.cardomain.com/id/chargercody/. I'll send you a PM regarding your Duster.

Got it. What did you think? I  may paint it and put a 340 - 4 speed in it as I have one put away!

[69bronzeT5]

I'd say just send me that 340-4spd...they're gutless engines I'd put in the 340-4spd! The Slant 6's are great but 340s are runners for sure.

[Mike DC]

       

Painting at home has a lot to do with your tools and your demands for how nice the paint is. 




Auto paint/bodywork is like building plastic models, or welding, or sanding, or any other crafty/artistic job. 

Most guys either know they suck and do it anyway, or they know they suck and don't wanna try it, or else they've got what it takes but they underestimate themselves at first because they know it's a highly specialized field.  The last group can usually pick it up pretty well once they get started. 

[Matthan]

HOw do you stop from shooting to dry?

[mopar_nut_440_6]

HOw do you stop from shooting to dry?

If your spray pattern is correct then put on more paint, generally slow down as you are moving too fast! If your pattern is not set correctly you can get uneven coverage. One spot may be wet and one may be going on dry.

[superbirdtom]

HOw do you stop from shooting to dry?

The key to a glossy paint job that flows out is the reducer you use. if i were painting a solid color I would use a single stage paint like concept by ppg  .Flow out and gloss is incredible. I always use slow reducer even when the temp is 70 degrees it flows better . Reduce paint out more and spray at higher pressure. and take your time.. If you really want it nice without rubbing it out  let car dry for a couple weeks then wetsand with 600 then reshoot.   you would not believe the difference.    Good luck

[mopar_nut_440_6]

HOw do you stop from shooting to dry?

The key to a glossy paint job that flows out is the reducer you use. if i were painting a solid color I would use a single stage paint like concept by ppg  .Flow out and gloss is incredible. I always use slow reducer even when the temp is 70 degrees it flows better . Reduce paint out more and spray at higher pressure. and take your time.. If you really want it nice without rubbing it out  let car dry for a couple weeks then wetsand with 600 then reshoot.   you would not believe the difference.    Good luck

Thanks for the info Tom. I have never used PPG so maybe I will need to give it a try.

[doctorpimp]

I really liked PPG - no complaints.  I used reducer and high pressure too - the shine is sick!!!

[elitecustombody]

I've painted just about every car I've owned ,and it's been atleast 3 dozens of cars, but I own a paint shop,so they all look  good 

[FJ5WING]

about 30 years ago I painted my lil mustang in my parents driveway.............. I was just getting out of tech school for auto body repair and had a real good idea of what was needed, the results were better than expected.

since then Ive not done a complete car but ive done many engine compartments and partials as well as aa couple of hockey golie masks.