I want to start off by thanking the members on the forums for all the helpful information I have found that helped me with my car.

Okay so my car is a 89 Iroc-z that is almost my first car. I had a 89 RS for 4 years but the engine was very tired and it was a v6 with very little pep. So when the engine gave out I found a Iroc-z for $3500 with only 100k miles on a 5.7L. The engine is out of a corvette so it is a L98 with Aluminum heads. A WHOLE 5hp more then the stock 5.7L that come in most.

So guess what the clear coat was peeling. I know shocker. Here are a few picks of my car before I started.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh.../s1600/075.JPG
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh.../s1600/074.JPG
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh.../s1600/076.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh.../s1600/079.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh.../s1600/078.JPG


It is hard to see but the plastic was also a diff color red due to so much sun.

I don't really know if many of you want to read through a bunch of stuff about sanding, prepping, spraying, and whatnot so I will mainly post the pics of this project and you can feel free to ask me anything about what I have done.

here is some sanding pics.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh.../s1600/091.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh.../s1600/088.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh.../s1600/104.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh.../s1600/095.JPG

The last pic there is just my friend and I writing in the dust made from about half the car.

These next two are just of things taped up and also I broke the front emblem and decided to bondo over the area.(Yes I know some will like it removed and others wont). I did end up removing the door handles and side mirrors even tho they are taped in the picture.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh.../s1600/098.JPG
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh.../s1600/115.JPG

Here is a pic of the products I used.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh.../s1600/116.JPG

Some of the primer getting applied. Please wear a mask like the one I had. it is vapor's not dust you need to worry about so please ask for help when trying to pick the right one.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh...0/IMG_3453.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh...0/IMG_3452.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh...0/IMG_3454.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh...0/IMG_3458.JPG
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh...0/IMG_3476.JPG

Oh I didn't mention I am painting the car Factory red so door jams and under the hood will match without having to respray. This is my first time doing any body work or painting so don't be to critical on me.

Here is some pictures of the paint without clearcoat.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh...0/IMG_3483.JPG
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh...0/IMG_3495.JPG
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh...0/IMG_3492.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh...0/IMG_3491.JPG

Did I surprise anyone with the stripes? Really there is so much I could say about this project. This project was a good couple of months as I had to learn everything as I went.

Okay here is the final product(well I still need to wet sand and buff it but close enough).


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh...0/IMG_3549.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh...0/IMG_3553.JPG
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh...0/IMG_3557.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KJq7Y-QLNh...0/IMG_3554.JPG

Thanks for checking out my work and let me know what you think.

Quick question would it be better to post all the pic rather then linking them? I just figured linking makes it so my post is not crazy long.

 

Nice job! I think I should paint my car too. The previous owner painted it with a brush I think.

 

Ouch ya I can't see how a brush can be used on a car. My repaint cost me about $500. $300 for the paint and primer and $200 for things like sandpaper and platic to make the paint booth pluss payed a guy a bottle of crown royal to borrow his air compressor.

 

very nice job! loving the color combo. but holy NOW THATS ORANGE PEEL! lol. great job though and i like the rims to. and ya pics would be better then just links. also arent those alumi heads a good 80lbs less compared to f-body 5.7 heads? thats gotta be a decent reduction in times though. good job though!

 

yes the heads are less in weight but I don't know by how much. And thanks for saying somthing about the orange peel. All my friends and family are clueless when I talk about how I need a buffer (just don't have the money for one atm) so i can remove the orange peel.

here is 2 before and 2 after shots for those that don't like clicking links.

 

Thats awesome for your first time.

Did you restore your taillights as well? They look mint.

 

I sprayed my tail lights with a couple layers of clear. Must say they came out better then I thought.

 

How much did the liquids cost you ? I painted with OMNI years ago. But wondered how much everything cost today.

Did you use a special flex primer on the bumpers ?

 

Looks great...the more I see these threads the more im tempted...any quick reccomendations/pointers for a begginer?

 

Yes....READ, READ, READ, READ, READ, READ........every single piece of painting information you can get your hands on or find online.

Asking questions from folks that have done great jobs is also good.

Arm yourself with as much information as you can.

 

Yours was the first thread I read lol

 

If you want more details on what it takes I can give you lots of pointers. In the end your going to make a few mistakes (all can be fixed) but you really get great satifaction knowing you did it yourself.

Here a a FEW things I learned.
1. it makes a mess. Have a place that you don't mind making dusty/dirty.
2. read the paint your usings tech sheet. Don't look for answers on the net b/c they will conflict. example is I thought I could spray my clear coat a couple days after the base. Turns out that the brand of paint I used says within 24hrs.
3. have some free time to work on it. If you can only do a couple hours a week your going to spend a year on it (at least to do it right).

I am sure there is a lot more I could say but I would rather answer questions then just throw 500 tips.

Thanks again for the postive feedback.