i am still pondering the idea of painting my car in my garage. Prep should not be a problem as i pay attention to detail. but i have never attempted to paint with quality spray guns ect.

i would like to change the color of my z to the sunset orange matalic. It is currently stock blue except for the black primer of gm original parts

Am i nuts?

 

I say go for it. I painted my 85 sc with no prior experiance. Just read up on how to paint cars and take your time and every thing should turn out great

 

i would try to paint my own car if i had a garage that i could use.. i'm sure it would be one good learning experience.

 

i plan on painting my IROC this coming summer in my friends garage. i dont like when people say its best left to professionals (in regards to anything) doesnt it stand to reason that they had a first time doing it as well?

i agree with the other 2 guys, give it a shot. its a chance to learn something. the downside, sometimes you waste a few bucks in trying to save some.
lol
good luck!

 

go for it. Even if it takes ya a few tries, you'll most likely be happier with it when its done, plus you KNOW that they didnt cheap out on ya and just use a crappy immitation paint to save themselfs some $$..... :-D

 

Hell yeah.. Go for it. Just as you said already, the prep work is what matters most and for that matter COSTS the most.

I am up to my neck now in the middle of prepping for a color change paint job for my Iroc. I went all out, removing EVERY nut and bolt and then sandblasting.. etc. Have I ever painted before? NO.. But that aint stopping me! I have been sanding and prepping the body/chassis for about 4 months now. WAY before that I was asking questions and learning about what to do, just as you are. If you take your time and don't rush it, there aint no reason you can't have it turn out like a pro if you read up and ask all the questions you need to.

I think one of the single most valuable resources I used was www.autobodystore.com

That site is amazing for bodywork and paint q&a. Check it out!

What size compressor do you have? Are you going to buy a nice gun? Almost all guns these days are HVLP, due to EPD restrictions, so make sure your air lines and compressor are capable of the gun you buy. You'll figure it out. Drop me a line if you want any tips, I have learned plenty in my quest for a show quality finish and never having done a full paint job.

 

Like all the others already said, go for it. Nobody was born a professional, they all had to have a "first time" too. I learned most of my paint/body by doing it, and fixing my screw-ups.
I would reccomend you buy extra paint, and find some old panels or something to practice setting up your gun and get familiar with how the gun sprays. You will need to be good at setting up the gun, because you need to dissasemble and clean it regularly. I wouldn't tackle the car untill I was comfortable with the gun.

 

Grab some crap body parts off any car in a junkyard. Best way to practice, I think.

 

Gotta start somewhere right? Anyway, I painted most of my camaro with rattle cans and it turned out really good. So, if you have a spray gun, you should be good. besides if you screw up, start over, primer is a great thing.

 

Going to paint my IROC this December in my garage. You'll need to prep more than the car to do this at home. Also don't forget you REALLY need a forced air respirator ( aka; positive pressure). and they cost about $450. I have come up with a much cheaper system that I will be using, if you want details drop me a PM.

 

I painted mine last spring and was more than happy with the results. Others who saw it were quite impressed as well. I did learn a lot and actually plan to re spray it this spring to get as close to perfect as possible. I also want to change the colour slightly. I would like to see that sunset orange metallic.

A few hints:

A dustfree as possible and pay attention to mixing ratios

thanks
Scott

 

here is a little tip, wet down the garage floor, that will keep dust from being kicked around.

 

yes, grab some junk parts! I do that with alot of my body repair and modifications, I'll practice on a junk part before I ever touch my car. it builds confidence, and it's fun

 

I think its unanimous. Go for it. But like the others have said, practice on some used parts first and wet floor down, and get an old furnace blower for ventilation. You need to remove the air from up above and get it out of the garage if posible.

 

NO NO NO! The last thing you want is a fan blowing and kicking up dust and debris while you're painting. If at all possible, clean the garage as much as you can first. Definitely sweep at the very least. And spraying the floor with water sounds like a great idea. If you're going to insist on using a fan, leave it on for a day or so first, so all the dust/dirt settles where it can.

 

Thanks for al the reply's and tips.......

i have avalible at work a air cleaner, (portable Hepa) it is used for asbestos abatement. i was wondering if that would make any scence to run in the garage while painting to keep the paint fumes from killing me. Sweet thing about this unit is it can be run outside with a hose into the garage so it just sucks from the garage and dumps the filtered air outside, or i could run it inside and it would filter the air inside. it has 3 filters including a hepa.

you know now that i write this it may make the most good to run inside for a day or so before painting to clear the dust. hmmmm

i like the idea of the junk yard parts. i do have 2 fenders i replaced on the car good place to start.

i'm thinking the base / clear is the way to go? easy to work with maybe? or is there som other animal out there that is better for me? i know nuthing about paint right now. But i am sure with all the help of these boards we will all learn something.

At this point i am going to do it myself, hell if it looks like crap when i'm done i'll just sell it and buy a iroc want one anayway..

Thanks again:hail:

 

Ventalation is a must, all paint booths have it. You are correct though you do not want to use the blower to move the air around in the garage, you want to use the blower to suck the air out while filtering the intake air. I installed the blower in my garage to blow out the back wall, and the filtered intake air comes in through the side door. I removed the window and put in a filter.

I didn't make that clear in the first post.

Sorry.

 

When I painted my car I just opened a door on one end of the shop and a small window on the other end. That did just fine to naturaly ventilate the shop with no draft blowing thru kicking up any dust. Also get a skimmer for your air system. The very last thing you want is water getting to your gun and into the paint.

 

any suggection on the type of paint to use? base clear ? or something else, again i no nuthin about paint types so far

 

I use OMNI basecoat/clearcoat and have had good results. OMNI is made by PPG, so it is a quality paint but doesn't cost near what the PPG namebrand does.

 

I used Dupont 1 stage paint. It was inexpensive and did what it has to do for my area. I live on dirt roads so I dont need something super expensive but I still had to have it look good. Wetsanding and a good buffing fixed that

 

If you cleared (Urethane) over that it would offer greater protection for the actual paint, just a sugestion)

 

Ditto.

 

all the air filtering ideas are good..dont have any fast moving air...so no fans blowing into the shop....but before you start to paint, remember to shoot the paint gun at a bit of cardboard, or something (hang it from the wall)...its easiest to notice by rotateing the horns so it sprays horizontaly and watching the paint run (spray it on thick)...if it runs alot in any one side then its not even...make sure its spraying evenly accrost the pattern, I started taking auto body at my local community college and that is the most frustrating thing we had to deal with when painting at first....well...other then runs...and remember preperation is your best friend...if its not smooth without paint/primer...it will be 100X worse with paint and primer....also, i would use a base/clear....you can go cheaper with a single stage...but you have to work harder to make them look as nice...and over all they supposidly dont last as long...if you have any more questions you want to ask auto body teachers e-mail me (t_scheele@hotmail.com...puts something about autobody in the subject line) and i can take them to school with me.... that goes for everyone....they know everything from basic filler to frame straightening...

 

great that may just come in handy. so base clear is the way to go.
gotta pick a brand i guess since i hear you should stick with all the same product through the job so if its dupont its dupont primers and all does that sound correct? how many coats of clear is the normal? i think base is just to get the color on the car and thickness doesn't matter as long as it is all covered and even color.

by the way i am going to0 change the car from blue to sunset orange metalic. i am thinking that black stripes would look killer also. but is that a decal or would i have to tape it out and shoot that before clearing the car? that could be a nasty bear of the project.

again thanks for all the great tips i will have to post some pics before i start and as i go..... so maybe we can all pick up some great tips from my mistakes

Jeff

 

Yes, you should stick with the same brand of paints if possible, at the least you MUST use the same type of paints, ie enamel, urethane, etc..

For the clearcoat, the more coats the more orange peel you'll get. What was reccommended to me was 3 coats of cear, wet sand (600 grit) to level it all, then 2 more coats of clear, should look like glass then.
For stripes...shoot your orange, let dry an hour or more, mask off with a good painter's tape (NOT masking tape) shoot your black, but just enough to get the stripes to stand out so you don't get a ridge where the stripe edges are. Then clear the whole car.

 

well....about the clear coats....yeah shoot 2 or 3...then wetsand...start with 600, and step up to 1000 (thats what we do to cut down orange peel)....its also a good idea to get enough base color down to do a bit of sanding on that (with 1000grit)...it will help cut down orange peel some more...about the stripes...yeah get the orange down...let it set up a bit....30-a hour is good depending on the product you use and the temp and humidity...the masking tape thing is right on...do NOT use normal masking tape....it rolls up and comes off quicker then you would think in paint solvent....other then that...a helpful tip is to remember to have 50% overlap each time you make a line with the gun....and do not rotate your wrist to shoot paint...lock it straight and move your whole body....it will provide less of a feathering effect when you paint and provide better coverage...if you have any dupont based questions about their products i have a whole product book with me at home right now...that has about everything they make in it...if the question is to advanced for me, i can take them to school monday and ask the teachers...
sorry about the long post, and the bad grammer and typing...im just kinda trying to remember all the helpfull little tips they gave me
Snuffit

 

Yeah. Like I was told "you rock side to side like the Rain Man" Might be good to have some music playing to keep time with.

Almost forgot the most important part....get the clearcoat on within 16 hours of the base, you don't have to wetsand and reapply (for orange peel) within thattime frame, just the first coats. Why? Adhesion.

Some other tidbits. With the urethane basecoat/clearcoat you need to have a forced air respirator, a.k.a. positive pressure, because the clear and primer contains Isocyanates, and they are very bad for you. To date I think there is 1 respirator (non forced air) that is OSHA approved for use with isocyanates.
Now, the forced air respirators are expensive ($450) and I've never heard of anyone renting them (health reasons). I have come up with a solution to this price problem.
You need a painting hood, 40 feet of CLEAN tubing (home depot), a ShopVac (no other vac, hoover, etc) wet/dry vac, new filter (HEPA filter would be even better) and have the vac cleaned out and disinfected throughly. The vac will be the forced air supply. It needs to be a wet/dry because the air doesn't travel through the motor and pick up ozone (also bad for you). The "standard" ShopVac flows a wopping 140 CFM, more than enough for breathing and will flow out from under the hood, keeping paint fumes out. Oh, and place the vac in clean air to use it (and hook the hose to the exhaust fitting)
Even if you had to buy all of it (vac, hose and hood) you're looking at less than $150, not bad.

 

good think i work in a hospital. we have recieved breathing air masks that run of bottle medical air. i am sure that i can get that for the weekend. they came with a decon shower set up. we also have forced air hepa units, but i like the bottle air better. this is needed for only the clears huh.

Thanks again

Jeff

 

i'm just a bit confused on two things:

1.) You say to wetsand the clear coat like within 16 hours or whatever the number was...I know that everythings supposed to dry fairly fast, but just how fast are we talking? I spray paint alot of computer cases, and i usually have to wait 2 or more days for the clear coat and everything to be completly dry and ready to wetsand...any earlier and its not completly dry, just hard on the top and a little wet underneath, causing the paint to look miserable.

2.) About the respirator...I have a medical condition which requires me to keep my lungs in tip-top shape, meaning as little fumes as possible, etc...is that forced air respirator only for certian paints or is it with all paints?

Thx:lala:

 

No, you have to put the clearcoat on the basecoat within 16 hours, you can polish it out any time after it cures.

If you have a medical condition you'd need to wear a forced air resp during the whole painting process, including clean up of the gun, etc. Also you'd want to make sure the painting area was clear of fumes before going in it, the fumes will linger in the area long after you stop spraying, as the paint cures.

 

okay...

So i spray 2 or so layers of clearcoat within 16 hours, and lets say the next day i come back, wetsand it, then can i spray another few layers on that? my car wont be a flawless showcar or anything, but i want a VERY wet, shiney, glasslike paintjob....?

 

That should do it.

 

uh...the whole bottle resperator thing...if its just a breathing like mask...NO....they must cover your whole head...also, wear gloves and a paint suit...iso's (yeah no way in hell im trying to spell it out) will soak through any wet spot on your body...that means eyes, sweat on your arm...anyplace....get one of those cheap white paint suits you see on all the dumb movies for chemical spills and you should be good...then get some nitrile gloves...and be sure to put bags or something over your shoes....these things can make you nasty sick...(i know cause i was stupid and didnt do the paint suit/gloves things my first run)
Snuffit

 

I have one question:

I am planning on painting my car myself and have been doing a lot of reading about it, but cannot get one idea clear. They always talk about orange peel, but never really explain what it is. Can anyone let me know more about this?

Thanks a lot in advance.

 

Orange peel is the effect you get from either the topcoat not flowing out smoothly, gun too close while painting or too high of pressure to the gun while painting. It looks like little ripples in the paint, just like the peel on an orange.

 

Make sure you have enough room in your garage. I was planning to use my garage too, but realized I'd be spraying with my back against the wall, my arm against the wall, the gun nozzle even with my chest, and trying to get a good spray pattern- I'm not that skilled! (laughs)

Also, your paint shop will probably have better application directions for you, for the paint method you use. I bought the House of Kolor chip chart, and with it came a tech manual- tells me exactly how to mix the catalyst, exactly what spray pattern to use, exactly how long to let things dry, etc. Basically a goof-proof system is laid out for me without me doing any guessing.

Check out http://www.eastwoodcompany.com for painting stuff like guns and respirators and tech manuals and videos and etc. I know you could do better spending $400 on a do-it-yourself paint job, as opposed to spending $400 at Maaco. Simple reason why is because you'll care about your car to go the extra mile... Maaco just does as many cars as they can.

And the key is PREP!! Do a <a href="search.php?s="><img src="images/top_search.gif" alt="Search" border="0"></a> in the body/interior forum for "prep" and you'll find a ton of messages on proper prep... some of which are by me.

 

i have a double bay garage so space is fine i put the car in sideways anyway and walk all around. How about House of Kolor paint i may go crazy diffrent and they seem to have the best tech help so far that i have seen. any pros or cons to house of kolor paints?

what about some kamilion or chrome illusion seems to be just a clear coat process. maybe i will be very diffrent


jeff

 

You have to learn somehow! Thats how I did. Just remember to take your time. The more time you spend the better the outcome.

 

Join the military!!

I painted my '78 Camaro at the base Auto Hobby shop in San Diego a few years back. They had an awsome paint booth complete with mixing tables, outside compressor, and exhaust fans. Only cost me $50 to rent the booth for two days.
But that was just an added bonus of a Navy career.

Anyhoo...

If painting in your garage, be sure that your water heater is not inside of the garage. If you have an electric heater, not much to worry about, but if you have a gas heater......

...the large explosion that throws you through the garage door (like a neighboor down the street from me) and sets your house on fire from the paint fumes, will clue you in. You will have to shut it off while painting and for a few hours after, to allow for proper ventillation of the garage.

Just my 2 cents.

 

so what is the scope on turbine sprayers? instead of air compressor i guess this is high volume low pressure can be used with any gun and limits the amount of over spray as there is less air pressure. i beleve it is called turbine gotta look and see if i can find an example.

 

here is one example

 

here is one more the prices range from 400-1100 but looks pretty good no worries about water or oil

 

I'm also going to be tackling painting a car, first my dads beater, and then my Z28. This is the first crap I've heard about $400 respirators...

Is there any difference with the respirator/mask requirements for the single stage paints and non-HVLP guns? I was planning to use a single stage paint from NAPA (Martin Senour brand I believe it is). And I'm not using a HVLP gun, but the older style (already have the gun/compressor setup and the compressor has a low hp rating, but large tank, but isn't rated at enough CFM at the pressures indicated for all the HVLP guns I've looked at.) Flows enough for the non-HVLP guns I've looked at...

Anyway, there is no way I am using a $400 respirator, hopefully I don't die with the $40 standard breather things, lol.... I have two fullsize windows for ventilation in the garage... Surely most people don't use $400+ respirators for their garage paint jobs?

 

Well, its your life and you lungs. Some people are deathly allergic to isocyanates and never know until they are exposed to them.

Also the effect of isocyanates is cumulative, that is to say that it gets in your syatem and stays there, you get exposed again and you have more in your system and it just keeps building the more you are exposed.
Some of the effects of isocyanates are; respritory problems (including arrest) nervous system damage, kidney and liver problems....needless to say, they are very bad for you.

 

Nevermind.. starting a new thread for this.