Paint on my 87 Firebird is pretty faded, wanted to do a new paint job but not gonna pay $1500 for a shop to do it. Was just gonna sand off the old paint, then put a coat of primer, then finish with a gloss blue or black, still haven't decided (opinions on which will look better?) What are some tips and things to make sure I do/don't do when I'm gonna do this? Recommended grit sandpaper to go down to? Good methods of painting? Good brands of paint for those methods? One of my friends was telling me that if I just put a lot of effort into the prep-work, and then go slow and steady with a 1 coat of primer and 2-3 coats of a finish, that it would look just fine for a non-showroom paint job.

 

Bump

 

Painting a car yourself is a ton of work, so be positive you have the time and ambition before you start this. I don't recomend trying but if you're set on it you'll need a good air compressor because DA sanders and paint guns use a LOT of air. I know it sounds like a lot but $1500 is dirt cheap for a paint job. If you do it yourself with a quality brand of paint like PPG or Dupont you will still spend well over $1000 in paint and materials. If you want to use a cheaper but decent alternative like Nason or Omni it will probably cost about half as much and still look pretty good. I've used both and have been fairly happy with the results.

After you sand it down you'll need 1 coat of self etching primer (only on bare metal spots), 3 coats of primer, then sand it back down again, then 1 coat of sealer, 2-5 coats of base (depending on what color you choose and how cheap of paint you buy), then 2 coats of clear. Alternatively you could spray single stage which is base and clear in one, but I'm not a fan of it.

 

For most its either paint it yourself or Maaco.
A nice, properly done paint job with quality materials at a shop starts at around $3,000.00.

 

You can also do all the prep and let a body shop do the painting. In this way, you can save some cash.

 

I'm guessing whoever quoted you that price is just going to spray it on.

 

For a beginner i'd recommend a single stage, especially for black. Even an inexpensive one (eastwood/summit) can last a few years if taken care of. And it can be taken down much easier than a bc/cc later.

Find a good book or spend some time on line. Autobody 101 is a good source.

 

Yes, check out autobody101.