86IROC112

So, being on a budget and already way over budget on my 86 IROC (Will be my son's when he turns 16) I have decided to paint the car myself. I have never painted a car myself but have lots of experience spray painting. If it was going to be my baby I would have it professionally shot but I know a 16 year old will likely ding it around and I don't want to put a $4000 paint job on it. Like to spend more like $500 and probably will have the car for about 4 years unless I decide to keep it after he goes off to college.


My question is this, I have been doing some research and find there are a couple of options. I can go one stage or BC/CC. I will likely spray it in my garage after I do all I can to make it into a paint booth but I live in a very dusty windy area and no matter how hard I try I will likely get dust and crap on the paint before it sets up that will need to be sanded/wet sanded out. The actual prep and spraying does not worry me, it's the final sanding/polishing, etc.. that still has me a bit confused.


I know the two stage BC/CC is a little more expensive and more durable and I've heard that the clear coat needs to be or can be sanded after it cures? That seems crazy to sand a clear coat?? How would you get that nice bright shine? The one stage can be wet sanded with 1000-3000 grit then polished.


Help, all ideas are welcome.

fokeyman

Clear can be wet sanded thru polish to remove orange peel and get a show car shine. It's a ton of hours but comes out like a *insert car color here* mirror. The same applies to plastics, taillights especially. https://www.thirdgen.org/taillight_polishing clear coat does the same. Just remember, the more clear, the more you can safely sand. Your mock booth can have a filter added with a fan behind it to help with the dust. Another less restrictive filter on the opposite side for exhaust. Fan blowing in will also push air out of tiny holes that allow particulates in also.

Ron U.S.M.C.

Dampen the ground a little to keep dust down when your walking around
Just a light mist, you don't want mud.


Wet sanding is strait out dangerous for someone that has never done it. You can burn through the clear very easily.
If your going to do it than stay away from hard curve and focus on the larger pieces first.
And don't forget, do not use any products with WAX in them until the paint has cured. That can take months. If you use wax it will seal the solvents that are in the paint in. It needs to breath

haps

iTrader: (4)

Maaco?

86IROC112

I'm afraid MAACO will paint all kinds of stuff I don't want painted like glass, rubber..?? So can the base coat be sanded prior to applying the clear? Then you wet sand the clear and what do you use to buff it out to that nice high gloss shine?

haps

iTrader: (4)

Then strip the car before you take it up there. Take everything off, pull the glass, headlights, taillights, et al. Maaco will do a much better job than you will considering it's your first time. I've been painting for almost 30 years and I wet sanded through the clear YESTERDAY. Do your homework before spending at least $500 in material. Maaco is the obvious choice in your circumstance.

86IROC112

Would you recommend I do the sanding and prep or do they do a decent job of that part? Body is SUPER straight but there are a lot of deep chips and scratches in the old paint that are down to metal and some have a bit of surface rust.

haps

iTrader: (4)

Absolutely. Put your painting skills to work spot priming the areas that need attention. Primer is WAY more forgiving than any topcoat. Research feather edge sanding, block sanding and priming. Sand all of the edges thoroughly (research Scotchbrite), use lots and lots of wax and de-greaser but research how to apply and remove. Maaco doesn't take the time to sand edges, corners and the hard to reach areas nor do they clean/de-grease them very well...that's where you come in. Remove EVERYTHING you can as I suggested before, then do your prep work. No need to purchase the BC/CC from Maaco as the single stage will work just fine, but spend the extra scratch for the optional clear.

86IROC112

I am quite confident in my ability to prep a nice surface and feather and spot prime for a smooth surface. I would remove as much stuff as I can to include all the weather stripping as I plan to purchase a complete set of new rubber for it. I also plan to buy a new front bumper cover for it since the on there is all saggy and warped. I can remove lights, door handles, all that stuff and trailer the car down to them. So you would recommend the single stage with clear on top as opposed to the BC/CC from them?

Question though regarding the primer. Is there a certain type I should use on the bare metal surfaces? The hood will have to be taken down to bare metal as the paint is still thick but cracked all the way down.

haps

iTrader: (4)

Yes, single stage with clear is a lower cost alternative than the BC/CC and I would dare anyone to spot the difference.

I use this primer. It notes "limited bare metal", but I've never had issue with it on a stripped hood. This is good for a high build. Don't use the high build on plastic. I can't stress enough how important it is to sand the hard to reach areas and edges before Maaco sprays it.

L0tuS

iTrader: (3)

I would do all the prep stuff ur self and then send it to macco.weather ur doing a singlestage or bc/cc u will spend over $500 buy the time u make a booth buy sand paper,tape,paper,primer,paint,cleaners,buffer,guns
.single stage isn't that much cheaper than bc/cc and single stage is really a pain to spray compared to bc/cc

86IROC112

Would you recommend any of their rattle can primers or should I stick to the mix and spray stuff? Reason being I will be doing it panel by panel over time and will probably take me a couple months to get her ready.

Also would you recommend I prime the entire car over the remaining stock paint?

What do you think MAACO would charge for the single stage + clear. Just a rough estimate because I can't seem to find any pricing online.

haps

iTrader: (4)

Please don't use rattlecan primer. Please. Ask your local Maaco if they seal the car before spraying. If so, there is probably no need to prime the entire car. However, it's always good to primer the entire car and block it....usually a couple of times. Depends on your finances. I'm guessing Maaco would be $450 for the color and $150 or so for the clear....but that's just a guess. Do your research.

86IROC112

I was looking at the link you sent and the same company has primer in rattle cans. That's why I asked. I guess it wouldn't be too hard to mix small amounts to spray panel by panel.

Ron U.S.M.C.

If you find the right MAACO you can get good results.
In my moms case her car was faded and the clear was coming off all over.
She took it down with no prep and for $ 700.00 they did a surprisingly great job.
The paint looks almost new after 4 years of parking it in the sun. ( I have been using a "Synthetic Polymer Sealant on it though )
Check out the trim pieces. Not a spot on any of it. The rest of the car is the same, looks great. She bought the single stage with a clear coat like suggested.

haps

iTrader: (4)

Do it all the time. I like the catalyst part of the mix rather than the "air dry" spray bomb. Consistently better finished products with mixed materials.

Run down to the local Maaco and have them show you some finished jobs. Again, do all of your homework. Lots of money on the line.

86IROC112

I'll have to call them and set up some time. The nearest MAACO is over an hour away from me. That's what I get for living in the boonies..

And Ron, mom's car looks great! I'd love a job like that for $700!

haps

iTrader: (4)

Maaco is a great resource if you know how to use it.

Billgluckman

I just recently started painting. I started using single stage, and then just recently used base/clear. I'll never spray single stage again, the base clear came out perfect. I say base/clear.

rusty vango

i would use single stage enamel . as for durability , you can add hardner to the paint to make it super tough . i for one am NOT impressed with any paint that has to have a clear coat added

haps

iTrader: (4)

Every single stage I've used requires hardener, the paint won't cure without it. In my past I've had to wash entire cars with lacquer thinner because the painter forgot to add hardener. I haven't used SS in a while so maybe there is something new on the market.
Clear protects the color from fading, chipping, etc. and has a huge affect on longevity. I clear everything. Then I wet sand it with 600 and clear it again.

ZsTransAm

As much as I hate Maaco, I agree this probably is your best bet on your budget as long as you're willing to do the disassembly and prepwork. I'm not a fan of single stage as it doesn't have much in the way of uv protection and also shouldn't be buffed (not that Maaco will buff anything for you anyways ). I'd avoid it unless you really can't afford base/clear. If you're priming over bare metal you'll need a to either use a self etching primer first or use a more expensive primer that has self etching primer in it. If I remember correctly PPG and Dupont primers self etch but their budget lines Omni, Shopline, and Nason do not.

86IROC112

Some of the guys I work with recommended a local body shop guy and they know the owner. I'm going to go chat with him tomorrow and see what kind of deal he might cut me after I drop a couple names.. Would love to get it done locally.

ZsTransAm

No harm in trying, though don't get your hopes up. No respectable shop can match Maaco's prices. When I painted my Alero I used Shopline paint which is PPG's budget line. Sealer, base, and clear costed me over $700. I don't know many shops that you could convince to spray paint as cheap as Shopline, much less worse. I would be surprised if you could get it sprayed anywhere for less than $1500, even if you do the prepwork yourself. If you do talk to them I'd be curious to hear what they say.

86IROC112

I am going down there tomorrow to talk to him. I'll post the result...

bryan623

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...paint-job.html right here is your answer for a cheap and good looking paint job. I plan on doing exactly the same thing next year to my car as the paint is pretty beat up. It looks pretty amazing.

haps

iTrader: (4)

Please don't. This is not a good idea and it exacerbates the stigma already related to our cars.

bryan623

Seriously? It's a damn good looking paint job and it's doesnt cost me an arm and a leg to do it either. I just don't get why people complain about a very good budget paint job. It's like you are butt hurt you spent a ton of money and got less than stellar results. I am planning on doing it that way, and judging by the way his looks I think I will be very happy with the results.

Ron U.S.M.C.

You do what you gotta do .....To each there own......
I saved for over two years for this one and its my DD.


In my case " I did get what I paid for ".
Actually its "a lot more then I paid for ".


Link = https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...nt-photos.html

86IROC112

So I went at talked to the guy this morning and it's in the neighborhood of $1500 just for him to shoot it. then as we were leaving my kid damn near backs into another car parked on the lot. (Only been out driving about 4 times) but still scared the hell out of me and helped me deicide I am not spending lots of money to have this car painted when it's inevitable he will doink into something at some point, if not worse.


Ron, your car is beautiful but I'm guessing you are older than 15. If it were mine to keep as my baby, no question I would do the same. I have a gorgeous velocity yellow C6 Z06 in my garage so I likely will not keep this car when he goes off to college. It just looks like crap right now all faded and the old clear is flaking off.


What does anyone know about the Sherwin Williams or Eastwood lines of automotive paints?

haps

iTrader: (4)

All good products.

86IROC112

Better than tractor paint you're saying?

haps

iTrader: (4)

Yes. I believe they are.

Ron U.S.M.C.

Yes, Im much older than 15. ( 51 to be exact ) I'm told I don't look it though.


Any way that link to the "prep to paint" photos was just to show what's possible with a lot of perseverance.


I most definitely would not spend that kind of money on a Youngman's first car. At least not for paint.....

86IROC112

Ron, your car is beautiful. Top notch!

Ron U.S.M.C.

Thanks.
No matter how difficult the work can be on these cars its always gratifying and at most times fun for me. All of this is my first time doing any of it so there's always the nun- known little problems that can take there toll.
Not to mention the money that adds up quickly.


All in all, I love it.....

L0tuS

iTrader: (3)

before you buy paint online go to a local paint store there are normally cheaper and can help u more I paint about 3 cars a year last one was black cost $80 for primer $75 for a gallon of clear and $80 for a gallon of nason line ( DuPont) black color.I also saw a Macco commercial for full paint jobs starting at $299 in my area they charge $450 to do a good paint job

NerveKiller

Oops, I did not read the entire post. Sorry.

86IROC112

I think I found my solution. Besides I wasn't too impressed with the body shops quality. He showed me a job they just finished and it had a couple very pronounced fish eyes that looked like they went all the way down to the primer. Underwelmed.


I was talking today with a State Trooper I sometimes work with after we completed a traffic stop and got to talking about the car. Turns out he has painted a few cars in his large shop and told me he painted his beautiful 69 Chevelle that he takes to shows. He dropped an LS2 crate engine in it. This thing is gorgeous as I've drooled over it at a few local shows. He told me to get it all prepped and bring it over and he's shoot it for a case of beer! He has the shop and all the proper tools.


Sure can't be any worse than Maaco and it will save me the money to buy some higher quality paint from my local auto body paint shop.

AmpleUnicorn88

I can tell you that paint is probably the most gratifying thing about your car. Depending on what it looks like before, that could be even more true. Mine looked like a junkyard car or worse. It was several different colors before I painted it. My buddy Bubbajones_ya painted pretty much the entire thing with me and another buddy prepping and masking stuff. He lives in a pretty open area where houses aren't too close and everybody owns several acres so there wouldn't be any complaints about paint. Doing this inner city would have probably gotten us in trouble.

But we did it all ourselves. It was so satisfying seeing the finished product when we did it rather than take it to a professional. I have heard a lot of bad things about MAACO but I have heard if you go with their higher end packages they do good work. The brand of the paint I bought is called Matrix and it was a 2:1 ratio base coat and reducer. The best one is 1:1 so I got the 2nd best one. I had a place close by my house quote me on PPG and it was double what I spent. For my base ultra blue metallic and gm white for the stripes, reducer, clear and hardener, was just under $500. My buddy has a compressor and air gun and we did it right on his driveway. It was pretty much flawless when the last coat of clear was applied, but then it started raining, so we had to rush to get it in his garage and afterwards, we sprayed it with clear one more time hoping to cover the water spots. It covered a lot of them but a lot are still very visible. And then a ton of debris stuck to it. So, for a couple of amateurs doing it, with pretty decent paint and a pretty expensive clear coat kit, it looked borderline show quality the first go around, before the rain incident. So it's very doable yourself. We wet sanded my buddy's 91 the next weekend and 're did his clear and it turned out way nicer than his looked. The temperature plays a very key role when you paint.

When wet sanding, I think my buddy just kept a garden hose nearby and kept watering it down every minute or so using 600 grit and up. I don't know what an all in one spray would like if we did it but I am curious to see it. But overall, good luck and hopefully it looks awesome. Some of the guys commenting on here have some good advice and their cars are stunning, especially Ron USMC.

360Iroc

Its pretty easy to spot.

86IROC112

Update...


Well, this car was supposed to be a project for me and my son but it was soon evident he has no interest in turning a wrench or this kind of work.


In the meantime I fell in love with the car and decided to keep it for myself and I'm selling the Corvette. The boy got a Subaru.


I have this thing really torn apart in preparation for paint. Going to remove the doors and rear hatch next but it is 90% sanded down and I'm just waiting for a little warmer weather. Both fenders and the hood will be bare metal and the rest will be about what you see in the photos before I start priming.


Decided to paint it myself BC/CC. I have an extra fender and some other scrap sheet metal I'm going to use to do some practice and once I feel confident I'm going to do it panel by panel in my garage. Hood one day, Fenders another, etc... that way I'm not trying to do the whole car at once and don't gas out my neighborhood or myself..


Suggestions or advice welcome..

WTR388

You should be fine to go panel by panel if you're not shooting a metallic paint. If it is, as an amateur you'll see differences from panel to panel in the way the flake will lay out.
Early in the summer is good, appropriate temps and not too much humidity.

Keep it as dust free as possible in the shop, wet the floor down, and take your time.
Wear a proper mask with the right filters. Cover all of your skin. Isocyanites will mess you up.

When I shoot my car again, if I do it in the garage I'll likely do the hood, fenders and bumpers off the car, and basically the back half on a separate day... Hopefully the booth at work will be free over christmas break and I can do it in there though.

I've painted my car twice (learning experiences), and now part of my job is as an aircraft refinisher, still I wouldn't feel 100% confident shooting anything metallic if that is what you're planning.

TEDSgrad

iTrader: (4)

I used Spies Hecker.
Make sure you do the jams, and get the doors smooooth!

86IROC112

Nope, no metallic. Going to go with Velocity Yellow, same as the Corvette. That yellow is unbelievable. Got one of the doors off during my days off. Good God they are heavy!! No wonder the hinges sag...

mannix91

My son and I painted a 77 Camaro (I know this is a 3rd gen site, but I now have that car and a 91 Z-28) using product from TCP Global http://www.tcpglobal.com/Restoration-Shop/
These paints worked well and were relatively inexpensive and you purchase a kit with all the separate components.
We did it in the garage, three stage hugger orange, mid coat pearl and clear coat with stripes. Need a good respirator for the urethanes but this allows you to wet sand the base coat and clears if you get junk in it. (Sorry these pictures are so big, I have not inserted pictures before)