Hey Delorean,
Just wanted to say thanks for all your help. I know i've seen your name pop up in a few threads i've started. Quick question: How hard would it be to do your own stripes? Not for the novice painter i would think. Also, would it cost a lot extra to have someone like Maaco do them?

quote Originally posted by iamtylerdurden: Hey Delorean, Just wanted to say thanks for all your help. I know i've seen your name pop up in a few threads i've started. Quick question: How hard would it be to do your own stripes? Not for the novice painter i would think. Also, would it cost a lot extra to have someone like Maaco do them?

It would be not too hard. You would just need to measure a lot and take your time making off your stripes. I would assume MAACO would charge and extra $200 or so.

This post has inspired me to paint my car
My car has badly peeling clear coat. I have test sanded one area and need some guidance on the sanding technique. I used a DA with 180 and then 320 wet and I still see some scratches from the DA. I assume I will have to apply a primer (surfacer?) and sand with 180, then 320 and then repeat primer where nescessary to get the surface perfectly smooth for paint.
I will be using the OMNI line of paints and would also like to know what primer I should use. The test area was the nose and that area is very flexible.

I use a $25 3M mask with replaceable filters. More than enough protection. I wouldnt bother with a fresh air type hood unless you do a lot of production work (like a Maaco painter) or a factory shop like Mac Trucks or Catapillar.

The ONLY time you need to use flex is painting plastic flexible parts with LAQUER. All enamels and urathane type paints are too flexible by themself to bother with it.

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Owner / Operator Custom Paint and Body...
specializing in Corvette & Higher End Autos for 40+ years
Ferrari, Mercedes and Porsche Approved
____________________________________________
88 Corvette convertible
05 Dodge Magnum Hemi R/T
66 Dodge Killer Bee Coronet

Thanks for the awesome write-up. I have one suggestion though. It only takes a few minutes to take the door and side mouldings off. The rear bumper of course has to be masked. But it probably took more time to mask it than to remove it and not worry about overspray and underspray.

+++

quote Originally posted by peterh: This post has inspired me to paint my car My car has badly peeling clear coat. I have test sanded one area and need some guidance on the sanding technique. I used a DA with 180 and then 320 wet and I still see some scratches from the DA. I assume I will have to apply a primer (surfacer?) and sand with 180, then 320 and then repeat primer where nescessary to get the surface perfectly smooth for paint. I will be using the OMNI line of paints and would also like to know what primer I should use. The test area was the nose and that area is very flexible.

Once you have sanded the area very well, make sure it is super clean then I would apply a coat of Evercoat G-2 primer. This is a great primer surfacer and will hold down any problem areas you might have. Just not put to many coats on the flexable nose because it could become brittle. Then DA the primer with 320 and you would be ready for paint....

The evercoat sounds good, I assume it is compatible with the Omni line? Also what about block sanding the evercoat instead of using the DA?
Thanks for the info.

Most of the time, block sanding is preferred. On a Fiero though, almost all the body panels flex to a higher extent just due to things like setting in the sun than does a solid metal one. Too much time blocking one is just a waste of effort. Block it once and be done with it. Ive seen guys block and block a door to get it perfect, soon as they park outside for a few hours, looks like the ocean. Every time its moved, gets a different set of waves.

Great thread!
Is a different type paint material used to paint the ground effects?
If I read accurately the same paint materials are now used for front and rear bumper covers, since flex additivies are no longer required but what about the gr efx?

sparx22

I did a test sand, prime with durabuild, sanded and painted with 2 coats of the omni mtk red. The temperature was 70 and I waited 10 minutes for flashing. It looks shiny but i have alotta orange peel. I have a hvlp gravity feed gun and need some help on the air pressure settings, etc. The paint fact sheet says air pressure at the cap of the gun. What does this mean? I have a adjustable pressure gauge attached to the gun, what should it be set to for this application?
Thanks for suggestions.

When you're sanding, is there a special technique for sanding inside the PONTIAC letters on the bumper and headlight cover?

As a general rule of thumb, the higher the air pressure the less orange peel. Too much though and it dries rough, wastes lots of paint and gets all over everything. With HVLP gun I generally use 6-8 pnds air pressure on the gun gauge.

Places that are hard to sand with paper, you can get with scotchbrite, steelwool or fine wire brush.

so what if you wanted to paint a solid color (black for me). how much paint would that take? theres something on here but thats for red and silver paint. thanx

My black paintjob used exactly 2 quarts of base black, and 3 quarts of clear. I would also get 2 quarts of black epoxy primer/sealer, and a gallon of some nice catalyzed fast dry highbuild primer, dont waste your money on acrylic lacquer products.

high grade product like this is not as cheap as deloran got his for, so get ready for wallet pain.

yes, well im a 16yr old in michigan. i dont hav a job, so wallet pain is something that i dont recover from very quickly. how much would the clear coat cost, and would i need 2 use the primer if it had a flat black paint job right now or no. still gonna add some black coats but nything i can cut out of the costs helps.

Question for you on the Urethane bumpers, I started working on mine this weekend. There was a total paint failure on the bumper. I first thought that is was just topcoat paint failure but it turns out that it is the knit lines from the molding coming through from underneath. These are random swirl marks/cracks in the uerthane where it flowed into the mold. I need to glaze the entire bumper to fill these fine cracks, what do you recommend? The other question is that there is paint down in these cracks from a previoius repaint. I'm not sure how good the adhesion is and can't get in the cracks to sand them out. How do you handle these?

Thanks,

Tom

quote Originally posted by Nohbdy: ... but anything i can cut out of the costs helps.

I am the laziest sonuvagun you'll ever meet. If I had my choice, I'd sit at home on my butt and drink coffee all day. But things must be done and I must do them and if I must do them, then I am going to do them to the very limits of my abilities and make damn sure they're done right so I don't have to do them twice.

Believe me, I mean this in the nicest way possible. But you are about to be a professional painter's best friend because after you screw up your car by trying to cut corners, you're going to be forced to take it to a pro and pay to have him do it right. Shelling out the bucks to paint your car is not how I define "wallet pain". Shelling out bucks to half-ass the paint job on your car and then having to shell out more bucks to either do it again or pay to have it done is how I define "wallet pain".

There are many, many different places and instances where "corner-cutting" is ok and even encouraged. Painting your car is not one of them. Believe me, noone knows this more than folks that paint cars for a living. Professionals know their work costs a lot of money and of the total cost to the owner, the painter may only see 5-6% of that money in the form of profit. As a result, professional painters have been trying for years to find ways of reducing their operating and material costs in an effort to make their work less expensive. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if a quality paint job can be done in one day for $500 and yield 15% profit instead of taking two weeks at $2000 and yield only 5-6% profit, more people would pay to have their cars painted and the painter would actually make more profit.

All I'm saying is that if there's any place to cut a corner, the professional painter has already found and exploited it to the fullest extent possible. If you're going to paint your own car, follow the above steps and don't try to save a buck or two by cutting a necessary corner. The bucks you save today will cost you tenfold tomorrow.

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My Fiero ate an import. No, seriously.

quote Originally posted by Nohbdy: yes, well im a 16yr old in michigan. i dont hav a job, so wallet pain is something that i dont recover from very quickly. how much would the clear coat cost, and would i need 2 use the primer if it had a flat black paint job right now or no. still gonna add some black coats but nything i can cut out of the costs helps.

My color cost me $90 for 2 quarts, and my clear was about $150. The primers just ensure no sand scratches, and promote adhesion, basically helps you get the most out of your paint investment. They can technically be skimped on, if you feel like you have to skimp.

Darkhorizon, WHERE are you buying you paint ?? we can't get paint Here for twice that price. Brand? dealer ? part #s ? Thanks

so i got 2 answers on my question which completely contradict each other. if i did skip out on the primer do u hav ny idea how much time would b takin off of the life expectancy for the new paint job?

EDIT: how much would the primer cost anyway?

[This message has been edited by Nohbdy (edited 12-28-2008).]

DeLorean,
What would you charge to paing a fellow Californian's 86 GT?
bb

hey if people want some pics of painting a car i can give you guys some (its not a fiero but i have done alot of bondo and most of the sanding and can get you some pics)

quote Originally posted by Bruce: DeLorean, What would you charge to paing a fellow Californian's 86 GT? bb

Thanks for the offer. But I am out of the auto body business at this time.

my total bill was $480, including some abrasives and 2 gallons of reducer and some grease and wax remover. Primers were about $127 a gallon activated if I remember right.

My paint system is matrix. http://www.matrixsystem.com/

I used MS-20 clear MS-20 / MH-005 $ 128.78

Basecoat was MSB 22 or something, strong black

primer sealer was epoxy primer/sealer, I dont remember the price but it was around $70-80.

MP-900 EPOXY PRIMER - BLACK
MP-900 Epoxy Primer provides maximum protection and adhesion to metal surfaces. Used as a primer or sealer, MP-900 is always recommended when you must have the best and longest lasting finish possible.

my surfacer was great stuff, in that same $70 sprayable gallon area.

MP4-2K LIGHTNING™ PRIMER SURFACER - GREY
MP4-2K with Lightning Cure Technology dries in 45 minutes and sands easily for reduced cycle times. A direct to metal primer surfacer, MP4-2K offers excellent corrosion protection, adhesion and great sand scratch holdout. MP4-2K reduces the need for additional primers for bare metal areas less than 6" in diameter.

my $.02 i would do primer unless you have no points where you have broken through the origonal paint (scratches, bondo) or were gunna sell the car within a month or two

i dont. its wearing thin in some places but not thru nywhere. i got lucky in that the guy just stored the thing for like 10 yrs bcuz it had a bad master cylinder and didnt know what 2 do. unfortunately he also obliterated the wiring for the headlights.

Great thread!!!!

quote Originally posted by Nohbdy: yes, well im a 16yr old in michigan. i dont hav a job, so wallet pain is something that i dont recover from very quickly. how much would the clear coat cost, and would i need 2 use the primer if it had a flat black paint job right now or no. still gonna add some black coats but nything i can cut out of the costs helps.

Real simple solutions...go to the auto paint store and ask for black primer. If you want to spend a little more or want a dull shine, get a quart of satin clear and put it over the primer or over a coat of black basecoat.

------------------

Owner / Operator Custom Paint and Body...
specializing in Corvette & Higher End Autos for 40+ years
Ferrari, Mercedes and Porsche Approved
____________________________________________
88 Corvette convertible
05 Dodge Magnum Hemi R/T
66 Dodge Killer Bee Coronet

Hey guys for really good deals on paint I use TCP global and get their restoration shop brand kit. The limitation is your constrained to their color charts but you cant beat the price for a Urethane BC/CC kit. If you want to flash it up a bit, get a couple qts of intercoat clear and mix in some peal or flake to shoot over a solid color base. I think I paid around 324.00 for a gallon of base, gallon of reducer, Qt of Activator, 2oz of pearl and 2qts of intercoat clear. So far I am really happy with the quality of materials. It sprays out like House of Kolor. For 2K primer I use MAXX FILL. You can get a gallon of primer and activator at your local car quest for about 56.00.

If you want even less expensive go to www.smartshoppersinc.com and get a total paint kit for 324.00 which includes everything from tape, primer to base and clear. These kits are from the Kirker line. www.kirker.com

This probably isn't something someone with no experience should do, is it? I have a 50 gallon compressor but nothing else, and the most experience I have working on my car is changing the oil!

quote Originally posted by Samohtneas: This probably isn't something someone with no experience should do, is it? I have a 50 gallon compressor but nothing else, and the most experience I have working on my car is changing the oil!

Sure why not? Just follow directions in this thread and take your time. Also don't be afraid of having to do things more then once.

quote Originally posted by DeLorean00: Sure why not? Just follow directions in this thread and take your time. Also don't be afraid of having to do things more then once.

Well I do have a question then. What did the black GT in your original post look like before the first picture? Was that the result of your sanding? My 86 SE has lots of spots where the clear is flaking off but the clear is coming off(Primarily on the hood and decklid), or where there is a fine white substance that can be scratched off with a fingernail. Do I need to sand the ENTIRE car downn to white plastic, or just how far down? I'm not quite sure about how to measure paint "depth."

I had never painted a car until I changed the color of my Fiero. I did have an experienced body/paint person watching me every step and coaching me. (Cost me $100 for him and booth time) I hand wet- sanded the car at home for days. Great way to build arm muscles!!!! When you are finished wet-sanding there is dried clear/paint residue in EVERY nook and cranny. An easy way to get it off the car is to wash with Comet.

Samohtneas, just go for it you will learn alot. If you are going to paint the whole car, sand all areas untill there is no more "shine" Sand into the paint only in areas that are damaged. You will need to feather in along these areas. When you ar finished wash the car then look it over for the "shinny" spots. These are low areas that will need more sanding. By repeating this over an over until there are no "shinny" areas you will get the paint to lay down better. Before you go for primer wash the car onle last time using Comit.

Good luck!

[This message has been edited by White Spyder (edited 01-16-2009).]

quote Originally posted by White Spyder: I had never painted a car until I changed the color of my Fiero. I did have an experienced body/paint person watching me every step and coaching me. (Cost me $100 for him and booth time) I hand wet- sanded the car at home for days. Great way to build arm muscles!!!! When you are finished wet-sanding there is dried clear/paint residue in EVERY nook and cranny. An easy way to get it off the car is to wash with Comet. Samohtneas, just go for it you will learn alot. If you are going to paint the whole car, sand all areas untill there is no more "shine" Sand into the paint only in areas that are damaged. You will need to feather in along these areas. When you ar finished wash the car then look it over for the "shinny" spots. These are low areas that will need more sanding. By repeating this over an over until there are no "shinny" areas you will get the paint to lay down better. Before you go for primer wash the car onle last time using Comit. Good luck!

So I don't need to get down to the plastic unless its really that bad huh? Thanks Spyder, I'll remember that. It's a little confidence booster for me! One other question (for anyone I suppose). What exactly is feathering? I'm actually pretty excited about this, it'll be the first time I get a (significant) income tax return, and I'm sure my T/A friends would love to help me with my poor Fiero! :P

[This message has been edited by Samohtneas (edited 01-16-2009).]

You want to avoid sanding down into the plastic, it's a lot softer than the paint on top of it. You'll wind up with a bunch of low-spots if you're not very careful sanding and blow through the paint. Also, look into "guide coat". One tip I always make is to look and see if your local community college offers paint and body classes. Mine does and they have top not equipment including a heated downdraft spray booth and the latest SATA digital spray guns.

JazzMan