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I went to napa and discussed the Martin Senour line of paints. They were not knowledgable at all and ventured to say that their paint was much better then ppg and dupont. Im thinking yeah right. They are not very cheap either so for the price they want for custom mixed paint I would rather risk my money in smaller amounts elsewhere.

Anyone have any advice here? If I could get away with using some of these products I could save a good amount of money on paint. Im trying to avoid the nason or similar quality but thought if I used a decent paint system and a very good clear I should have a long lasting paint job if well cared for. Sometime down the road I will be redoing it just want it to look good now.

I have been hopping around hot rod boards to see what others are using for paint on a budget and I have heard good things about these guys they have good prices on about everything they sell. http://www.smartshoppersinc.com/AutomotiveFinishes/AutomotiveFinishes.html They have a very affordable line of paints by kirker. However, I was told to stay away from their clear coats. I was thinking about ordering a gallon of their basecoat to use with southern polyurethanes brand of clear. My biggest question is can I get away with using their epoxy primer and high build 2k surfacer? Thanks for helping out with my lack of paint intelligence as of late.

Its always amazing the threads I seem to miss when cruizing back through them out of boredom. Some good info here guys!

Umm krylon? Seriously now that sounded sarcastic. I was trying to do my paint for about 200 bucks. I have my clear and primer picked out but thats going to put me at about 250 another 100 for the basecoat and its reducer and activator. However If I want to use another color basecoat Im going to be way more then that and since Im painting the car inside and out I need to order the whole gallon system. I am definatly planning to do this right but Im scared of gloss black in relation to my rookie body work and Im trying to stray from satin black as well. I think a satin metallic blue or copper orange would be pretty cool. I really dont have the cash for the expensive paint but I think I could spend 300 bucks I would just rather spend less. Even spending 300 dollars leaves me short. I still have to buy some supplies and a decent finish gun.

Well I originally intended to do exactly what you just mentioned however price constraints are a huge issue at this point. I just dont want to have to redo the whole car in a couple of years. If I strip it once thats going to be it. Im pretty sure Im going with the clear and primer from the above mentioned site as I have been researching it and uncovered many great reviews on other forums about it. All I need to do is find a reliable good covering basecoat that is as close to free as possible

Everything you ever wanted to know about blitz black (aka john deer satin black paint) is in this thread http://www.hotrodders.com/showthread.php?t=31993&page=1&pp=15&highlight=cheap+epoxy+primer I am wondering hopefully racerx or someone will see this? If I epoxy prime the car could I just clear over that for uv protection or is my primer still going to turn white under the clear coat? Also if I went with white epoxy primer is there a way I could pigment it to a different color?

Ive heard really good things about these guys http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com There basecoat is out of my price range though. With their Clear and Epoxy Primer Im a little under 200 that puts me in the 300 dollar paint job range so Im still trying out how to cut some costs. I know I wont need 2 gallons of sprayable primer or probably that much clear either even with bumper and hood to paint on my civic. Looks like its going to be about a month before I get to this step so I will be doing more research on prices maybe someone will offer some suggestions between now and then

I would really like to do a suede job with another color. I don't think the blitz black is going to be very durable paint and it cannot be topcoated with regular paints without removal. If anyone knows of of some other possibilities in the 100 dollar range. Going for the pro touring rod look with a rat rod attitude and price tag (price tag not exactly optional) If anyone knows where to get quality cheap paint that is compatible with normal paint products please let me know. I think a suede metallic blue or suede metallic tangerine would be awesome. Any ideas on how to do this for 100-150 would be awesome. Possibly cheaper paint products with a ten dollar bag of metal or pearl flake added that they sell on ebay....I want something that will look good for at least 2-3 years and keep my car nicely sealed as well. Im usually pretty resourceful but am striking out here

alright we need a bigger picture then that. Also more details on mounting please!!! I would like to do this as well but only when I can afford aluminum heads.

hmm looks like this still leaves me guessing. I was planning on using the valspar industrial line of paint. It says to use thinner to reduce for brushing and naptha to reduce for spraying. However it does not mention a ratio. I think I will just buy a quart of the stuff its like 8 bucks a quart and seems to work really well on outdoor applications (friend uses this at his farm all the time) The hardner is about 10 If I just test a very small amount all I would be out is some paint and a few bucks. I just wish I new whether to go with the flat or the satin. I dont want a semigloss as I think that would make it look like a bad high gloss paint job. Thanks for the input so far guys. Anyone else done this or similar?

argh conflicting information. So I have to use flat black if I want to use the hardner to achieve the satin black color I want?

Thanks again for the useful information. Just to clarify the hardner I was referring to was the type of additive that you usually use in one stage paint that helps it dry faster and give it more of a wet look. I just wanted to be sure that by adding it to my satin paint I did not end up with a wet look. Thanks for clearing my confusion about the self etching primer I was pretty sure I could get away without using it. This process should give me about a 100 dollar paint job.

anyone??? Im getting antsy

Alright Im getting pretty close to painting my car and actually have two questions. If I have bare metal in places does that mean I automatically use a self etching primer first or can I just scuff and use epoxy primer sealer? What I am wanting to do is a really cheap fairly durable flat black. I do not want to use dp90. I want to use the john deer blitz black or similar industrial satin black paint. It is 24.00 a gallon and looks well along with being durable. Anyway my question with that is the store sells hardner to be used will the enamal paints that increases gloss and hardness. I want to add the hardness to I can have the extra durability however I dont want a high gloss finish. Can I add this to the flat black to get satin or can I add it to the satin without turning it to semigloss. I want a nice eggshell finish. If this system will work I can have a nice satin or flat paint job (hopefully satin) for just a hair over 100 bucks with a ton of paint left over.

Man I wish I had time to add this to my list of modifications however Im trying to throw mine together quickly. Anyways I was wondering what did you make your cuts with were they all sawzall or did you use a plasma cutter or something. Im definatly interested in seeing how you go about your windshield replacement. I would think the side windows would be easier to modify. There is also a method where sandblasting is used to cut curved glass. It may be cheaper to go through a few windshields rather then have a custom one made. However Maybe the shop would give you a discount for more then one and it will motivate some of us that are seriously thinking about doing some cutting.

I wish these were available in bigger sizes 16 or 17 and wide enough for zg's then I would buy them.... As for your car Larry those wheels are an awesome addition although I would like to see it lowered about an inch all the way around. While not a fan of graphics I still like that car of yours!

By the looks of the housings you could switch the lights in the housings if you swapped sides to keep the brake lights on the outside. I think the curved corner follows the lines of the rear a little better. Im thinking about using those lights and just cutting out the shape of the lights ie 3 circles and having the housing completly hidden. That would be pretty cool.

Evil fab work looks awesome. I see one problem. With the shape of the H2 housings the pointed top far right and left corners should be reversed. That way the rounded top corner is to the outside of the panel and will match the curve of the corners of the car. I wonder if this makes any sense. Basically I just think it would look a little better if the housings were traded. But now I probably sound like an A$$. Awesome work though. Those look like a really good choice

Hmm Im looking at sandblasters right now

how about some close ups and some details such as what you painted them with. You definatly did the right thing. Those wheels now look like something I really want!!!

Well I have a car that I am looking at and I dont want to pay 20 bucks for a carfax. Can anyone run this vin for me KMHJG25F8YU213612 it is for a 2000 hyundai tiburon. Hope someone can help me out. Thanks guys

hmmm I like the darker of the reds, the deep blue and the california gold. 100 bucks would be a pretty good deal.

Hey mike I love the wheels you got to them first but anyway I have been watching these on ebay and aout 600 plus shipping is the cheapest I could find. I would rather have the 10.5 rear wheels though looks like you have the 9 inch all around. Still if you can find a source that sells them for less please let us know. Im looking for the black center ones.

Hmm Id spend 1700 bucks if there were a bolt in for the s30. Bags could still be set up to handle much better then stock. I have been thinking about this forever but I dont want to pay big bucks for a custom install.