Guest livewire23 Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 well, now my car is running, and I think it may be time for something besides the beauty of primer grey. I think I'll get a complete paint job done around the time I do my engine swap, but for now I would just like something that has a color. Not to mention that I would really like to give painting my car a try. When I bought my air compressor, I made sure thate i bought one that would be capable of some HVLP action. so could anyone point me to some good links on giving the Z a few basic coats of the good ol' black? could I just run some air hose out to my driveway, close the garage door, and paint in the driveway to avoid the sparks from the compressor? Or should I move the compressor out, and paint in the garage? The job doesnt have to be perfect, its just a budget job, but the better it looks, well, the better. Thanks all. -Kito Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deMideon Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Because it's pretty toxic, I painted my Z outside, I did build a "paint booth" though. I used a light wood frame and covered it with plastic sheets (paint drop cloths from WalMart!). Mainly I wanted to keep as much dust off as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 for the price, you cant beat the duke of earl---------sheib. 200.00 for a single stage job? sure they paint over dirt, but they paint over dirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest livewire23 Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 Originally posted by LEN168:for the price, you cant beat the duke of earl---------sheib. 200.00 for a single stage job? sure they paint over dirt, but they paint over dirt. wow len, it may just be cuz its late, but i didnt understand a word you said... must be getting late. yawn... one JAG is over I'll go work on the Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 Kito, Len's talking about Earl Scheib, a chain of paintshops opened in the 70s. Originally, you could get a paintjob for a car for 29.95. But the problem was that you had to mask everything off, clean it yourself, etc. Whatever you didn't cover, they'd paint over. Forgot the windshield? Painted. Forgot tires? painted. Convertable? Painted. And the quality was that of a paintroller with runs, streaks, etc. Nowadays Earl Scheib will mask the car off, and do a cheapie paint job that will look decent. (can't say it will last long though) http://earlscheib.com/pro1.asp that's the one len's talking about. so if you want a cheapie paintjob to prevent rust for now, and to last about 2 years, that will work. Plus, they offer a warranty on their paint for at least 1 year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 the duke cant be beat easily for the price, with a warranty, you just have to prep your car soemthing serious, and dissassemble everything before you take it in, because once its in, they just blow it with compressed air, wipe it down with laquer thinner(probably not even that) and begins to spraying. some mask well some dont mask so well, its really up to you how well it comes out, the options are just for better paints, but the expensive ones ive seen look just as bad as the cheapos, i would just go for the cheapest one to keep rust off, and dont try to get a crazy color, cause it will come out looking CRAZY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pappy Posted February 2, 2003 Share Posted February 2, 2003 One tip is if you build an outdoor paint booth, put a fan blowing out. Also, wet the floor. This will make any dust particles and such stick to the wet ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 Originally posted by Pappy:One tip is if you build an outdoor paint booth, put a fan blowing out. Also, wet the floor. This will make any dust particles and such stick to the wet ground. Somehow I don't think sucking volatile and potentially explosive vapors through a fan is a really good idea. A belt driven fan perhaps but not your average easy to find box fan. One spark could ruin your entire day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 it is VERY dangerous to paint inside your house. the fan must be fitted to match in terms of CFM for the size of your garage, and you must have a way to vent the other side of the garage, like cracking the back door open and it must vent directly, and do not smoke, or do anything that could remotely catch a spark. We know at least five people who have had fires in their homes due to painting in their garage, and one guy burned his house down, be extremely careful. plus, all that work is still gonna be more than a earl sheibulater job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatbum Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 Gotta second Len on the Duke of Earl I did my '88 RX-7 converible about 6 years ago now with them - it was red going fast to faded orange. I figured for $229 for their "special" it was worth it to renew my "summer beater" with 180K miles. Also figured that the car would be long dead by now. But the car and the paint job have lasted another 60K miles. It still looks good - glad I put roller wheels on it - they oversprayed the hell out of them and it would have bummed me with my nice wheels. Just an idea. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two40MuscleZ Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 Kito: I admire your sense of adventure with respect to painting your Z. No, painting is not the tough part...its the prep work. And along with prep work comes the proper equipment to do the job right. The "Visqueen" spray booth will work just fine. To help keep dust down lightly dampen the floor of the booth. The fan leave outside the enclosed end of the booth. Cut a few slits in that end; periodically, turn on the fan to low and exhaust or blow out NOT suck out the overspray toward the open end of the booth. If you are using an HVLP gun, use a good one, and that in itself should cut down a majority of the overspray. Pick a day that is at least in the mid 70's without any measurable wind. Early in the mornings ususlly work best. Take your time, don't rush, there really is no need to. Purchase a spray sok for your head, and especially a good double canister resporator. Music will calm you down, and actually help in your spray rythum. Practice on scrap surfaces prior to actual spraying, to get down your spray consistancy and flow. All paints do not spray the same, so that is where your practice and patience comes in. Purchase your paint from an automotive paint supply house, not your local paint store. That may sound funny, but some people think paint is paint! They will also be happy to give you advice and direction. The job that you will do on your car, I'm sure would be far better than Earl Scheib... By-the-way, he started in the late 50's early 60's and his original slogan was..."I'll paint any car for $19.95. Also, black looks great, but shows everything, blemish, bodywork, etc. Have fun and stay safe. Comps, VAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest livewire23 Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 well, I let my sister pick the color, so silver it is. I really would like to do it myself, but I'd much rather see someone do it first before I go out and spend a fortune buying paint and a spray gun and building a booth and getting a respirator. How much paint would I need? Im looking at BMW M3 silver, and it looks like the paint alone is going to cost almost $200. Is this about right? Maybe the el cheapo paint job is better for me... Im not just painting my car because im a cheapass, I also really like doing things myself. But is this something im better off leaving to the professionals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 Silver, so far as I know, is not an easy 'color' to work with. Good luck with the project, I will probably be doing a Scheib job myself soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 Livewire, Like Van says, it's not the spraying that's hard, it's the prep work. 95% of a good paint job is the prep/bodywork. The spraying is easy. Go to the JY and get an old hood, preferably one that's kinda jacked up. Do the bodywork/prep on it and primer and paint it. It'll be good practice, and once you have the knowledge/experience, you'll have it forever!! Hell, if it comes out perfectly, you can slap the hood on your car, and you'll have one less panel to do. If it comes out crappy, strip it down and try again. Lots of work up front, but like I said, once you know how, you know how!! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 If this is your first paint job stick to a solid color (silver is very difficult for beginners). Dupont chromabase and multi-purpose clear works very well. I recommend two stage so you can wet sand and buff out any imperfections. I've been using this set-up since it came out. But be careful the base coat is very aggressive (make sure you use a dupont sealer). If your body work is perfect go with black otherwise try a lighter color. The headlight buckets are tricky too. Before I forget don't spray any metallics out of a cheap HVLP gun it will "mottle" like crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 Prices: 1 Gallon URO primer kit(this stuff is great) $200 1 gallon sealer (#depends on value shade) $75 1 gallon wipedown reducer ($depends on store) 1 gallon 99s Black Chromabase approx$140 1 gallon Basemaker (# depends on temp.) $65 1 gallon Chromaclear v7500 $130 2 pints activator 7185s (mid temp)$45 Gravity feed SATA gun you will use about half of this. Conventional Devilbis JGA 2/3s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest livewire23 Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 Originally posted by PHLIPOU812:Prices: 1 Gallon URO primer kit(this stuff is great) $200 1 gallon sealer (#depends on value shade) $75 1 gallon wipedown reducer ($depends on store) 1 gallon 99s Black Chromabase approx$140 1 gallon Basemaker (# depends on temp.) $65 1 gallon Chromaclear v7500 $130 2 pints activator 7185s (mid temp)$45 Gravity feed SATA gun you will use about half of this. Conventional Devilbis JGA 2/3s. "knowing how to paint your car - priceless"but seriously, from that count the paint job'll cost more than the car. A whole lot more. I suppose if I do it well enough I could paint my prelude too, but im not sure about that. The car is actually already primered, should I go through and start from the beginning againg, or just use the primer that's already there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 use a tinted primer thats close to the color you are going to shoot the car, like a light grey for silver, it will take less coats to cover if you do. if you want cheap ass single stage paint, look for NASON, its 85.00 a gallon single stange without reducer, and it can come out good if you take your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 Nason does have two stage paint as well. The guy that does all of my paint work really likes the way Nason flows. He says it`s an excellent paint for beginers to use. It also cost less for a repaint if you do mess up the first time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest livewire23 Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 all this information has come in very handy folks... A guy came into work today looking for all the equipment to start painting cars, and thanks to all your info, I was able to reccomend the best equipment for the job. Or at least the best stuff we sell. He ended up buying like $1100 of equipment (mostly a real nice compressor). Thanks to you guys I think he'll be real happy with his purchase, and I made some commission. Oh yea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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