How To: DIY Paint and Body work

[fliprayzin240sx]

Originally Posted by buentellomma

Yeah i paint others before mine, im not taking on another project til i get time to get my hatch going again.

I'll definitely hit you up when and if I ever get to repainting the car. I'm down to help prep the car and buy supplies. Just dont have the tools or space to do something like this. I still gotta figure out how I'm gonna get my damn engine swap started.

[dpritchard4]

this thread really helped me touch up my engine bay, but i wish i woulda learned how to blend better from new to old paint (faded paint plus new paint means hard line) but now im spraying my bumper and i have wrinkled paint in one spot.....what did i do wrong???

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by dpritchard4

this thread really helped me touch up my engine bay, but i wish i woulda learned how to blend better from new to old paint (faded paint plus new paint means hard line) but now im spraying my bumper and i have wrinkled paint in one spot.....what did i do wrong???

Surface prep more than likely caused it. The new base coat reacted with something underneath. Did you spray over old paint?

[GUS13]

finally a good diy paint write up. ive been looking to do this. the guy who gave me my car had filled some spots with body filler and im tired of looking at random white spots. getting the entire car sprayed in az but this will do for now.

[SaNTi]

Definitely lots of good info here.

[dpritchard4]

this is what has happened 2x...ive sanded with 600 grit and used primer first

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by dpritchard4

this is what has happened 2x...ive sanded with 600 grit and used primer first

well if it did that with primer under it you have two causes: 1) your reducer to base coat ratio is off meaning too much reducer. 2) your spraying too much on there and the solvents are causing that. The Fix= sand with 320grit or finer to remove the wrinkled paint, lightly spray primer over the area one coat will do, allow it to dry and lightly scuff sand the primer do not sand it off or sand through it, lightly spray your base coat over the area ( it might take 4 or 5 coats to cover it) <- by lightly spraying this over a problem area the chances are less likely to happen again, be sure to allow a few mins between each coat.

[df3kt760]

Great job very informative

[Nickys13]

Doesn't paint wrinkle when the surface is dirty?

[c72c]

Nice work. I'll help out with the thread as I make progress on my truck.
I would like to suggest giving a few tips on masking. I would, but I have no pics. An example (since this bothers me the most) when people do a spot repair and just spray primer after the work... not to hardline the area being primed. Fine line tape is one option, but you can also use the 3/4" tape and fold it over... and tape back from the body work, not right next to it.
Sorry, I just see so many people have primer puzzle pieces, it really bothers me.

Two important tips for anyone doing any of this;
-Body work takes time and patience.
-A paint job is only as good as it's prep job.

Originally Posted by Nickys13

Doesn't paint wrinkle when the surface is dirty?

It's possible, but usually it will fish eye if there are any oils on it.

[xh3nry]

Awesome paint job, i wish i had a garage or a booth to paint my car in.

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by Nickys13

Doesn't paint wrinkle when the surface is dirty?

Fish eyes happen when the surface isnt clean most of the time, wrinkles are caused by solvents. The most common wrinkle happens when the new paint reacts with older paint underneath. Also if you spray too much on one area you risk runs or wrinkling. Mixing too much reducer in the base coat will also cause wrinkles.

[g2ic02]

Can someone chime in on guns.(good guns, basic set up, tip size, cleaning, pressure....) thank you.

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by g2ic02

Can someone chime in on guns.(good guns, basic set up, tip size, cleaning, pressure....) thank you.

Well what it really comes down to is are you a paint gun owner or a painter? You can have the best equipment but without the skill you still wont acheive what a skilled painter with a cheap gun can produce. I can spray with whatever you put in my hands, i like to use iwata brand guns ($400 +) with a 1.4 tip for base and 1.8 tip for clear. Devilbliss makes reasonable priced setups that work great. Hvlp guns should spray at 10psi at the cap, around 50psi on the line. Cleaning i break mine down and clean with laquer thinner

[C. Anderson]

If you have a lifting problem like that (wrinkling) you can sand it down and try primer sealer on the primer also. It will help block the solvents in the paint to the primer.

Dirty surface does not cause lifting. Like buentellomma said, it is usually the new base coat reacting with the primer or factory paint. Most times I have problems with lifting on factory basecoats for Hondas when I'm using Nason.

[dpritchard4]

it was deff an issue of reacting with the old paint, i finally kept sanding and sanding back the org paint till i got it to stop...thanks for all the advice...but i still need more.

i was trying to remove the orange peel, so i took 1500 grit and smoothed it down, then followed with 2000, rubbing compound and polishing compound(applied by hand) and i cant get that high luster back, i know i didnt sand through the clear coat, and i layed down 3 wet coats of clear....any ideas???

[silviaks2nr]

You need to machine polish it with a wool pad then foam pad. It wouldn't be a bad idea to go over the whole car with 3000grit first too. I've had the same wrinkle issue when i didn't have a thick enough coat of sealer over 2k after bodywork. It's easy to touch up those spot before you clear if you ever run in to that though. As others have said fisheye is usually due to contaminated surfaces. If you try to shoot something like an engine bay that's not clean with single stage without priming/sealing you will get fish eye for sure. You can mix fish eye eliminator into clear and single stage but it's best not to.

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by dpritchard4

it was deff an issue of reacting with the old paint, i finally kept sanding and sanding back the org paint till i got it to stop...thanks for all the advice...but i still need more.

i was trying to remove the orange peel, so i took 1500 grit and smoothed it down, then followed with 2000, rubbing compound and polishing compound(applied by hand) and i cant get that high luster back, i know i didnt sand through the clear coat, and i layed down 3 wet coats of clear....any ideas???

You need somekind of high speed buffer to polish out the clear. They make a 2" buffer that chucks into a drill if your low on cash. Ask the paint supplier about it, if not harbor freight has a decent one pretty cheap

[SuperBlackS14]

I just wanted to say how awesome a thread this is, and to the OP and any posting guides: thanks You so much!

[g2ic02]

Originally Posted by buentellomma

Well what it really comes down to is are you a paint gun owner or a painter? You can have the best equipment but without the skill you still wont acheive what a skilled painter with a cheap gun can produce. I can spray with whatever you put in my hands, i like to use iwata brand guns ($400 +) with a 1.4 tip for base and 1.8 tip for clear. Devilbliss makes reasonable priced setups that work great. Hvlp guns should spray at 10psi at the cap, around 50psi on the line. Cleaning i break mine down and clean with laquer thinner

thanks for the response. i know alot of the final product comes down to experience and skill. what i a guess i was wondering is do i need to go out and spend $300-500 or can i get by with a $200 gun. Is the final product going to be noticably different, assuming you have the skill to paint.

[Breitling]

very nice thread. Builds confidence

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by g2ic02

thanks for the response. i know alot of the final product comes down to experience and skill. what i a guess i was wondering is do i need to go out and spend $300-500 or can i get by with a $200 gun. Is the final product going to be noticably different, assuming you have the skill to paint.

If your only going to use it a few times the cheaper gun would be the way to go. Cheaper setup vs high dollar setup : the cheaper gun is not going to last as long and the atomization of the paint some times isn't that great meaning you will use more paint. Honestly if you don't have much exp with spraying save the cash and go with a gun you can afford. You won't be able to tell a difference when you spray.

[ManoNegra]

Originally Posted by c72c

I would like to suggest giving a few tips on masking.

I found this video to be the most helpful (to me at least) on the topic:


the guy's YT channel has a great deal of good information on the subject aswell:

mcqueenpaint - YouTube

Originally Posted by g2ic02

Can someone chime in on guns.(good guns, basic set up, tip size, cleaning, pressure....) thank you.

Originally Posted by buentellomma

Well what it really comes down to is are you a paint gun owner or a painter? You can have the best equipment but without the skill you still wont acheive what a skilled painter with a cheap gun can produce. I can spray with whatever you put in my hands, i like to use iwata brand guns ($400 +) with a 1.4 tip for base and 1.8 tip for clear. Devilbliss makes reasonable priced setups that work great. Hvlp guns should spray at 10psi at the cap, around 50psi on the line. Cleaning i break mine down and clean with laquer thinner

Originally Posted by g2ic02

thanks for the response. i know alot of the final product comes down to experience and skill. what i a guess i was wondering is do i need to go out and spend $300-500 or can i get by with a $200 gun. Is the final product going to be noticably different, assuming you have the skill to paint.

Originally Posted by buentellomma

If your only going to use it a few times the cheaper gun would be the way to go. Cheaper setup vs high dollar setup : the cheaper gun is not going to last as long and the atomization of the paint some times isn't that great meaning you will use more paint. Honestly if you don't have much exp with spraying save the cash and go with a gun you can afford. You won't be able to tell a difference when you spray.

The boss has a collection of guns at work and allows us to play with them.
I'm using a cheap HB 1/8 bottom feed gun to shoot primer and it has worked ok for me.
For the base and clear I'm going to use a Finnex 3000 with a 1/4 tip.
There's a DevilBiss StartingLine gun on hand but the reviews I read are mixed.
The Finnex gun seems to be a good choice and value (if you're buying one). All the reviews I read were positive.
And if I'm not happy, there's also an Iwata gun I could try.

Anyhow, I'm undergoing my first DIY job. Still at the primer stage.
(you can see the run on the fender where I sprayed too much primer)

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by ManoNegra

i would love to do a pvc pipe paint booth if i had the room to leave it up, but for someone on a small budget its easier to just hang plastic. The booth looks good where are you planning on placing your intake and exhaust fans?

[silviaks2nr]

A few years ago I painted my car outside in ~90 degree temps. Can't say it was an easy first paint job but it turned out well for what it was, after sanding. I've painted a few cars and many other things since then. It does get fun once you're good at it.









Recent photo- car is very dirty but you get the idea.

[S14TEENZ]

Great stuff in here....very good tips but always remember prep is key. There are things you cant see when primer is applied. When basecoat is appled it all jumps out.


One thing I don't agree with OP is using single stage paint. Maybe for a car yo may not care that much about yes. But not cars for attention. I know you can use single stage urethane paint and then go over with urethane clear. But still single stage is for taxis and shit.

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by S14TEENZ

Great stuff in here....very good tips but always remember prep is key. There are things you cant see when primer is applied. When basecoat is appled it all jumps out.


One thing I don't agree with OP is using single stage paint. Maybe for a car yo may not care that much about yes. But not cars for attention. I know you can use single stage urethane paint and then go over with urethane clear. But still single stage is for taxis and shit.

Who is using single stage on here? I never use or promoted single stage paint. In the 9 years I have been doing this I have only sprayed single stage garbage twice......

[S14TEENZ]

Originally Posted by buentellomma

supplies alone was around $500 but im sure it would be cheaper if you purchased single stage paint. I bought a gallon of atomic orange and half a gallon of black, gallon of clear coat, quart of sealer, and then all the other supplies tapes plastic etc.....

I would not say promoting but it was mentioned.

[ManoNegra]

Originally Posted by buentellomma

i would love to do a pvc pipe paint booth if i had the room to leave it up, but for someone on a small budget its easier to just hang plastic. The booth looks good where are you planning on placing your intake and exhaust fans?

I'm not all that happy with it actually
it's flimsy as f**k and difficult to get the drop clothes to stay
I think that screwing pieces of 1x2 wood along the top of the wall and stapling drop clothes to that would be a better way to go
or if I were to build another structure, make it out of 2x4s or something more rigid

the two boxes on the corners you see are 20x20"
the fans/filters fit in there perfectly

masked the car during the weekend
(that was a royal pain in the ass)
and sprayed a coat of build up primer that I need to clean up in a few places before spraying a second coat





contemplating buying aerosol cans of primer to get the under side of the wing. thoughts?

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by ManoNegra

I'm not all that happy with it actually
it's flimsy as f**k and difficult to get the drop clothes to stay
I think that screwing pieces of 1x2 wood along the top of the wall and stapling drop clothes to that would be a better way to go
or if I were to build another structure, make it out of 2x4s or something more rigid

the two boxes on the corners you see are 20x20"
the fans/filters fit in there perfectly

masked the car during the weekend
(that was a royal pain in the ass)
and sprayed a coat of build up primer that I need to clean up in a few places before spraying a second coat





contemplating buying aerosol cans of primer to get the under side of the wing. thoughts?

Rattle can primer is garbage most of the time it will react with the urethane paint. Also to save you from a mess when you spray base coat, place paper on the edge of your masking..... By spraying onto plastic it will flake off when the air pressure hits it and go all over the place. I would take that wing off and spray it that way, it will turn out a lot better.....