Air compressor for body work and painting

[FMG CAMARO]

I have been shopping around for a paint job for my 1968 camaro. I have gotten 2 estimates in the 10g range and one from a shop who I could tell wasnt really interested for 15g. I am contemplating painting the car myself. It has been something I wanted to learn for a while. I drive the car hard and dont need a best of show paint job. I am pricing out tools I will need for the job to see if it is worth doing it myself. I am looking at this compressor. Will it be sufficient for bodywork and spraying? Thanks in advance.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00916476000P?vName=Tools&cName=AirCompressors&AirTools&sName=Air%20Compressorsmv=rr

[Thephranc]

For paint you not only want a big tank ,60g is good, but you want a higher SCFM. The IR for $1330 on the side is the same size tank but puts out 14@90 psi instead of the Craftsman 11@ 90 psi. Always go with a belt driven tank and oil lube what ever you get.

Personally I'd go with this:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00916485000P


Also be careful if are buying from Sears online. Some things are 3rd party sales and can be incredibly over priced. Case in point this Harbor Frieght house branded breaker bar that sells for like $12 at the HF store.

http://www.sears.com/pittsburgh-pro-25inch-breaker-bar-1-2inch-drive/p-SPM6322512105?prdNo=5&blockNo=5&blockType=G5

[T_Raven]

I've been planning to get this IR

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200318461_200318461

14cfm @ 90 psi and 60 gal tank, shipped for $1200.

I've never seen that 80 gal craftsman one but a bigger tank for less money sounds good.

I'm guessing this IR is the same set up with a bigger tank. More comparable to the 80 gal Craftsman but $400 more.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200318501_200318501

Anyone know if it's worth the extra money to buy an IR over a Craftsman? Or if there'd be a better choice than either?

[Thephranc]

The IR is more of a heavy duty setup made for every day use.

Better choice for the money you might be able to go with a BelAir, Chicago Pneumatic, or Campbell Hausfeld. Like IR they are typically more for commercial/industrial while the Craftsman is better for the hobbyist. How ever you can find some of their lower tier offerings to be better bang for the buck over CM.

A pretty good place to compare price and ability is here:
http://www.aircompressorsdirect.com/

[66larkgs]

a tip for saving time and money, pay someone to beadblast/walnut blast the car. i live in mass and thier is a guy from RI that will come to your shop $160 hr and strip it thier is a 4 hour min.. well worth it and the final product is so much nicer. i have seen it done in 5 hours. another thing is to see if thier is any local vocational schools that hold autobody classes at night. i am doing my body work on my car and i am most likely the 3k range for supplies. If i had the money i would have dropped mine off and picked it up in 3 months but i didnt have the 10-15k to spend so i had to due what you are thinking about. good luck

[astroracer]

If this is just a "hobby" compressor and you are not planning to run a body shop with it a 60 gal. 5 horse will work just fine. I painted a half dozen cars with a Sears 2 horse 20 gal compressor and also ran a sand blaster with it. It wasn't optimal but I did it and it worked fine... Harbor Freight has some nice spray guns and you should look at a few different stores for compressors. Tractor Supply has some good prices and a freind of mine has a big Harbor Freight unit that has given him no problems.
Mark