Painting own car?

[mjp01243]

I have had my 69 camaro coming close to six years now and I think it is about time it gets a paint job. My current paint is good from a distance but it is far from good. It is heavly oxidized but luckly needs only minor body work. My problem is the cost of having someone paint the car is out of reach being a college student. I was wondering what is needed to do all the work myself and what the cost are involved in doing it all myself. Also was wondering if anyone has done all the prep work and then let a professional shop spray the paint.

[Jim Nilsen]

The sign on the entry door say's "Paint Hell" , The first thing about doing your own paint is having a free space to do it in. It takes longer than you think it will and the prep is the longest part of the job. Years ago when I did a 67 Camaro it took me 2 weeks to strip it , do some body work and then paint it. I wish I would have had more time and for the most part I wish it would have lasted longer before it had problems. It was an everyday streetcar and it took it's toll on it within the first year.

Getting a car ready for paint is the biggest part of the cost so if you can do it right you will save lots. Find your painter and ask him what products he likes to paint over for the best results. This is important since a good painter will still do some final touch up bodywork for you to make sure the car is straight. you will always miss things the painter will see and accepting it before you take the car to be painted will help in the cost and disappointment of the flaws you didn't see that some painters will paint right over if you insist the car is ready and you will accept it the way you have it prepped.

Painting my car that I am doing now took 2 years including doing all of the new quaters,door skins,floor,trunk, etc. ,etc., It seemed to go on forever doing it myself to make it as close to perfect as I could. It turned out great and I probably saved 6k or more but it took 2 years.

Goodluck and welcome to Paint Hell, Hope you have a short stay!!!!


Jim Nilsen

[vanzuuk1]

I agree with jim but have a paint guy check out everything as you do it, make sure you are not making a wavy mess or making deep sanding scratches. Does the car have any hidden rust? Paint jobs are expensive, even if you do some of the prep work, so talk to the painter about what the whole thing will cost. Better to hold off than do a so-so job, in my opinion.

Hot rod magazine had a decent article on this subject a few months back and there is a magazine/booklet on the stands right now on the subject.

[astroracer]

I have four questions for you...
1) Do you have the equipment to do the job?
2) Do you have the space to do the job?
3) Do you have the knowledge to do the job?
4) Is this something you would like to do as a hobby or a career?

#1 and #4 go hand in hand. If this is something you want to continue to do as a hobby I would suggest buying the equipment. If this is just a one shot deal... farm it out. The equipment, to do the job correctly, will cost you as much, if not more, as a paint job now-a-days and, if you don't plan to utilize the equipment in the future, you are not saving yourself any money.
#3 is something you can learn as you go and asking questions here and on other boards is a great way to learn quickly. Of course, doing the work is much harder then the TV shows portray it and it is NOT a glamorous job as they would have you believe.
Make that 5 questions...
Have you priced materials lately? A complete paint job, which includes stripping to bare metal, re-priming, doing body work and re-top coating can run well over 1K just for materials. Starting at out square one will probably cost you double that because you will have to buy ALL of the supplies, from sanding boards and sand paper to spray equipment and polishing supplies.
I DON'T want to discourage you here... I just want you to look at the big picture. If this is something you could do as a hobby, go for the equipment. If not....
Mark