This is a great project for the at-home-do-it-your-selfer. Here's the idea, you find this great car for a great price. It runs good, mileage is excellent and the interior is to die for. When you get out, the color is just not your thing, but a combination of split peas and baby vomit. Also, there have been some nicks in the paint job from a long time ago, so they have started to rust and peel away the paint around them due to weathering. The car itself looks like a puke green leper! Have no fear! You can get that great car and instead of spending thousands of dollars going to an auto body shop to get a new paint job, you can paint it yourself for a fraction of the price! Here's how we start.
Required Materials/Tools
- Car soap and water
- Wax stripper and a degreaser
- Some masking tape
- Paint primer
- A large roll of plastic (enough to cover all the windows)
- Paint (with a urethane base, and in a color that is ascetically pleasing -- meaning it looks good!)
- Masking tape
- Sand paper
- Wire
- Clear coat paint
- Body putty
- Black enamel paint
- Some old rags you're not afraid to loose
- A paint sprayer (preferably with an adjustable nozzle)
- Putty knife for the putty
- A garden hose with a bucket
- A garage/open space to paint the car in
Preparation
- First there are a few things we need to consider before taking paint to the car. Where are we going to paint? We need an open and well ventilated area. A garage is nice, but can get stuffy. If we paint outside, then we need to make sure there is no rain or humidity. The ideal temperature of the room should be 55 degrees.
- Now, we need the car to sparkle! Wash the car and remove all the wax, grease and tar. The surface must be free of any dust.
- We need to remove any rust on the car. Take an electric sander or sand paper and sand down any and all rust spots. Continue on with any bumpy areas and scratches on the car.
- We then need to ground your car to get rid of static cling. Take a copper wire and attach it to a ground. Then hook it up to the body of the car. Proceed to do a final rinse to rid the car of dust particles.
- Dry your car with towels. It must be dry before starting the paint job.
- Look over the car and with the putty and putty knife, fill any rust holes or uneven areas. Make the car smooth. Allow the putty to dry completely.
- Now cover the windows with the plastic. Use masking tape to attach the plastic to the areas you do not wish to paint.
Instructions
- Prime the car. Spray the primer evenly across the car. While the car is drying, clean the paint sprayer.
- Coat the car with black enamel. Spray evenly over the primer. While drying, clean the paint sprayer again.
- Sand the car. The coat of enamel must be removed before painting, sand down any uneven surfaces and bubbles that may have appeared.
- Get the sprayer ready with your coat of paint. Spray the car and allow drying. Repeat this step a couple of times, giving the paint time to dry between each coat. Clean the paint sprayer after this is done.
- This time use the clear coat paint. Again, spray the car evenly and smoothly and allow it to dry. Continue this 2 more times.
- Allow to dry overnight.
- In the morning, apply any racing stripes and decals to the car by covering the areas not to be painted.
- Remove plastic from windows and other areas.
- Go show off!