DIY painting body panels... anyone done this?

colin_koehler

colin_koehler

Great SCOTT!
So during my last visit the track I banged up my car and have to buy a new Hood and a new front left fender, neither of which are the same color as my car. Even with my discounts at the Dealership they want $400 to paint these 2 panels, possibly $300 for single stage but for only 2 body items at that price I'd rather have a multi color car.

I'm now thinking of buying a cheap HVLP gravity fed gun from Home Depot and some paint and giving it a whirl myself.

I'm not necessarily sold on doing it myself but would like any help someone could spare or any advice someone can give to make this cheap and effective! I would like to accomplish this task for around or under $100.

Please and thank you!
 
http://www.harborfreight.com/hvlp-detail-spray-gun-46719.html?___SID=U This seems to be one of the better cheap guns out there Make sure your compressor is more than rated CFM than your gun. You will loose pressure with all of the filters and lines, and HVLP guns are air hog, but they lay the paint down nicely! Also make sure you get an additional oil and water seperator for between your air compressor and paint gun. Without these "filters" you could potentially contaminate your new paint job.
 
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colin_koehler said:
..... for only 2 body items at that price I'd rather have a multi color car....
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Remember the 50/50 rule.. Race car paint only needs to look good from 50 feet away while doing over 50 MPH (i.e. spray cans work good :) ).

Don't know what Dealership you work for but..... I would think you could find some fellow-racer with a gun who'd shoot it for you for a case of Heineken. $400 sounds like the price to shoot a couple of Lamborghini body panels.
 
Richard Broadhead said:
Remember the 50/50 rule.. Race car paint only needs to look good from 50 feet away while doing over 50 MPH (i.e. spray cans work good :) )..
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EXACTLY! Race car colors are best chosen from the Krylon color catalog, not House of Color.

If you have more time and elbow grease than money, google "rustoleum roller paint job".
Definitely, will produce race car quality and you can do it for less than your budget.
Plus, if you screw it up...who cares.
 
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Richard Broadhead said:
I would think you could find some fellow-racer with a gun who'd shoot it for you for a case of Heineken. $400 sounds like the price to shoot a couple of Lamborghini body panels.
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Anyone fellow racers willing to volunteer!?

FFRspec: thanks for the advice on the gun and filters. I will look into those. If this DIY thing goes well I might just do the whole car the following season!
 
Spray paint should work. Eric Blois did my whole car with like $50 in spray paint.

With that approach, you could probably even try out a whole new paint scheme without costing much. Besides, your CRX is tiny!
 
I replaced both front fenders this winter with shiny new black OEM fenders. Cheapest price I could find to shoot both of them OFF THE CAR was $525.....want to hazard a guess as to what color fenders I will be running with this year? If you could match the car color, I would think a really expensive rattle can product would actually do a pretty good job. Or take the whole car into Maaco for their $399 single coat special.
 
A number of PRO3 cars have been shot at Maaco in Kent. They painted my front clip, on the car, for around $500. I don't think you could buy the materials for that. Krylon does work, but it is not automotive paint and won't harden like auto paints. In hot weather and dusty tracks (read: "Spokane") you may find that the paint attracts dirt and it doesnt wash off.

I mention the Maaco in Kent specifically because the owner there has expressed real interest in being a bigger part of the local racer crowd.

I guess it all depends on what level of finish you are looking for.
 
Good automotive paint is not cheap. A quart of red is $150 + the thinner and hardener. I have painted race cars for several years and the prep work is the key to a long lasting finish. The $300 price for a fender and a hood is very reasonable. Purchasing a good HVLP gun starts at $100 and climbs to $500 for a SATAJET. The better quality equipment and supplies you use will return volumes for your next repair. Yes there will be a next repair, that is just part of racing. Always use single stage paint for race cars, it is much easier to blend in a touch-up or crash.
 
Dave Bennitt said:
Good automotive paint is not cheap. A quart of red is $150 + the thinner and hardener. I have painted race cars for several years and the prep work is the key to a long lasting finish. The $300 price for a fender and a hood is very reasonable. Purchasing a good HVLP gun starts at $100 and climbs to $500 for a SATAJET. The better quality equipment and supplies you use will return volumes for your next repair. Yes there will be a next repair, that is just part of racing. Always use single stage paint for race cars, it is much easier to blend in a touch-up or crash.
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Dave, I am not sure I agree with the "single stage" comment. Base clear is way easier to repair and blend IMO. With single stage you are painting the whole panel, at least with base/clear you can do a spot repair.

I painted my first race car open air and it turned out great (with base clear) only issue were the damn bugs that kept dropping in the paint. I learned to leave them alone and wet sand out later :)

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Maaco in Tacoma. 50% off any "menu" paint job. save yourself the hassle. Got my Jetta painted by them 2 years ago. The Presidential cost me $249.00 for the whole car. I masked it and did a basic prep. turned out pretty darn good and I didn't have to learn the trade in the process.
 
Colin,

I have painted and have a gun, If you do the prep, I am sure we could work something out, or check out Aldercrest Auto Rebuild.(off 196th next to Spaghetti Factory My best friend runs the shop and I am sure he could help you out.
 
Anthony, when using single stage you can spot repair in one operation. I have repainted several racecars without repainting the entire panel. I guess that it is a matter of preference but for the DIY first timer, SG is less complicated, just prep and shoot, in my humble opinion.
 
Colin,

I have some experience spraying Rustoleum from an HF gravity feed gun. 1 gal of Rustoleum would probably cover your CRX 3 times and sells for ~$25. 2 gal will cover one of the biggest vehicles imaginable, it's not particularly pretty but I would make the same choice again. I may soon be spraying a front clip up as well.
 
After talking with Mark I got some really good advice and I am going to visit the Sherwin Williams Automotive store today and go it alone! If it doesn't totally suck I'll probably do the rest of the car next winter.

Thank you for all the advice and willingness to help everyone!
 
They painted my front clip, on the car, for around $500. I don't think you could buy the materials for that.
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nope.

I agree with Dave, btw- cheap internet single stage is just fine for what we do. I'm up to 4 different generations of green- yes, of COURSE you can tell.
There's no 'feather', 'blend' or other fancy tricks- scuff it with 600, squirt it and run it! Masking optional!
 
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