My over $50 Paint Job

[partyharty]

And as they say a picture is worth a thousand words

old




new




Total Cost about $90
Total Time about 10 hours

There are a few problems with the paint. Basically they can all be attributed to this being my first car to paint. There are a few runs in the paint, some dust, and probably a couple of thousand bugs (can you tell I painted it outside). Very little prep work was done (I did not punch out any of the dents and all I did was scuff up the paint before painting). All in all it looks a lot better than it has any right to.

I can say the next car I paint (truck actually) will look a lot better.

However for the money this was worth it.

[partyharty]

ok I give, how do you post pictures on this board?

[Pico]

try uploading your pictures to photobucket

[2ndGenGuy]

You left off the http://

[partyharty]

You left off the http://

That was it.

Thanks

[Civic Accord Honda]

looks pretty nice man!
come paint mine!!!!

next thing i would do is paint the rims bronze and take the center caps off

[partyharty]

looks pretty nice man!
come paint mine!!!!

next thing i would do is paint the rims bronze and take the center caps off

Thanks

I am wanting to do something with the rims but I am not sure what. I am checking some of the yards out around here to see if I can find some good ones.

I did just do a search and found a picture with the bronze rims, lets just say thats not my thing. (lol)

[frantik]

not super crazy bout the color but good job

[partyharty]

not super crazy bout the color but good job

I actually agree, we were hoping for more of a dark green but this is how it came out. It did get darker as it dried (when its wet it looks like john deer green :>)

[MessyHonda]

cool

[88LXi68]

I actually agree, we were hoping for more of a dark green but this is how it came out. It did get darker as it dried (when its wet it looks like john deer green :>)

lol you should paint the pin stripe yellow and put small yellow deer decals in the rear quarter windows.

[partyharty]

lol you should paint the pin stripe yellow and put small yellow deer decals in the rear quarter windows.

My wife wanted me to. I veto'd it though

[bank2me]

Harty looks decently. I started mine last night I just did the hatch and front bumper today I'm going to wetsand it and see what it looks like.

[bank2me]

Hey Harty I put 1 coat on yesterday and wet sanded today with 1000 grit sandpaper to see what it'd look like and it went down to the primer and the rest was like a flat color. Any ideas on why that happened? I just used a bucket with soapy water and dipped the 1000 grit in it every so often.

[partyharty]

Hey Harty I put 1 coat on yesterday and wet sanded today with 1000 grit sandpaper to see what it'd look like and it went down to the primer and the rest was like a flat color. Any ideas on why that happened? I just used a bucket with soapy water and dipped the 1000 grit in it every so often.

There is a process that you will need to go through. You will need to put several coats on before you wet sand the first time or you will eat through the paint. If you are doing it right the paint is really, really thin (as in you will be able to see the color behind it for a few coats. Figure 3-4 coats for total coverage. I would not wet sand until you have at least 2-3 coats (and even then you will find some places that it will cut the paint down).

Are you using a sanding block?

[bank2me]

Yea im using the sanding block with the 1000 grit sandpaper. How do you know when to stop sanding?

[partyharty]

Yea im using the sanding block with the 1000 grit sandpaper. How do you know when to stop sanding?

I stopped when it was smooth with no visible orange peel. With that said I do have some orange peel in the paintjob which can be seen if you look closely (it is from the initial coats where I put too much on at once). Make sure you get all surface impurities out at each step or it will show up in the final coat.

[Ichiban]

It's surprising how little sanding you really need to do. When block sanding primer, a gravelly finish goes dead smooth with almost no effort and the 600 grit paper. Like said before, you want to basically knock off the high spots and achieve a smooth surface, rather than removing a layer of paint. Be especially careful on the crests of body lines and the edges of panels, as the edges concentrate the pressure and you'll blow through the paint very easily. After a while, you will notice the difference in "grip" as your paper becomes worn. With minimal pressure you should be sliding the paper and block across the panel, and when it begins to slide very easily, it's time to change paper as the abrasives are dull. If you end up with shiny streaks, you probably have clogged your paper with blobs of paint residue. Remember to use lots of water. A continuous flood from a hose, or at the very least, a squirt bottle, is sufficient. You need to wash away the paint residue and keep the paper clean, ie frequent rinsing in a bucket. Be patient.

[bank2me]

Harty what is that orange peel you are talking about? So do you think I should stick with 1000 grit for wetsanding too? And if I put like 3 coats on the car what will it look like after I sand it? I'm painting it black by the way.