Newly Painted 280Z

[BD240Z]

Hi All,

Just finished painting and re-assembling my 1978 Black Pearl 280Z. It doesn't really qualify as a Black Pearl anymore because I used 2005 Nissan Altima, (Super Black) for my paint. But the car still has the original paint sticker with the 638 number. The car was an Arizona desert car which means rust was very minimal and I'm aware of all the places it can be a problem.

I went through the entire vehicle but the body/painting work took 75% of the time involved which is why I'm posting it in this section. I've been a member for a little over a year now and have read hundreds and hundreds of posts while completing this task.

The entire suspension is new with the exception of the springs. I also replaced the seat covers, carpet, windshield, complete weatherstrip kit, rack & pinion, tires and many, many other items.

The engine produced some pretty solid numbers on a leak down test so nothing was done to the internal engine. I did replace all of the sensors including the electrical connectors, the fuel pressure regulator, fuel pump, auxillary air valve and one injector.

I kept a reasonable record of my time and I have a little over 300 hours and $5,200, (that includes the price of the car) invested in the project.

I did the bodywork and painting in my garage. Like others have said, there's a reason a good quality paint job costs as much as it does. I did the Skim-coat, block-sand, guide-coat routine, over and over and over until I achieved flat/straight panels. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the results. There is a huge sense of accomplishment in painting your car and having it turn out right. When the body was finished and ready for paint, I was thinking of having it shot by a paint shop. I'm glad I forged ahead on my own and I encourage anyone contemplating the effort to give it a try. Preparation is the key.

Tony D, a member here suggested using a self-contained Turbine HVLP paint system from Harbor Freight for painting so that's what I did. The unit costs $100 and it worked out, I had my doubts but I was wrong.

I still have some faint traces of orange peel here and there but I'll wait until the fall to guide coat the clear and buff the paint back out. For now, it's driving time.

Hopefully these pictures upload and look OK.

[Zak's Z]

That looks excellent. That black really suits it. Nice work.

Zak

[mdbrandy]

I'm in the middle of researching "garage painting" myself. What kind of paint system did you choose? It is a catalyzed paint, or single stage? One of the biggest issues seems to be isocyanates in modern paints. I'm doing a lot of reading about different paint systems that might work for the garage painter, but no decisions yet...

[EScanlon]

Looks EXCELLENT!

Paint reflection doesn't show any irregularities.....smooth panels.....check.

Color / Shine consistent and crispy clear......check.

Judging from the pictures, I'd give it an A @ 10 ft, but that's just......

my 2¢

[EScanlon]

I would be interested to know what your plans are for the wheels.

Also regarding "orange peel": Let your paint CURE thoroughly, not just set to handle-able/re-assembly hardness.

You will find that some of that orange peel will settle out, and some will be more pronounced.

IME, some paint lines specify that the paint can be handled and re-assembled at a given point after the application. Although the paint is generally hard enough to withstand even re-assembly, it isn't hard enough to polish. Sometimes it isn't even ready to wet-sand. This may sound contradictory, but check your paint spec book, the one showing you how long between coats, what primers, etc, or at least ask the paint shop where you bought it from.

A rule of thumb on this, used to be to wait for 30 days, and then you could literally consider it "cooked". Nowdays, with the advent of a couple of different formulations, there are a wide gamut of times.

This is important, because if you plan on "cutting" the clear coat and then buffing out, you don't want to... literally... smear-burn your paint off with the polisher.

FWIW

E

[BD240Z]

Thanks for the compliments Zak/Escanlon.

MDBrandy, I used a two stage system and the primer/paint is PPG Omni, these are catalyzed products. It's their low end series but it's what I wanted for my first time painting a complete car. I also chose a 2-stage system because it gave me the opportunity to sand/buff-out any mistakes or runs that occurred and yes I had a few.

I do recommend an HVLP system because the transfer efficiency is higher. I used about a 1/2 gallon of base coat and 3/4 gallon of clear to do the job. That's 2 coats of color and 4 coats of clear. Good luck with your decision and efforts.

[mdbrandy]

Thanks for the compliments Zak/Escanlon.

MDBrandy, I used a two stage system and the primer/paint is PPG Omni, these are catalyzed products. It's their low end series but it's what I wanted for my first time painting a complete car. I also chose a 2-stage system because it gave me the opportunity to sand/buff-out any mistakes or runs that occurred and yes I had a few.

I do recommend an HVLP system because the transfer efficiency is higher. I used about a 1/2 gallon of base coat and 3/4 gallon of clear to do the job. That's 2 coats of color and 4 coats of clear. Good luck with your decision and efforts.

I was just at our local PPG dealer yesterday investigating what they have. We have 2 automotive paint shops in town - one sells PPG, and one sells Dupont.

What kind of respirator did you use? Cartridge or supplied air?

I will be using HVLP of some sort, although the Ingersoll-Rand gun I currently have (for painting suspension parts) will be replaced with something else...

Oh - and your ride looks really nice

[BD240Z]

Sorry about any confusion, the car has already been color sanded. Per the recommendation of the paint supplier, I did the sanding about 10 days after spraying the clear-coat. Any remaining traces of orange peel will be guide-coated because when you put this many hours into a project, you want to make it as nice as possible. Not to say the completed work is anywhere close to perfect, it's not. I was able to sand most of the mistakes and flaws out, those remaining I will live with. I just always wanted to paint a car and this presented a perfect opportunity. I can't wait to do it again!!

Escanlon; I'm torn on the wheels because I have a re-finished set of OE/honeycomb hubcaps for the car and they're stock for a 1978. However, I like the looks of these, they just need a GOOD cleaning and the center caps need re-chromed. Sooner or later I'll get a set of steel wheels and install the hubcaps. If you're interested in these wheels, let me know and I'll expedite the process.

MDBrandy, I was (cough) supposed to (cough) use a respirator, (cough). Just kidding, I used a cartridge respirator and I got it at the same place as my painting supplies.

Good luck with your cars.

[Virto]

Looks great.

Also, nice 4-series Porsche.

[EScanlon]

Not sure what you mean by the "honeycomb" hubcaps. The "Maltese Cross" style maybe?

The reason for mentioning your wheels, is I have a very similar set although not identical to yours. I was interested to find out what thoughts if any you had for them, but I wanted YOUR thoughts on what you thought would look good. (So now I've tainted the jury.)

Aside from the looks of the wheels, do yourself a favor/option. Get the steel wheels / hubcaps but keep your mags. That way you can have a "look" set of wheels, and an "original" set. That way, if you choose to go to car shows and enter in the "People's Choice" or .... you can opt for whatever will get you more "points".

E

[KDMatt]

Man that's gorgeous! Even that engine bay looks pristine. What kind of mileage are we talking about here?

Are you planning on reproducing the Black Pearl special appearance stuff?

[datto_240z]

Looks awesome! And black is ment to be the hardest colour to paint!

i know exactly what you mean about painting it yourself. i was going to get my 75 2+2 painted elsewhere in Daytona Blue(350Z colour). But i decided since i had gotten that far(all in primer) I would do it myself. So i did it white because it hides the most imperfections

I did it at home in acrylic. I just sprayed it out the back of my house. the only problem was stray dog hairs!!!

now some nice chrome/polished alloys would just set it off perfectly!