I'm finally starting my DIY car paint (240Z)

[logan1]

Well I decided to go the DIY route on everything i have done to my car so far. Hence it only seemed logical to go DIY on the car paint itself. This is the first time i am painting a car and hopefully i do a good job. Please feel free to share any painting tips /advise or pitfalls from you DIY painting experience.

I have finished all the body work (a real pita) and an in the process of creating my garage paint booth for painting my car.

I keep this thread updated i i progress through the painting process through the coming week or so.

[pjoe]

looks like fun. im planning on doing the same thing hopefully in next 6 months. good or bad at least you can say you did it. good luck. look forward to seeing the progress

[g9m3c]

The one word of advice I can give is make SURE every little nook and cranny is wrapped/taped around that engine bay. Overspray can creep into places you wouldn't believe and you wouldn't want that on that nice engine.

[logan1]

Part 2 : Paint Supplies

Ok so i got the spot lights from HF.

Next on my list were the paint supplies:

The car paint scheme is going to be Viper Red body with Gloss Black ZG flares and a carbon fiber Sparrow tail spoiler. Also I was able to borrow a friends brothers DeVilbliss GTI gun to paint the car

misc supplies:

3M compounds and buffer for the final color sand and buff:

Carbon Fiber Sparrow tail spoiler:

[motorman7]

Wow, looks like a great start. I love fresh supplies and carbon fiber

[kenz240z]

Looks like you are off to a good start. I painted my '73 in the garage. Used a HF gun for the basecoat & clearcoat, too. Surface prep is the real key, get the body straight & sanded down real smooth and the paint should turn out pretty good! The HF lamps should be ok, but I'd recommend a couple of 4' flourecent lamps. Put them down on the floor when you are painting the lower half of the car. Without plenty of good light, you'd be surprised at how it will look like you got a good amount of paint on the car. Until you see it in the sun, that is!

Ventilation is another key. I used 2 fans, one with a filter to blow clean air in, another with a filter to suck out the over spray. I used a filter on the 2nd fan to minimize the spray "dust" going into the fan. Remember your physics: finely atomized particles when presented with a spark (fan motor) tend to go "BOOM!" Be safe and have fun!

[Bonzi Lon]

I agree with Ken on the 4' flouresent lights down low. Mine were 2 bulb adjustable on a stand, a pair of them. They will come in real handy when doing the final cut & buff. For some reason I was able to see better & get better results by doing the cut & buff at night, keeping the light consistant. The extra ambient light during the day made it difficult for me to see the proper reflection. My biggest fear was buffing down to the paint, which never happened, but a few edges are thin. Good luck.

FYI: I did not bc/cc the car, just cut & buff.

Bonzi Lon

[logan1]

**Update on car paint**

Unfortunately i had to travel for work all of this week and hence progress on the car has been slow. I just finished spraying the final coat of primer tonight. Tomorrow i'll do some sanding in the morning and hopefully i'll have the color and clear done by the end of the day.

Below are a few pictures of the primer. It has a 1 or 2 flaws but i'll fix that tomorrow morning before shooting a coat of sealer.

[motorman7]

Very Cool!! Hope to be able to paint my own some day.

Keep up the good work.

[Zs-ondabrain]

Looks great so far. I just found the thread or else I was gonna tell you torun a length of primary wire under the hatch glass weather stripping. Slide the wire just between the metal and rubber to lift the lip and allow the paint and clear to go under the lip for a more professional look.

But, aparently, I'm too late. Oh well, still looks good. Also, What color are you gonna do on your ZG flares (noticed the cut fender and wheel arch area's)???

Dave

Edited October 31, 2010 by Zs-ondabrain

[logan1]

**Update on car paint**

unfortunately i fell short of my goal of getting the color and clear on today. I had a few lil flaws that i needed to correct and then i shot an extra layer of primer before i could start shooting the color.

Below are a few pictures of the color. For my first ever car paint i think it came out rather well. I am really pleased with the results and hope i don't screw-up the clear coat. let me know what you guys think of the car so far.

[Mike B]

Just curious, but if you have gone to all the trouble to remove all the glass, hatch, fenders, etc. why would you just mask over the antenna, door handle, locks and mirror?

-Mike