Preping a car for paint

[PANDAemic]

I'm planning on painting my car soon and I got some advise from some guys at O'reilly's that preping your car at home is much easier and more cost effective then getting it done professionally.

I was just wondering, what steps it would take to get this done?
Was planning on getting this done by myself and help from my cousins over the weekend and getting the 1-day paint job at MAACO.

I posted this in the detailing section too, but it seems quite dead to me so I'm posting this here if thats alright.

[4cefed]

Subscribed.

[elwesso]

Do you have any body damage that needs fixed before you proceed?

I'm actually considering doing this too and the first thing you need to do is get any and all body damage fixed.. If you have any dents, I would suggest taking it to a paintless dent removal place and having that done first. They could probably do the car for $100-$200 and that would eliminate a lot of work later, because any body filler you use you have to use primer.

Otherwise, everything I've seen you basically just need to scuff the surface and then paint. Sanding is the worst part.

[leesredgt]

Basically just sand and sand and sand and sad lol I just got done painting mine.

my-uplanned-mr2-build-project-t540135-30.html


Came out pretty good i think especially for someone that doesn't do it everyday.

I fixed all the dents in it myself with a lil bit of bondo, but like elwesso said you'll need to prime over every spot you do. And then of course sand and sand until its babys butt smooth. lol

[PANDAemic]

Do you have any body damage that needs fixed before you proceed?

I'm actually considering doing this too and the first thing you need to do is get any and all body damage fixed.. If you have any dents, I would suggest taking it to a paintless dent removal place and having that done first. They could probably do the car for $100-$200 and that would eliminate a lot of work later, because any body filler you use you have to use primer.

Otherwise, everything I've seen you basically just need to scuff the surface and then paint. Sanding is the worst part.

I plan on getting the dents removed pretty soon, I have a hand rotary sander so it shouldn't be too bad, what grain would you recommend?

Basically just sand and sand and sand and sad lol I just got done painting mine.

my-uplanned-mr2-build-project-t540135-30.html


Came out pretty good i think especially for someone that doesn't do it everyday.

I fixed all the dents in it myself with a lil bit of bondo, but like elwesso said you'll need to prime over every spot you do. And then of course sand and sand until its babys butt smooth. lol

I plan on driving my car to Maaco so how would you suggest I tape off the windows and such? Should I just tape them off at Maaco or just pay a little extra and let them do it?

I can't paint the car myself because of the lack of space in my area and there happened to be a Maaco a few streets from my house.

Also, is it dangerous to the car to drive around in a car thats sanded down? I was planning on either going bare metal so I can get an OEM nissan white or sanding enough to go back to my original color of OEM nissan red. (Does anybody know the names of these colors?)

[frapjap]

I don't recommend going to metal without a beter quality paint job (read: not Maaco). Burn through the clear and a little bit of the base coat and you'll be alright.

Using your hand sander, go over the entire car, panel by panel. Do the nooks and crannies by hand. In either case, start with 80 grit, then 100, then 120, then 160, 180, and finally 220 w/wet sand. Skip steps and it'll show in the final product. The best paint jobs are the ones with the best prep work. You may find some additional dings and dents while doing this. I suggest filling them and then repeating the same steps on the affected areas BY HAND until they're blended in smoothly with no dips, creases, or ridges.
Pro tip- 3M sandpaper lasts the longest (in my experience) and is well worth the extra buck or two for the pads.

Tape off the car yourself. Those guys couldn't care about overspray and windows. Don't be cheap and use heavy brown paper, not newspaper. Get blue painters tape. Don't forget to mask off wheel wells, wheels & tires (burlap bags work well for this), fog light holes, side mirrors, etc.

As for colors, go to Autozone and look at the duplicolor book for find out what the color codes are.

[PANDAemic]

Awesome, how much do you think prep work would cost?

also i don't know if this got missed but is it safe to drive with a sanded car?

[frapjap]

Driving shouldn't be a problem, you're not going far. But I would wipe it down with clean towels and hot water after you drive it and allow it to dry before painting.

Prep work costs you the sandpaper and your time. How much do you think you're worth? Most prep guys are $20+/hr. I like doing it myself because other folks typically glaze over things and don't put as much effort and detail as you would. My car took me about 40-45 hours per side- and I'm very meticulous.

I'm no professional, but a reasonable quote for proper prep, ding repair and paint will be 5k+.

[PANDAemic]

Whoops, i worded my question wrong. I meant the materials needed for prep work. Stuff like sand paper, brown paper, bondo, the stuff you wipe your car down with to get off any dirt and stuff, etc.

[frapjap]

I don't know the costs of materials. I was working at at body shop on the side when I worked on my car. You'll have to google around for the best price(s). NAPA also carries everything you'll need at a fair rate.

[PANDAemic]

Can you give a list of materials that you'd recommend i get?

[Encryptshun]

www.google.com

If you have to ask questions like "what materials should I get", you're either too lazy to do this work yourself or too uninformed.

Go do some homework.

[frapjap]

Can you give a list of materials that you'd recommend i get?

<A class=vglnk title="Link added by VigLink" href="http://www.google.com" rel=nofollow vglnk_1320764640010="1">http://www.google.com</A>

If you have to ask questions like "what materials should I get", you're either too lazy to do this work yourself or too uninformed.

Go do some homework.

I don't recommend going to metal without a beter quality paint job (read: not Maaco). Burn through the clear and a little bit of the base coat and you'll be alright.

Using your hand sander, go over the entire car, panel by panel. Do the nooks and crannies by hand. In either case, start with 80 grit, then 100, then 120, then 160, 180, and finally 220 w/wet sand. Skip steps and it'll show in the final product. The best paint jobs are the ones with the best prep work. You may find some additional dings and dents while doing this. I suggest filling them and then repeating the same steps on the affected areas BY HAND until they're blended in smoothly with no dips, creases, or ridges.
Pro tip- 3M sandpaper lasts the longest (in my experience) and is well worth the extra buck or two for the pads.

Tape off the car yourself. Those guys couldn't care about overspray and windows. Don't be cheap and use heavy brown paper, not newspaper. Get blue painters tape. Don't forget to mask off wheel wells, wheels & tires (burlap bags work well for this), fog light holes, side mirrors, etc.

As for colors, go to Autozone and look at the duplicolor book for find out what the color codes are.

[PANDAemic]

http://www.google.com

If you have to ask questions like "what materials should I get", you're either too lazy to do this work yourself or too uninformed.

Go do some homework.

The reason why I ask for materials IS because google didn't help. most sites are either very vague on what is needed or just plain not helpful. Google may seem convenient but it's not always the most helpful.

[Dattebayo]

DO work, son.

Get out and ask some paint guys at a store, the guys in here gave you a lot of information already.
We can't do everything for you, you gotta get up and do some research yourself.

[PANDAemic]

I've been to a lot of places, all they ever recommend me is to get the prep work done at the store because its much better. I tell them I can't because I'm on a budget and then they just tell me to leave. People in my area are a bunch of d*cks...

[leesredgt]

Just go to Lowes and get everything you need there. I got the brown paper, tape, and sand paper there for under 80 bucks.

[mmkeller]

Don't forget the tac rag, I use just before first coat of paint.

[leesredgt]

Don't forget the tac rag, I use just before first coat of paint.

Ah yes i forgot ab those! I actually got 5 when i did mine. I used one on the top of the car,one on one side and one on the other. Then the other two on the front and rear. Just make sure its really really clean.

[PANDAemic]

Thanks a lot guys!

[TrimDude]

Another valuable thing you will need is patience, patience, time and more patience. Your end result will be a direct result of how much time you do or do not put into prep. That supplies list above is pretty good, run with that .

[Dattebayo]

I've been to a lot of places, all they ever recommend me is to get the prep work done at the store because its much better. I tell them I can't because I'm on a budget and then they just tell me to leave. People in my area are a bunch of d*cks...

By "paint store" I didn't mean go to a body shop and ask, I mean go to a store that sells automotive paint and body supplies and ask. They are around.

[PANDAemic]

Hmm, I've asked the guys at my local "O'reilly's" about those kind of shops that sell you matched paints in a can so you can do it yourself but they've never heard of any places. It's either there are none in my area or really hidden. Yelp currently is not helping out so well in searching for a "paint store".

[Encryptshun]

The only thing you should ever ask for at an O'Reilly's is directions to a different store.

[PANDAemic]

The only thing you should ever ask for at an O'Reilly's is directions to a different store.

Note taken

[idahotuner]

bondo and guide spray and a way to sand levelly

[Mr1der]

oh boy.

spraying paint on a car is the easiest part of a paintjob.

prepwork is EVERYTHING for a good paintjob.