Beachdrifter

Hello all,

Well, I really like the sideskirts off the evofusion site for the cuda kit.
I had my bumper installed and painted a few years ago by a shop. I figure sideskirts are pretty easy to install and I am considering doing it myself.

BUT, I have never painted anything before. What is the proper method for painting? For example, how do I color match, do I need any primer, do I use a spray gun or aresol can, etc.

I know this may sound stupid to some more experienced people, but really, I have no clue on painting. In the end, is it worth it and cheaper to do it myself??


Thanks.

JalemX

id' say leave it to the pro's , you need all the tools and the paint for what you will save it's not worth it in my opinion, with how it looks after a DIY or after a professional job. & to answer your question it's spray gun.

MK3Design

do your homework

You must spend hours of researching this before you attempt anything. Your going to need a air compressor, gun, paint (best place to buy is www.paintscratch.com ). [you dont plan to use a spraycan do you?!]

Search google on DIY Paintjobs or somthing and just read, see what tools you will need.

hamhead

By the time you pay for the materials to paint with and the tools, you'll have exceeeded what most paint shops would charge. Paintshops actually make very little money, the paint to paint an entire car is like $800 from manufacturers, aftermarket places like House of Kolor, etc. So you would end up paying a good amount for paint and such, you would have to repaint practically half of each side of the car. Thats why those $99 Meiko paintjobs suck. tongue.gif

TibRacer01

I have experience in painting and feel very confident painting a car, but I have decided to take my car in and pay someone to paint it.

Here is the reason: I have yet to see someone paint there car in a garage and have it turn out any good. The problem is, when the paint/clear coat is drying, it acts almost like a magnet to dust/dirt. When the clear coat dries, one spot of dust will look like a white spot about as large as a fish eye.

The last car that I painted was in a paint booth, and I still had the same problem. The booth wasn't all that great, but we did what we could to clean it. when my car came out, I found about 10 dust/dirt particles that had to be sanded out, 1 paint run about 3" long (yea, autobody paint is very easy to run unless you are experienced), and a 6" hair that couldn't be sanded out.

If you are looking for a quality jod, I would find someone that has a booth, or pay someone to do it for you. I am not trying to put your attempts down, just talking from a little experience.

CyberShark

Yep, if you don't have much experince painting, let someone else who does do it.

01tibby

i dont know about painting, but to help with dust when tinting, you wet the ground. soaks up ALL dust. ive only tinted once, by myself, and i had NO problems with dust.

TibRacer01

Wetting the ground does help, but the ground is going to be dry before the paint is and unless you have a huge garage, I wouldn't suggest wetting the ground while the paint is drying because it could splatter on the paint.

Also, dust comes from other places too. A good booth should be air tight w/ the exception of air filters at one end and exhaust fans at the other.

zoned019

find a SMALL air gun, get a compressor, make sure it is equipped with a moisture trap.
go to a paint store, tell them what your painting and your paint code and they will give you the correct amounts of paint, clear, primer. read the labels for instructions. a lot of times these things come in bulk, and you'll have to buy the smallest amount possible and itll still cost you $150. make sure you buy paint that does not need to cure for 30 days.
then, find a ventilated, cool, CLEAN, dry area to spray, and paint EVEN, THIN coats. if you have a small gun and know how to use it, it really isn't that hard. don't try to use a big gun, you could use an airbrush and if you just take your time it will probably be okay.

i was HIGHLY considering painting my fender, but i got a really good deal on a shop doing it so i decided to let them do it, they'll also be molding in some Z3 fenders for me, and fixing my windshield (which they just did smile.gif.

Beachdrifter

Ok, thanks all... i think i will leave it up to the pros... the last shop that painted for me did a fantastic job.