I just bought an old 91 RX7... i bought it because i think it's time i learned to drive a manual. It was dirt cheap ($700!), so no big loss. But it's a pretty decent car to drive... i like the feel for it. I was wondering, how hard is it to repaint the car myself? Anybody know of a good website to do this yourself?
YACT: How to repaint your own car?
- Thread starter Looney
- Start date
DrPizza
Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Just get about a dozen cans of really good rustoleum from the hardware store.... don't let anyone tell you different. 
Seriously, It's not really hard to do, but you'll need a lot of practice before you actually start painting your car. First, you'll have to get rid of any rust, spray on some primer, bondo if necessary, etc.
You'll also want a fairly good quality sprayer for best results..
Seriously, It's not really hard to do, but you'll need a lot of practice before you actually start painting your car. First, you'll have to get rid of any rust, spray on some primer, bondo if necessary, etc.
You'll also want a fairly good quality sprayer for best results..
if you've never done it you definately want to find a friend who has for help and advice...then again, it's only a $700 car so if you mess up...
You need a very CLEAN garage, an air compressor, and a paint gun.
Then you need a WHOLE lot if time, becasue stripping off the old paint, fixing dents/doing body work, and priming the car takes forever.
Painting a car requires a lot of manual labor. You have to disassemble a lot of the car (remove headlights, trim, engine if you want to paint the engine bay, etc) do a LOT of sanding, fix or fill the dents, sand some more. spray the car with primer, sand again. paint the car, hope it comes out ok since you've never done it before, then possibly sand and repaint again (probably at least once, since it's your first time), then reassemble the car.
Then you need a WHOLE lot if time, becasue stripping off the old paint, fixing dents/doing body work, and priming the car takes forever.
Painting a car requires a lot of manual labor. You have to disassemble a lot of the car (remove headlights, trim, engine if you want to paint the engine bay, etc) do a LOT of sanding, fix or fill the dents, sand some more. spray the car with primer, sand again. paint the car, hope it comes out ok since you've never done it before, then possibly sand and repaint again (probably at least once, since it's your first time), then reassemble the car.
If you have the time, take a class at your local Vo-tech center or community college. They usually let you work on your own cars and all you pay is for materials.
I wouldn't reccomend it. Maybe do the prep work yourself and take to to Maaco (they do sh1tty prep work)
DrPizza
Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Good idea, Quix
I don't think you have to go to the extent of stripping everything down from the car, removing headlights, etc. You can probably just mask over those parts. (It's a $700 car). If the car had a lot more value, then you'd want to be a lot more thorough and remove everything you could before painting. (especially if you were doing something like restoring an old Mustang)
I don't think you have to go to the extent of stripping everything down from the car, removing headlights, etc. You can probably just mask over those parts. (It's a $700 car). If the car had a lot more value, then you'd want to be a lot more thorough and remove everything you could before painting. (especially if you were doing something like restoring an old Mustang)
Exactly, it's only a $700 car... i just want a hobby to do for the summer.
That's a very good idea... i know in high schools we had things like that... kids brought in their cars, and got to work on them. I'm going to check that out actually.
You get what you pay for.... they do sh1tty work all around. Although, I've heard if you do GREAT prep work and get their top of the line paint (which isn't much), that you will get a decent paint job.
If you just want something to do for the summer, and you really want to paint it, then do it right.. because it will probably take you most of the summer to do it right. You could paint it in a couple of days if you were quick and sloppy about it.
If it's only 700$.. who cares about the paint job.
Drive the sh!t out of it. When it dies, rebuild the engine.. and sell it.
If it's only 700$.. who cares about the paint job.
Drive the sh!t out of it. When it dies, rebuild the engine.. and sell it.
Hm i think i'm going to try it myself. I do have a paint gun from when my dad did his own stuff... not sure the quality though. Anyways, it's a cheap car, i'm doing it more for the experience then anything really.
cans of spray paint can work..... I've done it before.... looked pretty good too Only do that if you just want paint on the car...
if you want it done right do what tyler said
Only do that if you just want paint on the car... if you want it done right do what tyler said
My biggest problem is having a garage to spray the stuff... i don't have a garage! And i can't think of any friends that do either.
Damn, maybe i'll find something else to work on the car.
Damn, maybe i'll find something else to work on the car.
I have a great deal of experience painting automobiles and have used everything from Laquer to the latest 2 stage basecoat/clearcoat finishes. The secret to a good job lies in the prep work. The quality attained here determines the quality of the overall job regardless of how great the spray job.
Since you are a beginner I suggest you simply do the prep and have someone else spray the paint. The cost of paint materials these days is quite high so a mistake is very expensive and messy to say the least. Laying down paint is much more an art than something that can be taught but if you want to spray the paint yourself practice with cheap paint on something else first to get the feel. The nice thing about having someone else do the spraying is they will have a spray booth and the result is a quality finish that is hard to replicate in a garage.
Even though the car is only $700, the paint supplies will be expensive so you might as well do the job right. I would limit the use of your dad's old spray gun to laying down the coats of primer. Quality basecoat/clearcoat supplies (the only kind I recommend anymore) can easily run $500 for one vehicle....and this does not include the primer/body filler/sandpaper and other supplies so I suggest you let an experienced painter do the final spray. Find a shop that mixes their own paint and approach them to do the final spray with them providing the paint. It is an easy job for them and you can get a great job for $1000 or less...as long as you do the prep. This is how I usually get my project cars done these days as I no longer have access to a paint booth like the good old days.
Taking a class is a good idea but reading a good how to book can get you well on your way to starting the prep also. Please strip the car of all things that don't need to be painted. Masking results in crap jobs and you will be amazed at the results, not to mention how much easier it is to prep without those parts in place to begin with.
If I can be of any help please feel free to PM me, I am always ready to help a budding car enthusiast, that is how I got my start so many years ago before most of you were born.
Since you are a beginner I suggest you simply do the prep and have someone else spray the paint. The cost of paint materials these days is quite high so a mistake is very expensive and messy to say the least. Laying down paint is much more an art than something that can be taught but if you want to spray the paint yourself practice with cheap paint on something else first to get the feel. The nice thing about having someone else do the spraying is they will have a spray booth and the result is a quality finish that is hard to replicate in a garage.
Even though the car is only $700, the paint supplies will be expensive so you might as well do the job right. I would limit the use of your dad's old spray gun to laying down the coats of primer. Quality basecoat/clearcoat supplies (the only kind I recommend anymore) can easily run $500 for one vehicle....and this does not include the primer/body filler/sandpaper and other supplies so I suggest you let an experienced painter do the final spray. Find a shop that mixes their own paint and approach them to do the final spray with them providing the paint. It is an easy job for them and you can get a great job for $1000 or less...as long as you do the prep. This is how I usually get my project cars done these days as I no longer have access to a paint booth like the good old days.
Taking a class is a good idea but reading a good how to book can get you well on your way to starting the prep also. Please strip the car of all things that don't need to be painted. Masking results in crap jobs and you will be amazed at the results, not to mention how much easier it is to prep without those parts in place to begin with.
If I can be of any help please feel free to PM me, I am always ready to help a budding car enthusiast, that is how I got my start so many years ago before most of you were born.
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