How To: DIY Paint and Body work

[g2ic02]

When do you determine using body filler vs a glaze. What grit must you sand before using the glaze.

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by g2ic02

When do you determine using body filler vs a glaze. What grit must you sand before using the glaze.

I only use glaze puddy to fill pen holes in the body filler, its not designed to be used like body filler. If you want to use it, only use it for very light dents or pen holes in filler. Use 180 grit

[g2ic02]

So you can put body filler over kitty hair? I thought you were supposed to put it directly on bare metal for good adhesion. Also also when doing your rust repair under your side glass, it appears as though you used a lap joint rather than a butt joint, any insight on why you chose that. Sorry for my millions of questions, I appreciate all the help

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by g2ic02

So you can put body filler over kitty hair? I thought you were supposed to put it directly on bare metal for good adhesion. Also also when doing your rust repair under your side glass, it appears as though you used a lap joint rather than a butt joint, any insight on why you chose that. Sorry for my millions of questions, I appreciate all the help

Yes body filler can go over kitty hair, it has to or it will look like crap when primed. Yes i went with a lap joint on that repair. Best choice would have been a butt with backing weld but i was having a hard time getting the fitment right ( i bent the insert with my hands and a body hammer over a piece of wood) so to save time i lightly bent the cars metal edges down and then did a lap weld so when i ground down the welds it would be a smoother transition

[babowc]

How difficult is it to match relatively new paint?
I have an 05 silverstone metallic s2000.
I need to rework/spray the fenders.

I've done two cars so far, but never paint matched...

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by babowc

How difficult is it to match relatively new paint?
I have an 05 silverstone metallic s2000.
I need to rework/spray the fenders.

I've done two cars so far, but never paint matched...

Pretty difficult for someone without the exp of matching and blending paint. That color is tough to match, if your painting both fenders, you will need to spray the hood,bumper, and maybe the doors depending on how close you basecoat towards them.

[dpritchard4]

what type of filler do you use on the urathane bumber? i bounced off the guard rail the other night and it took a chunk out of the bumper. and where can i get the filler (i know many of you do not like the chain stores "advance, pepboys...", but the closest paint store is 40 miles away). thanks

[collegekid]

When you paint, do you paint with all of the panels on the car in one shot? How long is your typical paint time starting from when you lay down the first coat of epoxy primer to the final coat of clear?

I ask this because I assume having a smaller compressor with a weaker motor would probably mean just longer wait times. Ideally I want the best compressor I can get that would plug into the standard 120v household line (I don't know anything about electricity please excuse my noobiness), a decent tekna gun, decent lines, filters, moisture system, just some clear plastic cloth draped in the garage whether it is around some pvc pipes or just hanging off the walls.

I was planning on spending a complete day (from about 7 am to late at night) to paint the exterior. The interior and engine bay don't really matter and I could care less if it looks off. I guess having a 60 or 80 gallon compressor would just make it quicker to paint because you don't have to stop as much for the compressor.

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by dpritchard4

what type of filler do you use on the urathane bumber? i bounced off the guard rail the other night and it took a chunk out of the bumper. and where can i get the filler (i know many of you do not like the chain stores "advance, pepboys...", but the closest paint store is 40 miles away). thanks

If your missing a chunk of plastic then you need two part epoxy repair kit. I like the fusor line of products. Plastic repair then a light coat of body filler to smooth everything out, got a write up on the first page to walk you thru it.

[chuki.s13.coupe.]

Is this Fixable? Or worth it?

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by chuki.s13.coupe.

Is this Fixable? Or worth it?

Sure if you got the time to do it. You need a rocker panel piece or fab one yourself if you got sheet metal skills. Drill out all the factory spot welds and yank it off, redrill holes in the new piece , and re weld

[g2ic02]

that appears to be a lot of work. once you open that up you will find all sorts of rust. doable yes, but a ton of work and fab time unless you have a decent donor car. might be cheaper to buy another shell unless you have lots of time/skill

[g2ic02]

what are your thoughts on using different brands of sealers/clear coats with house of kolor bases(would use hok hardener/reducer). I was told i could use shopline products to save some money on supplies. Or is using all of house of kolor products(sealer/base/clear) would be recommended.

[lewisfk]

I have a Question for the paint Gurus. My car's paint is faded and there are no dents or rust present. Can I sand down the old paint and use it as a primer instead of completely striping it down. If so what grade sand paper should I start with? 280, 300 grit.

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by g2ic02

what are your thoughts on using different brands of sealers/clear coats with house of kolor bases(would use hok hardener/reducer). I was told i could use shopline products to save some money on supplies. Or is using all of house of kolor products(sealer/base/clear) would be recommended.

Best practice is sticking with the same product system all the way through, im not saying you cant or shouldnt mix but from my exp is best not to.

Originally Posted by lewisfk

I have a Question for the paint Gurus. My car's paint is faded and there are no dents or rust present. Can I sand down the old paint and use it as a primer instead of completely striping it down. If so what grade sand paper should I start with? 280, 300 grit.

320 grit the faded paint until all the shine is gone, spray primer surfacer and block sand with 320grit or finer, then use a primer sealer, base coat, and clear. Only strip the old paint all the way off if there are more than two paint jobs already on the car. At that point the paint layers are too thick and increase the chance of your paint peeling

[Trinidrift3]

Originally Posted by buentellomma

http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/xx280/buentellomma/zilvia_zpsb6512713.jpg

You sir have a mess on your hands fixing this without any collision repair exp.
Ok, the area i circled in green: This area concerns me because of possible core support damage because of the way the grill is out and the headlight is out of place. It could just be the fender bracket the headlight is attached to is bent but you never know with this type of collision. Do a measure of your engine bay to check, measure from the first hinge bolt on one side to the opposite side front fender bolt, repeat to the other side making a "X" measurement. the distance should be the same or very close on both sides, if its off you have structure damage.
The area i circled in blue: this can be metal finished out but its not going to be easy. You can use a small 2x4 wood block and use it to wedge between the pushed in areas and slowly work it back out or use the wood and a hammer to push bend brackets back straight. You can also use the 2x4 and place it on the inside of the fender edge inside the engine back and use a hammer to pound that front edge straight, same with the corner of the hood. Place the 2x4 on the upper rail where the hood would cover and close the hood on the block where the corner is bent and light put pressure down, use a body hammer if needed. This repair will use a good bit of filler to get it looking right, make sure your filler is not more than 1/8" thick

the front end is fine. this is a picture i took 2 months after the crash. the front end didn't shift and the core is fine. it is just the front fender and rear quater that are the issues. I've been using a hammer and dolly for a couple days and banged it as straight as i could. i'll take pictures later. My issue now is the body filler. i'm buying 3m body filler, but i'm not sure what else i'll need. what paper grit should i sand the metal to, and what grit should i sand the body filler with. Also after i sand it to bare metal and apply the body filler and it dries, can i still drive the car while i continue to sand and shape it everyday? Or does it have to sit covered and kept dry? also any recommendations for sandable primer to use? ugh i know i can do this, it's my lack of knowledge that is killing me

[buentellomma]

Originally Posted by Trinidrift3

the front end is fine. this is a picture i took 2 months after the crash. the front end didn't shift and the core is fine. it is just the front fender and rear quater that are the issues. I've been using a hammer and dolly for a couple days and banged it as straight as i could. i'll take pictures later. My issue now is the body filler. i'm buying 3m body filler, but i'm not sure what else i'll need. what paper grit should i sand the metal to, and what grit should i sand the body filler with. Also after i sand it to bare metal and apply the body filler and it dries, can i still drive the car while i continue to sand and shape it everyday? Or does it have to sit covered and kept dry? also any recommendations for sandable primer to use? ugh i know i can do this, it's my lack of knowledge that is killing me

Alright, sand the paint off with 180 grit until bare metal. Use a tack rag to wipe it clean and your ready for body filler. A good ratio is about a golf ball size of filler to 1" of hardener. No you can not drive around with exposed body filler and it needs to be kept dry until primer goes on. Sand your first coat of filler with 80grit to shape it, second or thrid coat finish sanding with 180 grit, prep the area near it with 320 grit. With primers use a 2 part urethane primer usually two coats and sand with 320 to prep for paint.

[Gitusum]

to the OP... nice writeup and pretty much covers alot of infor for the DIY guy who wants to try and tackle painting their own car which is something to be proud of once done!

I paint myself and use to use ppg which I do like alot until we started using dupont. I love the stuff!!

To everyone wanting or currently tackling the task of painting your car or just parts of your cars just be patient and rule of thumb... the outcome will only be as good as your bodywork/prep work. the more time you take with those the slicker your paint will be.

everyone has their own way of bodywork/spraying in this industry and most all have the same quality outcome to them. Just buy the right products for the right temp is the main thing when doing it at home or even at work lol

RIck

[di-devol]

Quick question.

I just sprayed my car, I used a single stage acrylic enamel, dark blue pearl.

I did some test panels for a few and got the gun spray relatively well. Half the car orange peeled pretty good while other spots are pretty good looking.

Can I wet-sand a acrylic enamel pearl? It seems to be pretty metallic, but the oragne peel is pretty heavy in some areas. The camera is a pos, and dosn't help any lol.

[tapdeznutz]

i would think yes you can color sand and then buff out the orange peel, i just hope you have enough layers/thickness so that you do not color sand through your new paint job. good luck.

[buentellomma]

With single stage paints you have to spray the final coat out you want the car to look... Wet. I have not ever tried to wet sand single stage so i cant say how its going to turn out.

[di-devol]

Paint shop said nope. Since its a pearl, sanding will dull the flakes in it. Have to leave it, or respray.

[TunanS14]

Ok, so I'm still considering doing my own bodywork.. The car is black, I have a Kouki conversion, starfire blue fenders, and some kind of white pearl paint (awesome quality) on the Vertex kit. The hood, mirrors, and roof wing will not be painted as they are carbon. There are dings and small dents all over the car that will be repaired. Should I prime the entire car? The car will stay a dark color, maybe just not black (still undecided). Here's how it stands as of now..

[silviaks2nr]

You can not sand a metallic or pearl single stage paint job. Why on earth did you do a single stage not in a solid color? That's a big no for a DIY job. Base/clear is so much more forgiving and you can save almost anything!

You could clear over that... what you probably need to do is block it with 600 then shoot 2 thin coats of that same pearl single stage paint, wait 30 minutes, then clear over it with 3 coats of clear. You probably used trinity paint or something so I assume you're on a really tight budget... you can use their clear or kirker clear...

[silviaks2nr]

Originally Posted by TunanS14

Ok, so I'm still considering doing my own bodywork.. The car is black, I have a Kouki conversion, starfire blue fenders, and some kind of white pearl paint (awesome quality) on the Vertex kit. The hood, mirrors, and roof wing will not be painted as they are carbon. There are dings and small dents all over the car that will be repaired. Should I prime the entire car? The car will stay a dark color, maybe just not black (still undecided). Here's how it stands as of now..

You need to apply a primer to every surface to be painted if you are going to do a 2 stage paint. If you are going to single stage it you could just scuff and shoot the whole car. It might be tough to cover everything well without using loads of paint since the aero and car are such different colors. If it were me I'd do all necessary bodywork then block everything with 400 grit, then shoot epoxy over any bodywork and bare metal then 2k prime the whole car. Then wetsand that 2k primer with 600 grit and apply the base/clear.

[DomChan]

Seeing this thread back in 2012 was the seed planted in my brain to even think about doing a DIY paint job. Here are some results after doing heavy research on autobody work! Thank you OP! Also, this was done in a patio, with tarps to protect the car. Dust and bugs still got in though... so it could have turned out way better in a proper booth. Still needs a buff and cut!

[di-devol]

Originally Posted by silviaks2nr

You can not sand a metallic or pearl single stage paint job. Why on earth did you do a single stage not in a solid color? That's a big no for a DIY job. Base/clear is so much more forgiving and you can save almost anything!

You could clear over that... what you probably need to do is block it with 600 then shoot 2 thin coats of that same pearl single stage paint, wait 30 minutes, then clear over it with 3 coats of clear. You probably used trinity paint or something so I assume you're on a really tight budget... you can use their clear or kirker clear...

First time painting, paint shop didn't give any advice on the matter. I told them this would be my first job, but whatever, I should have researched more.

I thought about shooting clear over it. What clear would I need to use to shoot over an acrylic enamel?

[silviaks2nr]

Here's a cool project I did recently on my own bike.

The tank was spray painted flat black by the previous owner and the tail section was bare ABS.



I sanded through the flat black with 80 grit and found some sweet chopper flames.



Then it was filler time



Blocked it down with 120 grit



Epoxy primer down



Blocked down the epoxy with 220grit and used some glaze to fill in little problem areas



2k primed the tank and tail



I then wetsanded the 2k with 600grit then applied a copper base.



I then hydrodipped the 2 sides of the tank and tailsection.



mock up:





3 coats of clear:



wetsanded with 1000grit then laid down some stripes and graphics





Shot the black base and unmasked it.



5 coats of clear on top





I will sand and buff it eventually, but looks good enough for a 38 year old bike!

[di-devol]

Thanks for all the advice in this thread btw, it was helpful.

Actually don't look bad.

[g2ic02]

When painting bumpers do you add any thing to the paint to make it more flexible?