$50 paint job

[thealleyboy]

I'll mention also that the best looking paint jobs are the ones with the least masking. That means removing as much trim and hardware as possible. In my latest project, I'm also removing most of the bolt-on panels, as well.

 

Overkill? Maybe. But when you get the hang of how these cars are put together, it's not that big a jump to prep and paint the uni and bolt-ons individually. Those extra steps make all the difference in the world when it comes to "budget painting". Spraying a whole care without a paint booth takes skill and a steady hand. Nothing worse than screwing up in the middle of a paint job - for whatever reason. Laying out the panels on a flat surface takes advantage of the laws of gravity, and cuts a big paint job down to size.

 

The end result (if done right) is paint job that looks like the car was dunked into a vat of paint. Fewer uneven passes visible in the bright sunlight. No overspray or greasy missed spots when you open the doors, hatch or hood.

 

Again, I'll document my "$100 farmer paint job", and we'll see what everyone thinks of the final results.

 

John

[daeron]

I'll mention also that the best looking paint jobs are the ones with the least masking. That means removing as much trim and hardware as possible. In my latest project, I'm also removing most of the bolt-on panels, as well.

 

Overkill? Maybe. But when you get the hang of how these cars are put together, it's not that big a jump to prep and paint the uni and bolt-ons individually. Those extra steps make all the difference in the world when it comes to "budget painting". Spraying a whole care without a paint booth takes skill and a steady hand. Nothing worse than screwing up in the middle of a paint job - for whatever reason. Laying out the panels on a flat surface takes advantage of the laws of gravity, and cuts a big paint job down to size.

 

The end result (if done right) is paint job that looks like the car was dunked into a vat of paint. Fewer uneven passes visible in the bright sunlight. No overspray or greasy missed spots when you open the doors, hatch or hood.

 

Again, I'll document my "$100 farmer paint job", and we'll see what everyone thinks of the final results.

 

John

 

Chief, you never said a truer word. I especially like the analogy to dunking the car in a vat of paint.

 

And seriously, it doesn't take THAT much more time. AND you have the added satisfaction of knowing how complete it is.

[kingbobdole]

I used Rustolem and did my 6 as well.. came out pretty good and I haven't polished it quite yet, I needed to fix the wing after The Dragon last year and just got it done today, but I'll polish it soon... I used the can stuff and shot it through a air spray gun onto the car and it is MUCH cheaper that way. Spray cans are about $4 a piece, but the quarts are about $7 and I used like one and a half of paint and like 3/4 of one on the primer.... so like $21 for paint, but I've redone the drivers fender(mom backed over it) and I'll redo the trunk lid this week... since it has fresh bondo. anyway

BEFORE:

Primered:

Right after:

Months later:

About a year later:

 

I think it looks a billion times better, and it only took me a few days to do, maybe like 3... one day to sand, one day to primer and sand then the last day to paint.... Worked pretty good and I'll update in a few days if the polish makes a huge improvement as the car's color is a bit... flat.

[thealleyboy]

Hey man, that X looks pretty sharp!! I like the choice in color.

Besides being very reasonably priced, the Rustolem line has a lot of colors (some metallics too), and is available in gallons, quarts and spray cans, which is what you want in a DIY paint product. Their automotive primer is one of the best, and makes for an excellent seal coat. Overall, Rusto is probably the best oil-based system for this kind of application.

You wanna be careful in taking compound to an enamel finish. Enamels aren't really intended for abrasives, and you'll dull the finish if you go too aggressive. Always let the paint cure in the hot sun for a few months before messing with it. Regular old fashioned wax has some abrasive qualities and is a fairly safe to use on enamels. Anything more than polishing compound will be too harsh.

 

good luck, John

[MilesFox]

as i posted over on xt6.net the best way to care for a spray paint job is to spray it down with any of the spray on type protectants.

 

i myself use the bulk concentrate mix-to-a spray bottle tire shine like the stuff they use at u-haul for tires, dashboards, and plastic trim, or like the stuff they use at detailers or auto dealers. best applied immediately after a wash when the car is still wet.

 

if the paint oxidized burnish it down by hand with dry paper towels and wd-40. it works good on rubber trim and the dashboard too!. wd will also remove old window tint sticky.

[crazy D]

I used Rustolem and did my 6 as well.. came out pretty good and I haven't polished it quite yet, I needed to fix the wing after The Dragon last year and just got it done today, but I'll polish it soon... I used the can stuff and shot it through a air spray gun onto the car and it is MUCH cheaper that way. Spray cans are about $4 a piece, but the quarts are about $7 and I used like one and a half of paint and like 3/4 of one on the primer.... so like $21 for paint, but I've redone the drivers fender(mom backed over it) and I'll redo the trunk lid this week... since it has fresh bondo. anyway

BEFORE:

Primered:

Right after:

Months later:

About a year later:

 

I think it looks a billion times better, and it only took me a few days to do, maybe like 3... one day to sand, one day to primer and sand then the last day to paint.... Worked pretty good and I'll update in a few days if the polish makes a huge improvement as the car's color is a bit... flat.

 

wow your xt6 and the svx are beautiful. cheers on that -Dalton

[psylosyfer]

I'm am impressed!!

[WoodsWagon]

Forest green rustoleum, 50/50 with mineral spirits, put on with foam roller.

 

bronco hood, 3 layers of paint removed with 6" wire wheel on a grinder, primed with rattle can paint, then wetsanded. First coat layed on, wetsanded, 2 more coats put on. It needs at least one more coat to get the last imperfections out, but it works well if you're patient.

After:

And yes, you can see the garage door reflecting in the paint, and no it hasn't been polished.

[New2XTs]

I am trying this technique. When you wet sand between coats, do you have to get it really smooth? Or does the next coat level out over the small bumps? I thin my paint is too thinned out. When you put the paint on does it kind of bubble up or do you kind of roll a thick layer of paint on?

[thealleyboy]

2x:

I'm assuming you are talking about 91's Rustoleum-applied-with-a-foam-brush method.

Can't speak for him, but I would get fairly aggressive with the wet-sanding. Maybe something in the 400-600 grit range. I would roll a coat of primer, and several thin coats of enamel. Each coat must dry completely and sand between all of them (but not the finish coat). That's about the best you'll be able to do with an oil enamel applied manually.

The problem with this method is that enamels are not intended to be sanded. You'll lose some of your base, and all of your gloss with each sanding. If you go too thick, the finish won't dry properly - and will smear when sanded.

 

I understand that it isn't possible for everyone to spray, but this is the always the preferred method. For a manually-applied finish, you might do better with a laquer or acrylic paint (never tried it, but you might wanna give it a shot).

 

good luck, John

[daeron]

2x:

I'm assuming you are talking about 91's Rustoleum-applied-with-a-foam-brush method.

Can't speak for him, but I would get fairly aggressive with the wet-sanding. Maybe something in the 400-600 grit range. I would roll a coat of primer, and several thin coats of enamel. Each coat must dry completely and sand between all of them (but not the finish coat). That's about the best you'll be able to do with an oil enamel applied manually.

The problem with this method is that enamels are not intended to be sanded. You'll lose some of your base, and all of your gloss with each sanding. If you go too thick, the finish won't dry properly - and will smear when sanded.

 

I understand that it isn't possible for everyone to spray, but this is the always the preferred method. For a manually-applied finish, you might do better with a laquer or acrylic paint (never tried it, but you might wanna give it a shot).

 

good luck, John

 

My understanding (not having done this personally yet, but I have read about it in like sixteen bajillion different forums) was that you gradually went finer and finer on the grit of sandpaper, until after your 5-7th coat (depending on how aggresively you sand your coats) you wind up wet sanding with like a 1200-1600 grit.. and thus, get a mirror shine...

 

..But seriously, if you can find the link I posted to hybridZ.org about this earlier in this thread, and click on it, EVERY POSSIBLE QUESTION is covered there seventeen ways to sunday, and THAT thread (on hybridZ) has a link to the moparts.com thread that "started it all" as the saying goes.. the Moparts thread has even more than the Z-car thread, so.. its all in there. Collected epxeriences of dozens of people using every different kind of method, and also people of every different skill level; this job can come out SERIOSULY good looking (those are the pics that drive the popularity of this idea) and it can also look crummy, if you don't do your prep work well or mix the paint and mineral spirits wrong.

 

As far as ratio or thickness of paint; it varies depending on atmospheric conditions and location.. BUT, the rule of thumb is that you want the paint, once it is applied to the surface with the brush, to all slick into a single smooth bead, and when you take the brush away it should look not unlike the top of a *slightly* overfilled glass of water. In other words, you are using the mineral spirits to adjust the surface tension of your paint so that it just holds one contiguous bead across the entire surface being painted.

[New2XTs]

I am doing it with a fine foam roller. If it runs is it too thick or too thin? I know this can be done and I know there is a technique. It can't be that hard to see it is doing what I expect it to.

[daeron]

I am doing it with a fine foam roller. If it runs is it too thick or too thin? I know this can be done and I know there is a technique. It can't be that hard to see it is doing what I expect it to.

if it runs, you have applied too much total "paint". By "paint" I mean, whatever your mixture, theres too much liquid on the metal. It is a fine line to walk between an even, uniform coat and running. Also, when it comes to dilution, there is a window so to speak; if you dilute slightly more than "optimum" it will be easier to lay thin coats on quickly, or diluting slightly less than "optimum" would give you a slightly thicker coat before running.. BUT, this "window" is, as I said, fairly narrow and to stray outside of it will cause negative results.

 

Again, I am repeating what others have said to me. I always feel guilty talking about something I have read alot about, but never done, so I try to include the disclaimer

[WoodsWagon]

I was using a foam roller, not a brush, and the paint was thin enough that the bubbles left by the roller popped on their own within a couple minutes. You wetsand with 600, then higher, you'll see that the water beads up on the paint when it's cured, then lies flat on it when it's sanded properly.

Here's a good thread with pictures:

http://www.tacomaterritory.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57181

[Numbchux]

I understand that it isn't possible for everyone to spray, but this is the always the preferred method

 

hmmm....

 

i have sprayed a few cars in my garage with a single stage acrylic enamel and it's a pain, messy, stinks, ect... the tremclad is almost odorless and is really easy to work with

 

tremclad being the canadian version

 

 

here's a thread, in which he explains how to get awesome results using this method.

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=2331682&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1

 

seriously, read all of his posts (username 69chargeryeehaa)

 

I intend to paint my 4Runner soon, hopefully followed by the loyale

[thealleyboy]

prepping is 90% of the work, stripping the car, sanding, ect.....painting is overrated!!!

 

This comment he makes sums up the painting process - whatever type of paint you decide to use.

He mentions using an acrylic enamel product, and I suspect this has better sanding characteristics than the oil-based enamels. More like the laquers, and other fast drying paints. "Sandability" is important when building up a base with multiple coats. I would be interested in hearing if others have been able to duplicate his results.

I've tried most of the methods in this thread, (and some others not mentioned) and I still believe that spraying is the overall cheapest, fastest and best application method. Again, I'm documenting my latest "farmer" paint job, and will share the results soon.

 

 

 

 

[New2XTs]

Since this is the first time I've tried this I have questions about the power polishing. Would it be best to put the polishing compound on with the polisher on low or higher speed and using the foam pad? And then follow-up with the polisher on lower or higher speed using a wool pad? I don't want to burn up the polish but I do want to make it do it's job. Any hints?