not technically a locost subject but a project i'm trying to do in a locost style, got a MX-5 practically given to me by a mate (paid him for the
petrol in the tank) that's in a need of some loving, little spot of welding underneath and some panel work, namely a door and wing, now sourcing
the parts isn't too big of a problem but paint as we all know is pricey to get done so i'm thinking about trying to have a go myself.
the car is just racing green, no fancy metallics. i'm not looking for a concourse finish as it's not going to be a show car just want it
looking presentable for the wife to run around in and perhaps the odd track day. is it possible to spray a car yourself anymore or are those days long
gone?
i have a garage which i can seal off fairly well, i have a compressor which has a decent output and a 50 litre tank (not massive i know), and i have
the will power to save myself a few hundred quid in labour if i can do it myself.
so what advice can you folk offer? am i peeing in the wind? is it a none starter? positive or negative i'd like to hear your thoughts please.
cheers
john
I think its perfectly do-able. Quite a few people on here have sprayed their cars themselves and got some really good results. They do say that
preperation is 80% of the result so i guess that is the key to a good finish
Prep is nearer 99% of it.
Lots of people used to say they would do all the prep and get a bodyshop to put the topcoats on. A recipe for disaster as once painted all the poor
prep shows up, the topcoats are easy.
I would HIGHLY recommend beg/borrow/steal and airfed mask and use 2K. It doesn't sink (like cellulose can) and gives a great finish. Easily
available, I get it off ebay from Jawel paints. Not difficult to use, and it does dry like celly in a few minutes, but takes a few hours to harden up.
Prep carefully, and use 600grade wet/dry or even 800 to flat the final primer coat. A few coats of colour, and then flat with 1500 and then G3 and wax
it. Nice.
Done a few cars over the years under a carport, results always improving.
I once did a whole Mk II Cortina with cans in a garage
I have done a few under a car port too, I tend to use cellulose though, driers quicker and easy to flat back after, pretty cheap paint too.
Not a problem, get a decent mask and give it a go, I once painted a rangerover in a tiny gararge with a small compressor one panel at a time!
Even if you do not get the finish you want with spraying as long as you get enough paint on you can carefully flatten back and polish up, I have seen
hand painted cars with a factory finished look when the time has been put in.
Regards Mark
just make sure that if you seal the garage with Polythene, you use anti static polythene. Also, make sure you have plenty of ventilation otherwise
youll be standing in an explosive atmosphere when you turn the lights on.
Its all possible, and everything left in the garage will have paint on it! 
I also painted a Mk2 cortina in the garage many years ago with brush on paint. It ended up looking really....................crap
[Edited on 16/12/10 by Lightning]
I did the roof on my TVR after I filled the sunroof in..
I dont exadurate when I say it took me over a month in the evenings of sanding/filling/sanding/filling to get a finish I thought was pretty good...
Painted it with rattle cans and instantly spotted the tiny imperfections..... Was good fun, but a nightmare to get right
Have you thought about roller painting it? It's not as mad as it sounds, i've never seen a finished one but loads of people are saying they
look great.
http://www.rickwrench.com/index79master.htm?http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html
quote:
Originally posted by Davegtst
Have you thought about roller painting it? It's not as mad as it sounds, i've never seen a finished one but loads of people are saying they look great.
http://www.rickwrench.com/index79master.htm?http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html
Get a cheap gravity gun from hugspaint or similar on ebay and some cellulose paint and just do the bits you need to. Practise on some cardboard or the back of the garage door and watch some tutorials on youtube. If it goes wrong wipe it off with thinners and do it again. Don't roller it you'll be cutting it back for days. If you wait for the weather to pick up you can do the bits outside without any special air fed masks or lining the garage.
would one of these >
Fast Mover Gravity Spray Gun 1.3 Nozzle TO CLEAR on eBay (end time 13-Jan-11 13:03:32 GMT)
do the job? seems cheap enough to me just not sure about the nozzle sizes?
That will do you nicely for cellulose. I bought one of his little touch up guns with a .8 nozzle to do a spot repair and it is a little gem to use. I've heard a few people praising the fast mover gun.
where about are you i have a unit i can use and have all the spray gear. if you buy the paint and give me a hand to prep i can spray it for you .
adam
edit just seen your from shepshed, leics yourmiles away lol
[Edited on 16/12/10 by oadamo]
on a side note what panels do you need im splitting up an mx5 at the moment.
[Edited on 16/12/2010 by ashg]
quote:
Originally posted by ashg
on a side note what panels do you need im splitting up an mx5 at the moment.
[Edited on 16/12/2010 by ashg]
those fast mover spray guns are bloody good value
local car trade place had then at £8 I bought some as disposable backups LOL
truth was that its one of the best guns I had for clearcoat
i have got the lot. u2u me if your interested
[Edited on 16/12/2010 by ashg]
Ash you have u2u
Ive just painted my locost in my garage myself and it looks mint! I bought a gravety fed gun and used a 50L comp, i used 2 pack paint for best results. use a hair dryer to warm your pannels up and put your tin of paint in warm water before even atempting to spray also dampen the garage floor so when your spraying all the dust stays on the floor and doesent get all over the job your spraying. when youve painted the pannel keep the hot hairdryer blowing over the job for about 5 mins you carnt go wrong. forgot to say a good quality mask is a must have when spraying 2pack paint.
I sprayed my locost in the garage using a cheap aldi compressor with a good spray gun. Very pleased with the finish.
I used cellulose and flatted off when dry. T cut to bring back shine see my picture archive. Works best in warm weather but if you have a heated
garage you may be ok. Good luck.