My roller paint job so far....

[Garageaholic]

I have been inspired by this thread...

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=78465

Here is my progress so far. A much more detailed and structured writeup will be coming within the next few weeks...I apologize for the size and quality of the pictures. I think it's time I get myself a real camera huh!?

Started taping up the car with 60 day blue masking tape an started my bodywork...



First coat of my hood. far shot.



First coat of my hood, close shot...As you can see, it's very "grainy". That's the air bubbles that form in the paint as you roll with the foam roller. I was unaware of this by all of the writeups I read, but they ended up leveling themselves out as the paint dried, so it wasn't a big deal.


My spoiler (still needs work, it's such an awkward piece!)






My trunk lid after 5 coats ( i have NOT wetsanded this coat yet).
NOTE: this paint is dry. NOT wet.



Another shot of my trunklid from afar! It is really shiny and like I said, the paint is dry. There is a little orange peel, but nothing that a little wetsanding can't take care of, and it has done a great job so far. What a difference wetsanding in between coats makes!



Any questions, let me know. So far, this is a real success. The paint is Uber strong after only 1 day of drying in ambient room temperature. I can't wait to see how it's going to hold when I use the car in April. lol. Any comments appreciated.

[SchnellerVert]

This is a viable means, I might do this to one of my cars to help it. Uber Budget scimping thou. Glad your happy with results.

[Garageaholic]

I guess that it comes down to how much work you're willing to put into it...

[2002maniac]

How much did you spend on your wheels? I think you should get a decent paint job.

Your car has tons of potential, I hope it doesnt look ghetto.

[Garageaholic]

Well, what you see in my members galleries pictures is not what it's going to look like. I sold my M-tech II sidepanels/sideskirts and front and rear fiberglass valences. I'm going with a stock look in a white color. It's going to have a regular "is" lip on the front. I'm still thinking on whether or not I want to paint my bumper trim white or keep it black.
I don't think it's going to come out ghetto. I'm putting endless hours into proper preparation for this and really think I can do it...

Besides, if anything happens to the paint, scratches, dents, Then I can work on it myself and re-paint that piece. Do I think I'm going to get a mirror shine perfect? No. I think it's going to be a 1 foot paint job. Not even a 3 foot paintjob. I'm really paying attention to every detail and personally think it's going to come out great.

the wheels/tires/mounting and balancing was $2200. Since I just got a TCD turbo, i'm going to tackle the paint myself. I have the resources and time for it.

[StereoInstaller1]

Frank, you are my HERO! I think your car will look terrific, due to the fact you are doing it right. Great job, mang.

Looking at that MoPar guys post had me convinced a year ago. It is only a matter of time before I get my sons car done. I keep finding myself too damn busy to do his paint.

How well do you think it would work to use a DA to wetsand? I bought a plastic bodied Astra Pneumatic just for that purpose. I am gonna try it just so I know for sure.

Again, thanks!
Luke

[Garageaholic]

This is what the car will look like, It's ryan's from endicott, NY FYI.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1989-BMW-325is-e30-H-R-Bilstein-MINT_W0QQitemZ4640318343QQcategoryZ6007QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Luke, First, thanx alot. i appreciate it. It's not going to look ghetto at all. its going to take me a total of about a month and a half, maybe 2 months to complete if I incorporate the level of time and patience that I have been. Second, I did all my wetsanding by hand because it was eay to do on a trunk/hood. I dont know how I will be able to cope doing 4 doors, quarter panels, fenders and a roof!! haha.

What is a DA exactly? I didn't know they made machines to wetsand. I thought it would be too risky and going through the paint/clearcoat with a machine was too easy...

[e30kappasig]

Looks great! I'm going to be doing my car in the almond color they have since mine is bronzit. I'll be doing mine one panel at a time though since my car is my DD.

[Garageaholic]

Thanx! Are you talking about the almond color that rustoleum makes? It's definitely not going to be bronzit. I think it's going to turn out a cream color, like really milked-out coffee. I hope you like it, but it's a light color, so it should show minimal defects.

I think they made that color for the 318 back in the early 80's (obviously a very similar color)

[e30kappasig]

yeah, the rustoleum almond. I'm gonna do it so i dont have to repaint my engine bay. I figure it should be close enough so it wont stand out too bad. Maybe once i pull my M20 out for my M50 ill paint the bay as well. But for some reason the beige colors have really grown on me.

What color was your car from the factory?

[StereoInstaller1]

What is a DA exactly?

Dual Action sander. Rubs shit in an orbital fashion. Ususally air powered. Uses a BUNCh of air, too.

Like this:

[Garageaholic]

Dual Action sander. Rubs shit in an orbital fashion. Ususally air powered. Uses a BUNCh of air, too.

Like this:

Interesting. I have to look into that. thanx


As far as my stock color. It was sterlingsilber (silver). I painted my engine bay flat black and the rest of the car inside and out will be "gloss white", which I think is a cheesy color name, so i'll have to think of something better. Maybe snow-white. lol that's gay. sorry. lol

[JasonC]

I'm glad to see that your's is turning out better then mine did. That orange peel will come out with some wetsanding. I don't think that i'd use a DA to wetsand, plus how would you get the paper to stick to the DA.

[Garageaholic]

I'm glad to see that your's is turning out better then mine did. That orange peel will come out with some wetsanding. I don't think that i'd use a DA to wetsand, plus how would you get the paper to stick to the DA.

Actually, they have sandpaper made specifically for that machine with a sticky surface on the other side.

Yeah Thanx alot, the paint is coming out stellar, Black was a tough one. I give you alot of credit for trying black. White shows the least amount of imperfections, yet in any light, I can't find one on this trunk. It's almost perfect. I'm so happy with the results. Vertical or horizontal, it levels itself off drip-less if thinned properly. The hood is also coming along now as it is on it's 4th coat...

[Axxe]

Does the TCD turbo manifold fit in M30E30's?