Need some feedback on paint brand and spray gun brand for full DIY repaint

[nevr2L8]

I am getting ready to try a full respray on my e30 and I have researched a little on the choices for a decent spray gun that will do the job at a reasonable price.
From what I see out there I think I need a kit with three different sized nozzles for primer, base and clear coats. I want to spend around $100 if possible.
Luckily I have a good paint store in town that carries some major brand of automotive paint. I saw a video by a professional shop that used the AKZO brand and the results were amazing.
Also I am wondering what the extra money will be for base/clear vs single stage ?
Thanks for your interest
Paul

[jbontke]

I have painted one car with the help of a guy with 40 years of body shop experience. He used a cheap gun (HoboFreight I think), but knew what he was doing. We sprayed it in my shop early in the morning when the wind was still and used a big fan to draw air out of the building. No filters, just window screen. We did not buff the paint. There were small bits of debris in it, but could be buffed out. It was a driver paint job, not a show stopper. Turned out pretty good for $1000 in paint and materials. I plan to do an e34 next, but using a paint booth at spray time.

[jbontke]

And the final product. A few chips on the hood that were eventually touched up.

[hoveringuy]

I sprayed my e30 in the garage a few years ago and purchased "Master Elite Performance PRO-88 Series HVLP Spray Gun Ultimate Kit with 3 Fluid Tip Sets 1.3, 1.4 and 1.8mm " for $269. It's a pretty good sprayer that puts out a nice fan that's built to last and be serviceable.

The car had original paint with LOTS of little dents and I spent a lot of time filling/sanding. filling/blocking. Primer and then block sand some more...

I used local autobody supply store base level catalyzed paint, like 3Qts?, no clear. Color sanded. Didn't remove glass except for the 1/4 windows.

I built a visqueen cocoon with some basic ventilation.

My total investment in EVERYTHING was maybe $700 and it looks every bit as good as professional jobs that are 10-15x more.

[nevr2L8]

Thanks for all the feedback and pictures
I appreciate your time and effort
Its a hard job but I think its worth it.
When I wrecked my e30 track car at Watkins Glen 10 years ago I did a lot of work getting it back into shape.
My son shot the primer and single stage finish coat and it came so nice I got compliments on it when I took it back to many more track schools.
See attached circa 2013 when I sold the car

[nevr2L8]

Correction
I wrecked it 15 years ago

[tomstin]

I'm just wrapping up painting my E30. Not sure I would take that project on again. However, I could probably do it in half the time now. Boy, did I learn a lot along the way!

As for the spray gun. How big of a compressor do you have? Sufficient air volume for your spray gun is critical. Eastwood has some spray guns that are pretty good and you can get the various tips you will need for primer, paint and clear.

I'm sure the paint and body guys will laugh but the sanding dust gets EVERYWHERE so does the overspray. You have to seal anything you don't want either to get to! I found a mop and bucket work better than a shop vac to clean up. And cleanliness when it comes time for paint and clear is critical.

Sites I found helpful:

Eastwood
Paint Society on YouTube
Garage Noise on Youtube (does a lot with LVLP paint guns)

Good luck!

[nevr2L8]

Great feedback from everyone.
Thanks
Paul

[20w506cyl]

1st thing would be to have a quality respirator as even the single stage paints with hardener have nasty chemicals like iocyanides. Also keep in mind that filters have a time in use life span as well and most are around 8 hours of use. AKZO makes a great single stage paint, I painted some wheel pants with it and was very pleased with the quality and ease of use. I waited for a good day and sprayed them outside my shop. Most single stage paintslike 1.4 tip size and most clear coats like a 1.3 tip however some manufacturers differ. A decent spray gun is the 3M Accuspray that can use a 1.8 for heavy primers shown to a 1.2 for some clears and uses disposable tips. I have used the tips 5 or 6 times without issue and are easy to clean. I built a plastic spray booth in my shop to spray my E30 and was pleased with the results

[20w506cyl]

You can get a really good paint job in a makeshift booth if you are willing to take your time. Maybe get a little extra paint and practice spraying some old parts if you haven't sprayed before. Hope this helps.