Flame Bait: Failed OEM Paint - Roller Paint or Leave Alone?

[StereoInstaller1]

First question is prep: if you don't gotz air, how you gonna sand that bitch?

[evil_twin]

It's nice if you do it right. We did my friends 240sx, it was ALRIGHT... he was too in a rush to paint in the dead of winter. With space heaters and a garage, the paint never settled right... It was a fun project, but just do it right.

[funcrew]

First question is prep: if you don't gotz air, how you gonna sand that bitch?

You're thinking of the bad old days of 2007-2008; The 8 to 10 thin coats with hand-sanding in-between is an artifact of the Rustoleum method.

When you use the $80/gallon yacht urethane, you put on 3 to 4 un-thinned coats, trying to maximize the self-leveling performance @ each coat. Once all coats are down, you wet-sand by hand (only if orange peel is there), compound, and polish.

The body work and prep is identical to legitimate paint jobs, so in the case of a POS BMW with bad prior body work, its a ton of labor to get ready for paint.

[ortholithiation]

I am in the same boat as you.

I would start the prep. Just sand off all the clear and start fixing the bodywork. You will learn a lot in the process and get a feel for it.

AFTER all that work decide if you want to go through the whole process X times to get a good paint job with the roller method. Return your marine paint if you decide not to.

Seriously if this is a POS beater as you say, roller it in marine paint. Thin it out as mentioned and just wetsand the last coat. A 10ft paint job is achievable easily with marine paint. Don’t change the colour.

You are going to need alot of time, at least 2 months. Is your work space clean? Honda's and 240's are easy, e30's have a ton of little parts and sharp edges. Stuff adds up quickly, polishers are 200$'s + pads and compound.

I've researched this topic heavily and most people that did a good job, say they wouldn't do it again.

I would just put back on the bumpers and lights leave the valence and other shit off and drive it to a good macco, respray the paint OEM, then you don’t have to worry about little shit like trunks, hoods, and door jambs. Take a look around paint stores and find painters, offer CASH. Paint costs money but it's marked up incredibly to those not in the biz. Paint should not cost you more then 200-300$ for good paint. Get someone to spray it for 200$ and ask to help out even sweep. Auto body students are a good way to start.

If you can't find a good deal then roller it. Expect good results for a lot of work and very poor results for a rushed job, which will possibly reduce the resale value. A moderately crappy 500$ paint job can be fixed with a bit of 2000 wetsand and a polisher.

But seriously finish the prep work first.

[funcrew]

I am in the same boat as you.

I would start the prep. Just sand off all the clear and start fixing the bodywork. You will learn a lot in the process and get a feel for it.

AFTER all that work decide if you want to go through the whole process X times to get a good paint job with the roller method. Return your marine paint if you decide not to.

Seriously if this is a POS beater as you say, roller it in marine paint. Thin it out as mentioned and just wetsand the last coat. A 10ft paint job is achievable easily with marine paint. Don’t change the colour.

You are going to need alot of time, at least 2 months. Is your work space clean? Honda's and 240's are easy, e30's have a ton of little parts and sharp edges. Stuff adds up quickly, polishers are 200$'s + pads and compound.

I've researched this topic heavily and most people that did a good job, say they wouldn't do it again.

I would just put back on the bumpers and lights leave the valence and other shit off and drive it to a good macco, respray the paint OEM, then you don’t have to worry about little shit like trunks, hoods, and door jambs. Take a look around paint stores and find painters, offer CASH. Paint costs money but it's marked up incredibly to those not in the biz. Paint should not cost you more then 200-300$ for good paint. Get someone to spray it for 200$ and ask to help out even sweep. Auto body students are a good way to start.

If you can't find a good deal then roller it. Expect good results for a lot of work and very poor results for a rushed job, which will possibly reduce the resale value. A moderately crappy 500$ paint job can be fixed with a bit of 2000 wetsand and a polisher.

But seriously finish the prep work first.

I like this approach, since it gives me 2 more months to put off a decision. What kind of paint store would I look for to find somebody to spray the car? I know Sherwin Williams makes car paint, but would their retail store in suburbia provide supplies for auto painters? Also, if I wanted to match the OEM Cirrusblau, would the paint supplier know how to mix that up?

[ZM Blue Devil]

...if you can't afford to do it right, I'd leave it alone personally.

Exactly. At least you got original paint going for you. If the dings and such are bothering you less then stellar paint job is going to kill you.

I've seen quite a few "professional" jobs, they don't even bother taking gaskets or trim off. Overspray and/or paint line to me is worst then dings and scratches.

We get a lot of folks who come to the shop who say they want a paint job, same guys who don't have running brakes, or timing belt in the last 60k. A good paint job is big money and shops that can do it even for lots of money are not common.

Get her detailed and call it a day.

L

[funcrew]

OK, you guys are scaring the hell out of me. For now, I'm going to de-rust and touch-up paint the gravel dings, and compound the surface a bit. Maybe I'll try some non-destructive ding repair. The body-colored trim strips on the bumper and HVAC grills have to be addressed, but that can be done without painting the car.

When none of that satisfies, I can always revisit this thread and go from there.

Thanks to all for your input.

[GOOBER]

I'm in a similar boat to you...probably worse actually. My delphin metallic was resprayed by maaco or somebody similar probably a decade ago so the paint looks like complete dog shit, not to mention awful oversray.

After doing a full resto on my '65 bug and shelling out the 5 grand (in installments) to get it done professionally I think that was worth it...but on my '88 seta which isn't worth much even with what I've done to it, not so much. I plan on sanding it, doing the bodywork, and priming it myself, and then just getting it macco sprayed. The key with maaco is just to take everything off that they could possibly get overspray on before you take it over there. I've seen maaco paint jobs come out really nice for like $500.

[StereoInstaller1]

I have seen what Maaco can do with proper prep:glass/bumpers/trim/lights/locks/antenna/door handles off, painted, cured and then polished...THEN reassembled...car looks a million bucks for as long as it is maintained.

Most of the time a car get painted at maaco, it gets 2 wax jobs in the first year, then never again.

And then it is only shitty liquid wax, right?

Think about this: typically, they guy who goes to Maaco is not exactly an enthusiast, right? How often do those people wax ANY car? That is why some 20 year old BMWs are shiny and pretty, while others look like ass.

I bet maaco could look great for 10 years or more with proper care.

Either way, I will let you know in 2020.

luke

[2002maniac]

Drop it off in Tijuana and take the bus to ensenada for a nice little vacation. They really do a great job if you slip the painter a $20 beforehand.