To the DIY autobody guys.

[trent]

CarsSuck....I went your exact route and will offer you my expertise.

Blasting panels sucks, unless you have THE ENTIRE UNIBODY on a rotissery. Chemical stripping SUCKS.

When I decided to paint my 2002 I invested into a lot of tools, I will list them
Electric 7 inch Angle Grinder 9K RPM. 36 Grit disks and I can strip a door in 2 minutes flat. You must be carefull you can go THROUGH the door in 10 seconds..

Electric 7 inch Sander Polisher 2-3K adjustable. Same as above on contoured/thin/old sheet metal.

60 GAL 150PSI compressor

You will want to build a large drain system for your compresor along with a good filter system.
Air Angle Grinder with 24,36,50, + grit disks
Air Straight Grinder
Air DA Sander with good hardware as mentioned above
Air 1 foot Inline Sander
Body hammers/dollies
Paint guns, one primer 1.8-2.0 tip, one jam gun .8-1.0, and a larger gun, 1.2-1.4 This is for maximum paint efficenty and less material waste.
A welder is also nice to have for autobody.
You will also need countless money in sanding disks, sand paper, wire wheels, acid etch or good metal cleaner (if you goto bare metal) and don't forget primer materials. Good primers and paints will cost close to $500 themselves. If I think of anything else I will let you know.

[trent]

Here is a pic of my compressor and ball drains...the lines go up and all the way across the garage and back with a slight slant..4 inches across 20 feet.

[trent]

Also...read this site, and it has a great forum.

http://www.autobodystore.com/strip_&_paint.htm

[CarsSuck]

thank you, trent.

[Jand3rson]

And ask trent for help, he's a great resource. He's been very helpful with my projects. Also, if you have an automotive paint & body supply store in your area (hopefully a good one), spend time in there. Ask the guys questions, and if they are cool, they'll give you as much help as they can. Check out that link trent posted, find some autobody forums, and read read read read read read.

And I'll tell you right now, the best way to learn it is to do it. I've learned a ton doing my bumper and valence conversions, and bodywork is just that, WORK. Lots of time, lots of patience, lots of supplies. You're going to screw shit up, you're going to have to start things all over again, and you're just going to have to get dirty and do it. But it's very gratifying when you're done the work on a project.