DIY paint job. Done right. Hopefully

[sandlock]

that's a bright red. nice work, the painted surfaces thus far look good.

[e304me]

The worst part is going to be figuring out the number of spacers that need to go behind each door. I had it all set up, but some of my stuff got moved when i went to grad school at the end of summer. Im actually supposed to be back at school now but I'm too sick to drive down.

My dad has a motor cycle jack that I think is going to be very useful in putting the doors on. Also it will be a lot easier without the fenders on. I am going to go, doors, hood (since there are still the factory markings on the brackets) then fenders/valance might need to be done together, though there may be some markings I can go off of for the valance. Trunk has the factory markings as well.

And yes this color is awesome!

[MR 325]

Once you get the concept down, it's not nearly as hard. Like hanging a door in a house, it seems daunting, but once you get the basic premise under control, it becomes a matter of getting your hands to do what your brain knows it has too ;)

Agreed, it's not so bad. I had the complete front end AND doors off my 89 when it was painted and I got it all lined up damn near perfect.

[ck_taft325is]

aligning doors are going to be the biggest pain in the world

Once you get the concept down, it's not nearly as hard. Like hanging a door in a house, it seems daunting, but once you get the basic premise under control, it becomes a matter of getting your hands to do what your brain knows it has too ;)

[mikeedler]

looking really nice. paying someone else to spray the car was the best thing you could have done. I paint alot of smaller parts quite often, but all of my cars I have paid a painter at the local shop 50 dollars and a few cases of beer just to lay the paint-- the best money spent, otherwise it will turn out to be weeks of buffing, wetsanding. a full car is alot different than spraying a fender or door. light is also VERY important thing noone here has mentioned. you can never have enough light when painting.

[bmwstephen]

aligning doors are going to be the biggest pain in the world

[MR 325]

Wow, I like the color a lot.

[e304me]

hard to capture the color, just imagine the brightest red you have ever seen

[e304me]

The doors, next to one of the old fenders thats seen better days

[e304me]

hey said he had some problems with the sealer but hopes to still get it painted tonight. DEQ (smog) closes at 1pm on friday and i would need to have it drivable by then if i want to take it to school because i have to leave on sunday. We'll see.

I haven't deq'ed the car since I supercharged it, installed 30 something pound injectors, and tuned the DME myself with tunerpro. So passing is up in the air as well

oh also, before i start putting it back together i have to install the new headliner!!!!

he sent me a picture of a door out in the shop, god i love this color!!!

[e304me]

well, he ended up needing more paint so its not going to be all done till tomorrow. He has all of the parts painted, just the unibody to go. Cant wait to see it in person, this picture quality sucks!!!

[e304me]

Well modern clears are a lot better than they were 20 years ago, and also offer a lot more UV protection and chip protection. both can be buffed but clear will only need a polish/wax here and there. Single stage will need to be buffed a lot more often if the car sees any sun which is why you see a quite a few e30's (at least i have) that have small areas that have been buffed to the sealer underneath. Thats another discussion all together. There is no reason why a clear should be peeling unless it wasnt applied correctly or the paint has seen A LOT of abuse.

[browntown]

I am using 2k paint. I have looked into single stage (just a base coat) but the paint job will last longer with a clear, and look better as well. It is still in the back of my mind though.

There are quite a few single stage paint e30's out there in red, white and black. Generally they can be buffed to a nice shine even 20 years later if they've been taken care of. The clear coat cars on the other hand, once it starts peeling (every bronzit it seems), it'll just get worse.

I plan on single stage respray.

[Holland]

I like the color, a lot actually.

[Wh33lhop]

That looks beautiful man, can't wait to see the rest of the car.