DIY paint job. Done right. Hopefully

[freeride53]

don't you want an antenna?

[sonnyqm3]

I took some pics tonight but they came out like ass. I have everything primed and have started wetsanding. I will have to reprime some sand thrus then re wetsand those areas and paint!

did you block already and what grade sand paper did you or how many coats of primer did you use.

are you going to water sand it, what grade sand paper are you going to use 600 or 1200..

[e304me]

well a lot has happened since i last updated this thread. I blocked the car and had it almost ready to paint but didnt finish in time before i had to go to grad school. I am back now until the 1st or 2nd. When i came back I blocked the car again and sanded to 400.

I just dropped the car off at the painters today and it should be painted by tomorrow. One reason I chose to have someone else do it was because of the temperature. I would have to rent a booth if I wanted to paint it myself. Another is the experience. This guy has been restoring hot rods for 30 years!!!!

Hopefully i will have pictures tomorrow and have it assembled in a few days. Maybe even in time to take with me to school but that is also weather permitting.

[e304me]

Well it looks like I'm not going to be able to take it to school, but just as well i guess as I will really take my time putting it together. It's taking him longer than expected and I should have the car and parts back by tomorrow.

[e304me]

pic of the hood! I am anxious to see the actual color, red is so hard to photograph. Its painted mugello red. It is a really rare bmw color that came on some e34 m5's and some 95 m3's.

[Wh33lhop]

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

[Holland]

I like the color, a lot actually.

[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.

[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.

[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]

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]

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

[e304me]

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

[MR 325]

Wow, I like the color a lot.

[bmwstephen]

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