(PAINT) HOW TO: Paint your 7 for less than $100 (56K Beware!)
 

After freaking out about a few rust holes on my SA, I decided to try out a two-tone "roll on" paintjob. In case you're not familiar, this basically involves using diluted Rustoleum/Tremclad paint and applying it to your car with a high-density foam roller brush (like you use to paint walls). This is what it ended up looking like:

http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7...b/finished.jpg

If you're broke with lots of time to spare (this took me several weekends, partially due to weather), here are some instructions I wrote up. If you have any questions, ask away!

BE SURE TO READ SEVERAL STEPS AHEAD WHEN YOU GET READY TO PAINT. THE PAINT USED IN THESE INSTRUCTIONS DRIES WITHIN A HALF HOUR, SO DON’T DILLIWACK!

Step 1.)
Roll or drive your car into a clean, covered area such as a garage or carport. Make sure that you will have enough room to work by giving yourself a 3 foot space around the car.

Step 2.)
Purchase, borrow, or otherwise git the following materials:

- Tremclad or Rustoleum Enamel paint. You will need approximately 1 gallon of paint to do the entire vehicle. If you are doing multiple colors, proportion the amount accordingly.
- 120, 200, 400, 1000, 1500 grit waterproof sandpaper. Some stores sell an “automotive sanding kit”, which usually contain all the sandpaper you need.
- Paint mixing tray
- High density foam roller brush, the one with the rounded tip. Unless you're REALLY good at cleaning your tools, you should try to buy about 1 roller brush for every 2 coats. Given about 8-10 coats per color, this comes out to be 4-6. More is always better.
- High density foam block brush. This small brush should have an angled tip. You want this so that you can apply paint into small cracks where the roller brush cannot fit.
- Stirring/mixing stick.
- 1 Gallon of mineral spirits.
- 1 Roll of low-stick painter’s masking tape, such as 3M “blue” masking tape.
- 1 Roll of masking paper. Refer to Figure 2 for an example of how much you need.
- Waxing compound (such as TurtleWax or Mother’s).
- Polishing/Buffing compound (try to get the same brand as the waxing compound).
- Wax/Buffer application pads.
- Gloves!

Some pics of what to get:
http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7...PaintToBuy.JPG
http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7...ob/Brushes.JPG
http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7...ralSpirits.JPG
http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7...job/glvoes.JPG

Step 3.) Consulting the Factory Service Manual as necessary, remove the following parts from your car:
- Bumpers.
- Front splitter.
- If you have the 1979 or 1980 model, the front “rocker” panel (those things under the bumper that connect to the fender)
- Door handles.
- Rear vents. These are those little plastic things behind the B-Pillar.
- Windshield Wipers.
- Mirrors.
- Locks.
- Rear Taillights.
- Optional. Rear hatch glass and hinges.
- Optional. Windshield and Windshield trim pieces.
- Optional. Sunroof.
- Optional. Headlight assembly.
- Optional. Fenders, unless you intend on doing a paintjob that requires straight lines on the car, in which case you should leave these on until Step 4.
- Optional. Hood.

Step 4.)
Start by using the 120 and 200 grit sandpaper, wet-sand your car until you have dulled the paint significantly, as seen in Figure 1. For best results, use a steady circular motion while sanding and bring the car down to the primer or bare metal. If you’ve never heard of it before, wet-sanding involves dipping your section of sandpaper in a bucket of water before you start sanding. When the paper gets dry or simply damp, dip it back into water. Rustoleum has a primer built in and is very strong, so you shouldn’t worry about painting a coat of primer on the car again.

http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7...job/dulled.JPG
Figure 1.) I dunno if you can see it, but the arrows point to dullish color?

Step 5.)
Mask off areas where you don't want to paint. If you plan on doing a multiple-color paintjob, start with the lightest color and mask off the rest of the car. A good idea is to allow for some overlap between color zones, and then sand off the excess.

http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7...b/image003.jpg
Figure 2.) An idea of areas to mask off.

Step 6.)
Put on some clothes that you don’t mind getting covered in paint, and be sure to wear some sort of rubber/latex glove for each of the following steps the require you work with paint.

Step 7.)
Mix up a batch of paint with roughly 5 parts paint and 1 part mineral spirits (Figure 3). The goal is to create a yogurt-like consistency that will not run when it is applied. Another tip here is to add paint first, then “splash” mineral spirits in. I’ve found that it’s all too easy to drown the paint in mineral spirits, making it way too thin. If this happens to you, just let the mixture sit for several minutes and it should thicken up to the right consistency.

http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7...b/image005.jpg
Figure 3.) Paint Ratio

Step 8.)
Using a clean roller brush, load up some paint by rolling back and forth in mixture several times, and then rolling several times on a dry section of mixing pan until excess drips off. You want to make sure that when you apply paint to the car it won’t pool up and start running.

Step 9.)
Start smoothly rolling on paint with brush. If paint starts running (see Figure 4), STOP ROLLING. Your mixture is too thin. Quickly roll over section that is running, and try to spread the paint out further. If you cannot prevent the paint from running, use paper towels to wipe away excess. The direction you roll should not matter, but if you see streaks in your paint, roll over these sections again in a cross-wise manner as seen in Figure 5.

http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7...b/image007.jpg
Figure 4.) Proper paint technique

http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7...b/image009.jpg
Figure 5.) Rolling technique.

Step 10.)

If the paint goes on smoothly in Step 7, then proceed to paint the remainder of the area you are working on. For tight sections such as the door jams and rear hatch area, use the foam block brush and load it up with NON-THINNED paint, as in “straight from the bucket”. Touch up these areas using a dabbing motion.

Step 11.)
Allow the coat to dry and then wet-sand it lightly with 400 grit sandpaper. Be sure to use a circular motion so as to avoid visible scrapes. The goal is to smooth out each coat so that an “orange-peel” or dimpling effect is not amplified in the final paint.

Step 12.)
Clean any residue off the car with a damp paper towel. I’ve found that regular shop towels will leave little pieces of lint all over the car, so it’s best to avoid using them.

Step 13.)
Repeat steps 5-10 for each coat of paint for this section. You’ll want to put on roughly 3 more coats after you can no longer see the underlying paint, for a total of around 8 coats. More coats are always better, and don’t forget your bumpers and other body panels! For the last 2 coats, use the 1000 grit sandpaper instead of the 400 grit.

Step 14.) Optional.
If you are planning on a multiple color scheme, mask off the next darkest color’s section now (Figure 6).

http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7...b/image010.jpg
Figure 6.) Where to mask off for two tone paintjobs.

Step 15.)Optional.
Repeat steps 5-11 for the next darkest color. From my experience, it’s a lot easier to cover up a light color with a dark one than the other way around. In some cases, it’s actually impossible to cover up black with a white, because you cannot get the paint thick enough.

Step 16.) Optional.
Repeat steps 12 and 13 for any other colors you intend on adding.

Step 17.)
Lightly wet sand the entire car with 1500 grit or higher sandpaper. This is to ensure that the surface is incredibly smooth. If you do well on this step, no one should be able to tell you saved several hundred dollars on paint! It is CRUCIAL that you use a circular motion at this stage, or visible scratches will be seen through the paint!

Step 18.)
Apply the buffing/polishing compound as per the container’s instructions. The buffing/polishing compound acts as very high grit sandpaper, so if the paint is already looking good, you may not need this step.

Step 19.) Optional.
If you are trying a two-tone paintjob, and paint has bled through the masking tape, you might want to consider applying a thick pin striping to cover up the defect (Figure 7).

http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7...tripestuff.JPG
Figure 7.) Pinstriping that I got from CarQuest... try to find some thick stuff.

Step 20.)
Apply wax to entire car, as per the container’s instructions. You also may want to wash the car one final time before this step, but that's up to you.

Step 21.)
After allowing the wax a few hours to adhere, apply a final wash to the car.

Step 22.)
Re-assemble parts that were taken off prior to attempting this paintjob. If you forget where things go, consult the Factory Service Manual, friends, or your closest junkyard.

Step 23.) Step back, take a few pictures to post online, and then see if your RX-7 still runs!

dang that is sweet, looks great too!

+1, I smell archive

Oh, and did you do pin striping all around the rear section as well? Could you post a pic of the rear?

OK, I'm doing this to my FB, just because.

Hell, anything is worth trying once.

i seen several paint jobs with this and they all look real good. 1+

I think this is a great post!

great write up!!!

Thanks for posting this! My new FB's paint is kinda rough, I may have to do something like this in the future.

More pics of the finished product!

Well done, and well captured and detailed...thanks!

Thanks all for the positive responses! As for the pinstriping, I tried to take a few pics but I think it was a little too dark out...

http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7/paintjob/Rear1.jpg

Detail shot:

http://oregonstate.edu/~lampertn/RX7...r_detailed.jpg

The pinstriping I used was a vinyl-based material, which can deform pretty good. I don't know if you can really tell, but the corners have some wrinkles from trying to wrap around. If I were to do this again, I'd use a hair-dryer or some sort of heatgun to warm up the pinstriping before doing these segments. If you take things slow, it should work out just fine.

As for the overall pinstriping process, I started at the front fenders and had a buddy hold the pinstriping roll tight. Then I slowly pressed the pinstripes into the body, working my way along the car. To make sure the lines were straight, I did the entire thing with one piece, and then cut at the fender/door lines. It also helps if your friend holds the pinstripe at a tangent to the curve you're working on.

Throw out any more questions you have! I kinda know how to draw too, so if you want I could sketch up some diagrams regarding any confusing part. Might take a while to reply though... :)

dude more pictures, i want some close ups of the black to see how much shine you can really get with this paint!!!!!!!11

go here for some good sites and resources about this:

https://www.rx7club.com/lounge-192/painting-your-car-roller-who-has-dealt-boat-paint-656181/


did you know about lots of people doing this method using the brightside boat paint? if so, why did you decide against it?

also, you said your paint dried in 30 minutes, i know why. you used odorless mineral spirits. its not 100% minerals spirits. in the original thread about this some say by using this itll cause "flash" drying. when using 100% MS it usually takes hours to dry. many wait 24 hours before touching the car again.

i plan on doing this for my DD. at this time im trying to decide between brightside and rustoleum. im also trying to decide on a color. the bad things for me, ill have to do it outside. im not worried though. i think itll still come out great.

gavinjuice-- go to the link i posted. go to the mopar thread. skim through there. youll see where a guy used brightside boat paint and buffed it. it looks just as good as brand new car paint.**its actually on the page the mopar link takes you to**

also i have read and seen where people didnt thin the paint at all with mineral spirits. im researching this as well. a lot of people dont thin the brightside paint.

Nice write-up. I am planning to do this also. Good questions everyone. This is definetly an archivable thread.

they have more on this in the new hot rod mag. says on cover $98 paint job so check it out i bought the mag for the article and it goes through all the steps

great write up i say this one belongs in the archive. i love the look of that paint i cant belive you did that with a roller maust have take forever

:icon_tup: One of us will archive it once the thread has run its course.

Sweet tits, I'm in the process of sanding my car.
Maybe I will give it a try.

A+ wow i didnt think that you could get that nice of a paint job from a roller at all!!! Damn good job!

wait to archieve this as i will be going through this process with the brightside paint. i will add that to here to maybe help out as the steps are a little different. after some more info is added archieve is a great idea.

Is it a big deal that it dries too fast using the odorless MS? I mean, it would be awesome to be able to do this in a day or two rather than almost a week using the 100% MS.
From what I see in the pictures, I can't imagine that it would be a big deal because it your finished product looks great!

was this inspired by my post a month ago or so? ;)

i've yet to actually do my car, but i do have all the materials. just worried about the prep since the paint currently is so scratched in places and i'll be taking off all badges at the same time.. ahh maybe im just lazy.