I have decided to go with DUPONT paint for my car. I am going to use their chromabase system. I just called HOVIS to get some prices and they are as follows:

1qt self etch primer 47.20 reducer included

1qt sealer primer $22.85 pre mixed

3qt white base coat (for whole car) $371.05 reducer included

1 GAL clear $125 reducer included

This is Urethane paint, not laquer. Does this sound about right as far as pricing goes? It seems kinda high to me for the base coat... Also, do you guys think that I will also need a filler primer? The sealer primer tech sheet says that it can be "finessed" after it is sprayed.

Thank you for all of your help, paint is foreign to me...

 

So I decided to call NAPA auto because the guy painting my car gets a discount through them. It would be their crossfire paint line. I've read reviews online about paint for hours and have come to the conclusion that people that get online and talk about automotive paint are all crazy. One will say NAPA paint is total junk, another will say its been on their car for 20 years and still looks great.

NAPA prices:
1 qt Etch primer $36.98 (issue, needs hardner but they only sell it in a gal for $60)
1qt sealer primer $25.88
2qt's hardener (for sealer and clear) $75.98
3qt's championship white base $102.99 + 1 gal reducer $60.00 = $162.99
1 Gal clear $89.44

Total (not including etch hardener) - $391.27

Sounds much better than the Dupont.

This should be enough to do my engine bay, door jams, doors, and the entire body. I think the only thing ill need more of is the sealer.

Opinions?

 

I am not an expert but I used the Dupont on my car. It was single stage chroma premier. Very expensive, I was not surprised by the quote you got.

Any way I painted the car in my garage (which I transformed into a paint booth temporarily) under the supervision of a friend who is a body and paint guy. I got very good results and fifeteen years later, with a little touch up here and there it still looks pristine.

I think I got my monies worth.

2cents........

 

That old "you get what you pay for" adage definatly applies here. If you just want to car to look decent for a while and have other things you'd rather spend money on then go for the Napa stuff, but if you want it to last then go for Dupont. Personally I use PPG on all my cars because thats what the auto body supply place I use carries. Price is similar.

I've used NAPA paint before and found it to be a pain to work with, didn't lay down nearly as smooth as the PPG.

One piece of advice if you are shooting this yourself under less than ideal conditions (IE not in a booth and with little experience) do yourself a favor and get a good single stage. Clear coat can be a real pain to get right. A good single stage will last just as long and if you do it right, will shine almost as well. Just my two cents.

What kind of gun are you using, and what size tip does it have?

Are you stripping it down to bare metal? If not then you can get away with just a good high build primer and not buy the expensive etching primer...

 

The etching primer is for my engine bay. I have the wire tuck thread open. My buddy is painting it for me, he has a paint shop. Napa is the stuff he used an he is lettin me use his discount so that's another factor. I'd like to getthe dupont but at about $700 just for paint... I have a lot more things I need to spend money on. Thanks for the responses guys! Anyone have experience with the napa paint?

 

If your friend is familiar with painting cars and familiar with the napa paint then it should come out fine. Personally I found it to be a pain to work with compared to the PPG stuff, but I'm also just a hobbyist, not someone who paints for a living..

 

you do not use etching primer unless you are going down to bare metal. the paint will chip easially.

 

Good luck with the paint job. Let us know how it turns out. I think I would like to paint mine sometime next year and was thinking of using NAPA paint as well.

 

The etching primer is for my engine bay only because I went all down to bare metal. I really hope it turns out as good as I hope. I'm putting a lot of time into this, I really don't want to half to do it again. For the bay it goes, putty, etch, filler, sealer, base, clear. So much stuff lol I hope to have it done by next weekend. But that might be pushing it. Unless you guys want to come pick up a piece of sand paper! Lol thanks you all the help and I'll liet you know how it turns out!

 

Filler primer* I'm on my phone, can't edit posts lol

 

Just finished painting my 82 RX7. Did it in my dusty garage with a cheap HVLP spray gun and $50 worth of Tremclad semi-gloss paint (Rustoleum in the US I believe). It was fast, easy and cheap. Judge the results for yourselves. More pics in the Photo Gallery section.

 

Impressive Ditchdodger! Can't beat the price either, lol :-)

 

I would recommend a good epoxy primer over an etch primer for the engine bay, its newer technology than the old etch primer and at the end of the day works better and is a bit easier to spray...back when I was restoring old camaros i used etch in one and then the paint guy told me to try epoxy primer in the next one a couple of years later....finished product was way better and I had zero issues. Also, do yourself a very big favor....BEFORE you start sanding in the engine bay, degrease it with a commercial degreaser a few times, then get wax and silicone remover from your paint supplier and wipe it down several times. This will keep 30 years of grease/oil/gas residue from getting "ground" into the pores of the metal when you start sanding, and minimise fisheyes with your finish coat. Also, to save ya a bit of dough, get a filler primer that can also double as a sealer by changing the mix ratio....

 

i recommend PPG, teh shop where my dad paints uses it, needless to say its very good, however fairly expensive, but when it comes down to painting you want it done right, or else next time (if there is) you will be paying extra.

 

I just finished painting my car and I went with the inexpensive paint vs dupont or PPG and I am VERY IMPRESSED with the resuts. Lots of trial and error to get it just right but if you have someone doing it for you w/experience you get to skip those pain staking endlesssss hours of labor intensive frustration. The rep at my body supply steered me towards the Shopline paint b/c it was cheaper and since I was doing a full car paintjob, jambs, engine bay, etc included I woudn't have to do any matching which can be much harder w/the cheaper brands if your not good at tinting etc... We shoud have more guys in here tackeling their own paint jobs. The clear coat is what gave me the trouble, but once sorted out I can pretty much lay it down no problems at all now.

 

that looks pretty good! believe me, i would definatly paint the car myself (still might) but i dont have the facility or tools to make it happen. If i do paint it myself ill be using his stuff at his house haha

 

I looked at it this way... Everything I had to get (gun, air/water seperator, regulator, etc, etc, etc) I now have for the next paint job... and the next paint job... and the next paint job... Plus w/Harbor Freight opening a store around here finally it was all pretty inexpensive.

 

im getting all that stuff, trust me. I do everything myself, and if I cant, I usually dont do it. I refuse to pay for labor, ever. lol My paint guy is painting it for free and is showing me how to do everything. The next time something needs painted I'll have the stuff (no cash for the compressor I want yet) and I'll have a pretty good idea of what I'm doing lol right this second im only buying all the paint for everything and painting the engine bay. Everything else will get painted when the car is moving under its own power, by then I should have the supplies to do it myself. Thanks for all the help, and for the review on the paint!

 

When I painted my Eclipse, I used CrossFire paint. This was back in 2004. The engine died in 2007 and it has been sitting in my yard since then. The paint and especially the clear, are STILL shining like I just painted it.

I used PPG's low end paint, Omni, to paint my 84 rx7 back in 2007 and my Motorcycle earlier this year. I prefer to shoot Omni paint, I feel as if it lays nicer and is more forgiving. The only downfall I had was the clear coat started to fade on the 84 this year. I could have mixed it incorrectly for all I know. BUT, Omni released a new clear this year thats better AND cheaper per gallon. Weird, I know. Every painter I talk to LOVES the new clear as it has higher UV protection.

People say "you get what you pay for", and they are right; to a point.

It all depends on the prep work.

Spraying a high dollar paint like PPG/Dupont/HOK on something with crummy prep work will look just that, crummy.

I spend A LOT of time with prep work. And because of this, I feel fine spraying a lower end paint on the things I do paint.

Granted on the chopped, z'd, 53 buick/chevy custom Im helping a friend build, it will get the high dollar paint.

 

thank you chris g, this is EXACTLY the kind of thing i wanted to hear engine bay on the car still needs a lotta work though.. if my darn GF would go to work so i could finish it.... haha

 

I am sure everyone will agree, we want to see more pics, especially assembled and outside. You should be proud of your accomplishment with this!! great effort!

 

I painted my X1/9 with Rustoleum and a roller. Yes, the proverbial $50 paint job. Very labor intensive but results CAN BE spectacular. I ran out of time and never finished the color sand and polish but even so it looks pretty decent. The benefit: very very inexpensive, can do bit by bit, no equipment needed, no spray booth, no clear coat, the downside: takes at least a week or 3 of a few hours a day. I'm sold on it as a method for the average Joe. Someday I'd like to tool up for "real" paint with a shop and equipment and all that but seriously, as ridiculous as it sounds, this works and works well. Many guys have won awards at shows so don't scoff, I did at first too.

 

Thanks. I am very close to being finished w/putting her back together. I worked in a body shop right after highschool for a little over a year so unfortunately my eye is keen to the smallest of imperfections which is driving me nuts...!!! Wetsanding and buffing is just as tedious of a job as prepping and painting. I get alot of compliments everytime I drive her so that helps me triumph my overbearing OCD.

 

I have had experience with Rustoleum, as a few other people have said, and I recommend it highly. I painted a 1987 Suzuki Samurai with it and 10 years later after never being covered from the elements of Minnesota seasons it is still on and looks great.

Awesome thread for beginners in paint and body work, thanks for opening it up

Nice lookin ride 85TIIDEVIL, handy work with inexpensive paint. I detailed cars in high school, and I know watcha mean with the "smallest of imperections" and this is why I haven't even looked into painting my 7...yet..

 

I painted mine in my driveway with Sherwin Williams Finish 1/Dimension paint. Don't do either of those things The paint went on easy but the base chips off of the primer just as easy. Also had bubbles form in the clear that made a mess with any speed of reducer I used. No one at the supplier could figure out why. It's a shame because the color looks fantastic. I've used Dupont Nason in the past and it was a much better paint and about the same price range. And don't paint outside... not only is humidity and dust a problem, but it really sucks when you lay on some beautiful clear and a gnat lands on it, and then "swims" his way across your fender before he finally gives out - leaving a nice trail for you to sand and buff out later

If you've got an experienced painter showing you what to do in a good environment, you should be set. Laying paint is EASY. It's the prep work and set up of the gun that takes a lot of work and experience.