Ok, Im having a debate with myself, and im just looking for some feedback. By no means do I have enough money to paint my car, Im just trying to figure out what Im gonna do once I can afford it. My car is a 1983 GSL thats Formula White (excepts its actually kinda creame looking cause its so faded). I originally was thinking that I wanted to just repaint it BRIGHT white (like Miata white) after I finish all the body work (airdam, skirts, whatever). I wanted to do this for simplicity. I dont wanna have a mismatched engine bay, or inside the door jams and stuff like that. Well, I was thinking, If I just take the door panels off, couldnt they paint the door jams to match? I could live with the engine bay being white I guess, but I couldnt stand opening the door and seeing another color...Basically, how would you personally go about changing the color of your car, short of stripping it down to nothing and re-painting it?

~T.J.

 

If you want the door jams painted too, be prepared for overspray on your interior.

 

When I go to paint the GS this spring, I plan to take the door apart (panel off, window out, rubber out) and paint it all that way, as for the jambs, just tape a big sheet of plastic in the opening to act like a "door" to block overspray form getting in the car. I will be using a small airbrush instead of a paint gun to do the jambs, to make it even less likely that over spray will get on teh interior. I plan on leaving hte engine bay the original color for now. Good luck.

 

ack! Don't tell me that! *covers ears*

-Error402

 

-he he..

I thought you meant Human Body Painting.

 

that ***** weird

 

If you go to an el cheapo body shop, sure.

A reputable body shop will remove trim from around your door, pull the carpet back, pop out the headliner, and mask off your interior before painting. When everything is reassembled, though most of your floorpan under the carpet and roof under the headliner will still be white, the door jams will be whatever colour they painted the rest of the car.

As for under the hood, if you pull your engine and radiator and tape a garbage bag around your wiring harness, then add a coathanger to the harness to let them move it around as they paint, they can get your engine bay done as well.

 

MMMMmmMMmMMmmm heidi klum ..

 

Absolutely. Go to someone you can trust.

 

Or do the dirty work yourself. Strip the interior b4 you get it painted. God you guys are lazy! I see you changed your avatar again DF, but another painted lady I see. MMMMMMMMMMMMM

 

My cousin does my bodywork and my first SE he painted the door jams etc to make it look right. He got no overspray on my interior by being careful.

I had talked to the people at Maaco (?) and the price and quality of the work I say there was appalling. One car had the windshield washers sprayed over because someone forget to tape them up or remove them.

My cousin didn't paint my engine bay except for the edge part. There is a company called Tower Paint that will make you spray cans of the color code you supply. I used those folks to get the paint I needed for touch-up and engine bay correction.

jeryj

(BTW, having someone in the family who has a bodyshop has been a Godsend.)