Finished my $30 paint job
 

Just thought I'd share my success at cheapness with you guys. :)

The paint and supplies: Nearly 20 cans of "Economy Spray Paint" from Lowes, which is actually made by rustoleum. A ton of sandpaper and a couple palm sanders. If i were to do it again, I would never have gone as low as 80 grit. 150 at the least, those swirls are hard to get out and I still have some.

The prep: Removed bumpers (needed to be replaced anyways), all trim (excluding morrors), sanded off the spider webbed burgandy paint, then wet sanded with soapy water, washed, dried, masked, and sprayed. I tried to leave as much original primer as possible. All the bare spots were primed.

It sounds ALOT easier than it was. My hat is off to all the body guys out there.

The results: Everyone that sees it comments on how well it turned out for a rattle can job. One guy at the gas station even asked me where I had my car painted. To his credit, it was dark outside and my car is black. hehe

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...n/DSC00653.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...n/DSC00654.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...n/DSC00652.jpg

looks pretty good. what color is it, black or dark gray. kinda hard to tell

nice, should have done a clear coat though

wow. just wow....

we recently did this same job to a FC that is on its last legs. used rustoleum as well, so i know how much work is involved. nice work, cuz its a pain in the ass

you can actually get straight rustoleum glossier if you feel like doing the work. wetsand up to 2000 grit and then polish with a wheel and compound.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...Photo-0483.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...Photo-0484.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...93306_0_BG.jpg

for the record, i would not bother doing this shit again. i'd rather mask it myself and get a budget spray job at maaco or something.

The paint I used only comes in black or white. :rlaugh:

Looks nice. Really, anything is better than 20 year old mazda paint... especially in the shape mine was in. Rust was imminent.

I agree with the maaco spray, you prep. I originally had bigger plans than what I ended up doing, but the motor in my FD was losing compression right after I took the car apart, so I had to finish it up quickly.

Not up to your standards?

Is it me or the paint didn't come out glossy?
Still gotta do the final color sand and then polish?
The panels look really even, so job well done!



-Ted

nice

the paint never comes out glossy. that's how rustoleum sprays on. ask me how i know... lol.

Not even with color sanding and a good coat of wax?


-Ted

Well, it's like a semi-gloss. You can see a reflection in it, but it's not like a mirror.

I haven't touched it with high grit or polish yet, so I guess it's still unfinished. This is how it'll probably stay, though.

Thanks.

What was the last grit did you use?

I would think even with a semi-gloss, if you knock it down with some 2000-grit and then some nice wax, it'll pick up a lot more shine.

But it sounds like you're not shooting for the high gloss shine... :)


-Ted

a good wetsand and polish will indeed shine it up real nice

Props on the paintjob, man! It looks awesome!!!

WOW, thank you.

I'm used to hearing" eff that man, you want how much to spray the car? I can effing rustoleum it $30!!"

Turned out pretty straight body work wise. Nice job ;)

Hey, it looks good for what it is! I had my car under $25 worth of spraypaint until I got an actual $1200 paint job this past summer. My car was half under primer before I did that, so it was a drastic improvement. I'm guessing your situation is similar.

it looks like a spray can job

i think roll on would have been better

nice, looks pretty good, you should try putting a clear coat on.

Thanks for the compliments and other reactions. I'm pretty pleased with it.

240 wet sand, since I was pressed for time.

You're absolutely right. My goal was literally to have the car look good from 15 ft away and to prevent rust. It does that.

I've never been into spending big money on this ride, though I wish i could. It's my rat-rod, hence the 626 lip and $40 set of wheels. hehe

Not to bad. I understand your reasoning behind not wanting to spend a lot on paint for a cheap car. FYI black is the hardest color to paint because it shows every little imperfection. White is the easiest followed by yellow because they hide any flaws in the paint. This statement does not include any of that specialty paint, just color.

There was a hot rod magazine about a month ago that the cover story was on there paint brushed paint job. They thought it looked pretty good.

nice... looks good...


for those that havent seen this

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/...0&fpart=1&vc=1
painted with a roller

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1...n/DSC02769.jpg

I think im gonna do something like that on mine. Nice and cheap, but alot of damn work though...

I recently attempted to paint a fiber glass bodykit red using Duplex autopaint through a spraygun/compressor. It turned out flat even after many layers of clearcoat. I never got them polished or waxed however, so that may have been why. Any suggestions, as I will be repainting almost my entire car soon.


for cheap. :)