xfactor1388

hey fellow rotor heads

i wanna paint my car and take care of some of the cosmetic work for my 89 but i dont no where to begin. Ive never painted a car before, houses hell yeah, but not a car so i dont no exactly wat it takes to do so. if anyone can point me in the right direction i would really appreciate it and pm if you like with the info. thanks

Javy

blacknmild874

are you DIY'ing it? let me find a couple links that might help you out.

blacknmild874

http://www.d-series.org/forums//showthread.php?t=56517

xfactor1388

yep ima do it myself cuz taking it to a shop is gonna end up ripping me a new one. thanks for looking into it really appreciate it!

blacknmild874

http://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1830022
there is another thread

and another just basically showing what this guy did on his own

http://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1857355

xfactor1388

thanks a bunch ur a life saver!!!!

blacknmild874

haha no problem man. are you rolling it on or spraying it?

xfactor1388

i wanna spray it i think it would be better dont u think?

blacknmild874

well do you have a place to spray it? like in your garage and put up some plastic? or where are you planning on doing it?

LizardFC

iTrader: (1)

I had the exact same idea with my TII, so I'd be glad to offer advice and let you learn from my mistakes. First off, depending on what equipment you already have, look to spend around $1000 or more on tools and materials. If you already have access to a large compressor and a paint gun, then you can almost half that number. Here's a basic list of what you'll need:

- A clean garage or better yet, borrow someone's paint booth.
- At least two paint guns, one for primer and one for base and clearcoat. Don't do what I did and use the same gun. Primer guns have a different tip and needle because primer is much thicker than basecoat and clearcoat.
- A large compressor, preferably 15+ gallons. I used a 17g from Home Depot and it had no trouble keeping up.
- A paint system - self-etching primer (for bare metal), urethane primer, basecoat, and clearcoat, as well as the appropriate cleaners. It's very important that all of these paints are compatible, so don't mix brands and systems. Go to an auto paint supplier and they will tell you what works with what. I used the Dupont Nason system which is cheaper but can look really good when done right.
- Sandpaper, and lots of it. 60-100 grit for removing paint, 150-300 for sanding primer, and 1000-2000 wetsand paper for basecoat and clearcoat is what I used. I'd recommend a random orbit sander for removing paint.
- Masking tape, newspaper, and lots of plastic drop sheets. You can get 10'x50' sheets of .75mil plastic at Lowes for under $3 a piece. They can be cut to any shape and are invaluable for masking large areas and creating a dust-free zone in the garage.
- A quality mask. Wear one, paint is not meant for lungs. Get the appropriate kind at the paint supplier.

That's off the top of my head. Most of the money I spent was on tools. The actual paint from primer to clearcoat cost me less than $400. If you really wanna try this, be prepared for a lot of time and work. Don't cut corners, disassemble the car as much as possible and mask everything carefully.

xfactor1388

thanks guys i guess now i know wat im up against on doing this task now lol

blacknmild874

just remember that 75-80% of the work is prep work.

LizardFC

iTrader: (1)

Damn straight, and the prep work will make or break the paint job.

blacknmild874

yep. prep work is EXTREMELY important.

xfactor1388

cool cool good to know and also im thinkin bout painting the car gunmetal wat yal think?

blacknmild874

i think you paint it whatever color you want! haha

but for real though whatever color you do choose DONT skip out on the prep work. i cant stress the importance of prep work when doing it.

"if youre going to do it, do it right the first time!"

xfactor1388

yup yup ima make sure of that cuz i hate shitty work!!! i want my car to look badass ima take my time so i dont screw up but thanks for all the support and help guys!!!

blacknmild874

no problem man. take a BUNCH of pictures. hell if you have the time/want to you can make a DIY while youre at it.

xfactor1388

once i get started and get all the materials together ima get a better camera while im at it and take pics of the progress and make like a DIY guide for anyone new to doing this.

blacknmild874

good stuff!

LizardFC

iTrader: (1)

Excellent. Gunmetal sounds like a great color to start with. I think colors with a lot of metallic are the easiest to screw up when you're starting out. Just make sure you are happy with your color. I decided to paint mine Black Cherry Metallic to match the Shinka RX-8. After laying the basecoat, I realized that it's just a fancy purple. So now I'm kinda wishing my TII wasn't purple. Keep us informed, I wanna see how it turns out. I have pictures of mine if you want to see it.

blacknmild874

post em up!

LizardFC

iTrader: (1)

Try these photobucket slideshows...

<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v442/Psycho5005/TII%20restoration/?action=view&current=1169255237.pbw">Chapter I</a>
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v442/Psycho5005/TII%20restoration/?action=view&current=1169255583.pbw">Chapter II</a>
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v442/Psycho5005/TII%20restoration/?action=view&current=1169255929.pbw">Chapter III</a>
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v442/Psycho5005/TII%20restoration/?action=view&current=1169256794.pbw">Chapter IV</a>

The first shots are from 2004. I started prep-work in the late summer so I could paint in the fall because of the nice temperatures and lower humidity. The car stayed primered for over a year. I finished laying base/clear in early 2006 but I have yet to fully wetsand and buff the clearcoat. I blame the FB which has been an attention-*****. It's currently being "unpainted."