MikeKey

Holy Sex that looks hot. I love it, minus the tips.

texasbaehr

I used Duplicolor Shadow on the Wheels. They were a problem to paint because they were polished stock wheels. No matter how well I prepped and scrubbed them with thinner, alchohol etc. the paint fisheyed. I just this this as a temp. measure until I get new wheels.

Camss57

Did you try aircraft stripper to get the clear coat off of them?

Lupigiato

Well done!

Oldguard 7

Goes to show you that you don't have to spend $10,000 to paint a car. Good job.

Korevette

Right on Texasbaehr, great job.

My first paint job in 1979 was black, in a garage, using Dupont Centari acrylic enamal on a 1972 Plymouth Roadrunner. Your post reminded me of that day. The hardest part of that job was having the courage to start out and try not to make a mistake.

Black can be a bit tough to paint, picking the right reducer/thinner and taking in account the humidity can really dictate the outcome. Once I got that figured out, I always looked for the reflection of the gun in the last pass that I laid down to see how wet it was getting. My trade school instructor told me the definition of a 'total wet coat' was to the point just before it runs. I always ordered an extra quart just for the 'runs'.

My hat's off to you to take this on and make a go of it.

marines

Great job!

C3 4ME

Great work. Looks like it turned out damn nice! While I'm not a fan of the carbon fiber treatments, that's your preference and good for you for doing what you like. I've never seen the stock aluminum wheels painted black, and I have to say I like it, espeically on a black car. You said that was only temporary. I say consider leaving them black!

mark79,80

It looks like you painted the car without loosening up the bumpers?
I have always loosened up both bumpers first and used stir
sticks wedged inside the bumpers resting against the
body, to keep about a 1/2 to 1" gap, so as not to have
the paint bridge the gap between the body and the bumpers.
Was there any problem with the paint bridging the gap?

texasbaehr

The wheels had no clear coat, they were raw polished aluminum. I think the polish, wax or tire dressing got into the pores of the aluminum causing the fisheyes.

texasbaehr

The bumpers were in good shape. This was a quick cosmetic spay job, I didn't even remove the door handles. No issues with the paint bridging the seam. I masked it with the doors open and removed the hood so I could hit the jambs and hood edges.
I plan to tear it down in two years after I retire for a complete restomod. Just wanted it to be presentable so I could enjoy it and take to the cruise night on Saturdays.

texasbaehr

The tips will get fixed. I need to saw off the tailpipes and re-install them so they tuck up under the body tighter. This is still a work in progress.

BobBimboEater

Awesome Pics! Do you mind if I use them on a blog I write on sometimes??
http://www.spraypaintcar.com/painting-blog.html

RRROBB

what gun did you use and would you advise any others to use the same?

RobbSalzmann

Great work! That car is one of a kind and will turn many heads.

Lorin D

Looking great, nice.

RATT7

Looks really good, I like the red stripe and's alot to the car.

texasbaehr

I have two "el-cheapo" Gravity HVLP guns I bought at Harbor Freight, Item #47016. One I have had for 10 years and has painted two cars and three motorcycles. Paid less than $30 ea for them and they work great. They come with a 1.4mm tip and I put a 1.8mm tip on the old one and used it for the primer. I tossed the old one in the trash after this paint job since it was getting pretty cruddy and was not spraying as well as the new one. At that price they are throw aways. I also bought a package of disposable 20oz cups for the guns so I didn't have to deal with cleaning the cup(s) out. If you have the right reducer/hardner for the condidtions you'll be painting in it makes the job much more managable regardless of the equipment. Also get an old fender or hood to use to get the gun dialed in before you start shooting the car. This will save from having to go back and re-spray the first few panels again. Have plenty of light and adequate ventilation and do your research on spraying techniques, etc. if you have not sprayed a car before.
The advantage with the guns I bought is they only require 5.5cfm so they work fine with my 3HP oiless compressor. Most HVLP guns use 12+ cfm. I use a mini regulator and guage at the gun and set at about 15psig and use a inline desicant dryer to catch any moisture that blows through the filter at the compressor. This is needed insurance with the 70% plus humidity in my area.
Been using this set up for years and it's done good by me. I would invest in a better gun and bigger compressor if I were doing more painting or trying to get a "better" result. However, the quality of the equipment probably exceeds my painting abilities right now.

Red 69

Tex, thanks for sharing this info. You are not the first to use Harbor Freight HVLP guns successfully, good to know and confirm success. I mention this because there are others who poo-poo HF tools and claim a good paint job requires an expensive gun. I also have a 3HP compressor with 30 gal tank and know it is at the limit for painting, but can be done. Now, enjoy those Saturday night cruises and show it off!

NewbVetteGuy

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

I've been considering an almost identical paint scheme for my 79 L82; so glad to finally find a blacked-out C3. (I've only found Mustangs and Challengers with this paint scheme so far.) I've been scouring Pinterest trying to find one. I'm also looking at flat black stripes surrounded by a thin red stripe. There's a guy on here and the HAMB forum who's PhotoChopping a mockup for me. I'll share it back here (CF forums; not your specific thread) when I get the rear-facing photos with the stripes going all the way down the back.


What did you use for the red wheel and rocker panel stripes? Just those wheel stripe kits?

Which material did you use for the carbon fiber look for the rocker panels? (I'm torn on keeping chrome there, blacking it out and doing a red stripe like you did, or leaving it chrome AND doing a red stripe.)

How dark is the tint on those side windows?!? DARK, I'd say. ;-)

Adam