Hi all,

So i have finally finished sanding down my 78' and I am planning to paint it myself, - I have selected slicksand for the primer based on the comments on this forum, but I am getting very confused about paint!

I am trying to avoid 2k paints, as I plan to paint in my garage with basic equipment and wont have a air fed mask and dont want to suffocate me or the neighbourhood, so I though I was looking for acrylic-enamel paint, but some of those say 2k so maybe I dont know what 2k is, plus I have seen single, two-stage (which I now know is not the same as 2k) and 3 stage paint, low-voc, acrylic-urethane, water based etc. from Eastwood, dupli-colour, PPG, DuPOnt, Restorationshop and have lost all track of what i need.

I am also struggling to find a supplier. I went to my local Sherwin-Williams, and PPG store and they both only supply household paint, not automotive and couldnt help me. Online I can mostly only find product details for most of the larger manufacturers (voc ratings etc.) and anywhere I can buy paint from online there doesn't seem to be any real options to get a colour chart or match the paint code (I want to get close to, but not necessarily exact as I wont be painting the door jamms)

Im pretty sure I am just over thinking this and most paint would do the job, but I had no idea there would be anywhere near this much choice/considerations and then the general difficulties of actually getting the paint to the car (I live in CA, so many high voc paints cant be delivered here anyway)

This is my first proper attempt at a paint job (done a few rattle can jobs in the past), ill be doing it in a pretty typical garage, with reasonable but not overwhelming ventilation, and a decent, but not air fed mask. With this in mind:

1) What type of paint do I need? urethane, enamel, water based? I assume I want to avoid the 2k as it seems very bad for me and the neighbourhood so which is which?
2) What rough quantity of paint/clear do I need? (bearing in mind there will be mistakes)
3) Are there any disadvantages to single stage as it seems it would be easier, but is the finish diminished?
4) Is there a preferred supplier that people use? Has anyone bought it online and has any good links?
5) Is there a particular paint type/brand that is more forgiving for the amatuer painter?
6) How much harder is metallic, compared to flat, as metallic seems to be a lot easier to source, but I have read about laying it in the same direction which confuses me which way I would paint he hood, front wings and front bumper (i.e. one wing left to right, one right to left, hood from glass to front and then front bumper vertically so everything runs roughly back of car to front? in which case what do I do where the wing meets the bumper? or does it only matter per panel?)

p.s.
I also appreciate many folks are going to say, if im this confused I probably shouldn't do it myself, and although I appreciate that is probably true, if I don't try ill never learn. - worst case I just spend another 3 weeks sanding it down again

 

Wow, that's a lot of info you threw out and I probably can't everything but here's my take. I also wanted to learn how to paint. Knowing how much work and time it took to get to the painting I didn't want to rush at this point. This is a long time profession that you try to learn in a short period of time. Very easy to get discouraged and confused. Now my experience has been to get a good gun, check with auto body supply places. The ones that auto body shops by from. Get online and go to autobodytoolmart.com and see what all is available. A test panel is critical for a newbie to practice on. Lord knows it saved me from screw things up. I use the Axalta (old Dupont) paints. They have a great tech staff that I can call and ask questions etc. There products are temperature rated and for me living in Florida is important. I am sure there are competitive companies out there that are just as goo, research! Again you are trying to learn a profession the folks have worked years at and some are very good. Your right about one thing, you have to start somewhere.

ZIO


made a booth out of 2x4 and plastic so as not to get over spray all over

Primer on a 69 for the very first time

My first attempt at base coat, clear coat on a test panel.

Test panel

Test panel sanded and ready for a second attempt

Second attempt was much better as far as getting the gun air pressure set.

Polyester primer, many use epoxy primer. Your choice

The Axalta system I use that works for me. Many products out there.

My second car ever painted . A 71 War Bonnet Yellow metallic.

Third car is a work in progress. Another 71 Steel City Grey

Oh, the first is my 69 in Black. All the cars perfect and ready for Barret Jackson? No, but nice enough for me to feel like "hey I did that".

ZIO

 

If this is your first time painting.......
couple recommendations
- Get a helper - someone who has sprayed before
- shoot a solid color - metallics are harder to shoot
- shoot a single stage 2k - you can easily sand out mistakes
- shoot LOTS of test panels -
- use a good gun
- use good materials

 

Hey saw this kind of late into the conversation. I have been in the auto body business for 20+ years. Two stage is base coat clear coat application. I would never use a single stage. You see single stage paint jobs on fleet vehicles and Earl Scheib jobs. If you get a good clear coat on a two stage refinish you can polish and wet sand out imperfections in the paint such as nibs, runs and fish eye. You might want to contact a paint jobber such as finish masters and ask them what they recommend (Base, clear, thinners, reducers, etc). If you want an extremely cost effective two stage paint you can go with Omni. I would recommend going with a mid grade paint like PPG or Axalta but it just depends on your budget. In Ca you can only use water borne or low voc paint such as Omni or it could be a huge fine if you get caught. If you can find someone that is a paint prepper as someone mentioned above to help you prep the vehicle and mask it correctly that would be a plus.