02-12-2007, 08:42 AM
The Goods:
![[Image: im002182.jpg]](http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/files/979205_ylild/im002182.jpg)
Lowes was my buddy. I can't find my receipt, but the grand total was around $100.
-1 gallon Rustoleum paint, can be the Professional or regular series, both located in the same aisle.
-1 can of corresponding Rustoleum spray paint
-1 can of primer, if you're doing rust repair (probably didn't even need to do this, but I did)
-1 gallon of mineral spirits
-1 spray bottle for wet-sanding
-1 sandblaster sanding sponge. You won't actually use it for sanding, it's just really good to wrap paper around
-Turtlewas Polishing Compound. Stupid cheap and gets the job done
-Roller, pan, handle kit
-extra rollers
-painter's tape
-1 small foam brush (I bought the big one, but didn't use it)
-sandpaper. for the actual painting, I used 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000. Scuff the paint up with 60,100,150,220, and 400 grit so the paint will adhere well, then start painting. THis will also give you the chance to remove rust and any other imperfections. Other body work, use whatever is necessary for the job (Bondo, dent puller, etc).
Then, ready the entirety of the following threads, the first being most critical:
link 1
link 2
Then prepare yourself for a grueling few days/weeks in the garage.
Here's a few hints that I've learned so far:
-Doing a whole car is exhausting. Your quality will diminish the longer you drag it out. I'd recommend doing the front (fenders, bumper hood) at one point, then the middle, then the rear. Breaking it up might make it tougher and end up dragging it out longer, but it lets you stop and take a breather between sections.
-Use the Bondo. You're going to be up close and personal with the these peices and will see every imperfection numerous times between the coats of paint, sanding, and polishing.
-Don't just scuff the paint at 60. I did this on the SE-R (cuz I'm an idiot and was anxious) and it took forever for the paint to fill it in and make a smooth surface b/c it is so thin (with the mineral spirits).
-Remove everything off the metal. This includes sanding off the pinstriping; the paint will not be thick enough to cover this up so you can't see it. You won't have to mask anything off and won't have to work around anything. It's tough enough working the contours of the car. Don't make it harder or you'll hate it more.
-Anything you do mask off, don't let the tape sit forever. Eventually, it won't want to come off. Pull it off and put fresh down every 4-5 days. Not only will this keep the adhesive fresh, but it will also let you see where paint is seeping through and you can try to clean it off, prevent it before it is locked in.
-Be sure to mask off the bottom if you want it a different color. I was going to leave the SE-R stock gray on the bottom and said "It won't get down there" to myself. WRONG. It turned out looking better anyways, but was just more work.
-The wet-sanding process is what determines the final appearance and shine. I'm not convinced that you have to do so many coats and so many sanding levels, however you have to really SAND it in order to get rid of the orange peel. Use a light up close to be sure it's all gone. It's also important to be doing this even at the first sanding, since it will only get worse as you put more paint over it and you'll have to sand a lot more down to get rid of it. Hopefully I'll get this part right this time, as there are certainly a few spots that have some orange peel on the SE-R.
-Be careful about edges when you're sanding. This stuff is thin, you can sand down to metal real quick if you aren't careful.
-Do a test peice first. Find something at a scrap yard and go through the whole thing. It will take like 10 minutes each coat and will let you perfect your technique, figure out the paint consistency, etc. It's worth it, plus you'll be able to determine if this is really what you want to do.
-RUSHING + NO PREP = DECREASED JOB QUALITY. These are the only two factors in this job. The materials are cheap and all that really determines how the final product turns out is the amount of time you want to put into it.
I'll add more as I think of them...
Lowes was my buddy. I can't find my receipt, but the grand total was around $100.
-1 gallon Rustoleum paint, can be the Professional or regular series, both located in the same aisle.
-1 can of corresponding Rustoleum spray paint
-1 can of primer, if you're doing rust repair (probably didn't even need to do this, but I did)
-1 gallon of mineral spirits
-1 spray bottle for wet-sanding
-1 sandblaster sanding sponge. You won't actually use it for sanding, it's just really good to wrap paper around
-Turtlewas Polishing Compound. Stupid cheap and gets the job done
-Roller, pan, handle kit
-extra rollers
-painter's tape
-1 small foam brush (I bought the big one, but didn't use it)
-sandpaper. for the actual painting, I used 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000. Scuff the paint up with 60,100,150,220, and 400 grit so the paint will adhere well, then start painting. THis will also give you the chance to remove rust and any other imperfections. Other body work, use whatever is necessary for the job (Bondo, dent puller, etc).
Then, ready the entirety of the following threads, the first being most critical:
link 1
link 2
Then prepare yourself for a grueling few days/weeks in the garage.
Here's a few hints that I've learned so far:
-Doing a whole car is exhausting. Your quality will diminish the longer you drag it out. I'd recommend doing the front (fenders, bumper hood) at one point, then the middle, then the rear. Breaking it up might make it tougher and end up dragging it out longer, but it lets you stop and take a breather between sections.
-Use the Bondo. You're going to be up close and personal with the these peices and will see every imperfection numerous times between the coats of paint, sanding, and polishing.
-Don't just scuff the paint at 60. I did this on the SE-R (cuz I'm an idiot and was anxious) and it took forever for the paint to fill it in and make a smooth surface b/c it is so thin (with the mineral spirits).
-Remove everything off the metal. This includes sanding off the pinstriping; the paint will not be thick enough to cover this up so you can't see it. You won't have to mask anything off and won't have to work around anything. It's tough enough working the contours of the car. Don't make it harder or you'll hate it more.
-Anything you do mask off, don't let the tape sit forever. Eventually, it won't want to come off. Pull it off and put fresh down every 4-5 days. Not only will this keep the adhesive fresh, but it will also let you see where paint is seeping through and you can try to clean it off, prevent it before it is locked in.
-Be sure to mask off the bottom if you want it a different color. I was going to leave the SE-R stock gray on the bottom and said "It won't get down there" to myself. WRONG. It turned out looking better anyways, but was just more work.
-The wet-sanding process is what determines the final appearance and shine. I'm not convinced that you have to do so many coats and so many sanding levels, however you have to really SAND it in order to get rid of the orange peel. Use a light up close to be sure it's all gone. It's also important to be doing this even at the first sanding, since it will only get worse as you put more paint over it and you'll have to sand a lot more down to get rid of it. Hopefully I'll get this part right this time, as there are certainly a few spots that have some orange peel on the SE-R.
-Be careful about edges when you're sanding. This stuff is thin, you can sand down to metal real quick if you aren't careful.
-Do a test peice first. Find something at a scrap yard and go through the whole thing. It will take like 10 minutes each coat and will let you perfect your technique, figure out the paint consistency, etc. It's worth it, plus you'll be able to determine if this is really what you want to do.
-RUSHING + NO PREP = DECREASED JOB QUALITY. These are the only two factors in this job. The materials are cheap and all that really determines how the final product turns out is the amount of time you want to put into it.
I'll add more as I think of them...