paint

[davids]

Think about painting metallic silver 280sl . How difficult?

[w113dude]

Are you painting the whole car or just one or two panels?

[davids]

want to paint whole car ,but not sure if i should attemp to do it myself or send it out.

[w113dude]

A few questions:

What kind of a shape is the car?
Does it need a lot of body work?
Any rust issues?
What kind of a paint Job are you looking for?

A complete paint job is a lot of work, but definitely worth doing, at a paint shop the price will start from $3500.00 and up depending on what kind work they are going to do. Specially when they see a car like this they already have a set starting price regardless of the kind of work they will be doing.
On the other hand if you have some background in spray painting you should be able to do it.

The kind of paint & color you use does make a difference but not that much, remember you can always sand it down & paint it again!

Check out some clips on youtube about spray painting & go from there!

[wwheeler]

I have painted a few cars and have probably done everything wrong that is possible to do. The paint job depends on your expectations and your experience. If you want fabulous paint and don't have any experience, get it done professionally. If you don't mind flaws and are willing to do a lot of work, paint it yourself.

[RickM]

Davids: No offense, but if you're asking the question then I would leave the actual painting up to a pro....especially when doing a metallic. Remember the end result is also very directly related to the amount and quality of surface prep. You can likely do most of the prep work yourself and let a pro do the finish work, which requires experience and the proper tools to execute properly.

Also, you have to decide on whether you want to go with a 1 or 2 stage paint and the brand. Personally I have an affinity for Glasurit but there are other top quality products at different price points. Each has their pros and cons and have slightly different requirements (skill wise) to apply/finish successfully.

If you're looking to do it yourself to save money then consider having a painter doing the job on the side. Here's what has worked for me over the years; ask your mechanic(s), auto enthusiast friends or anyone you may know in an auto related field if they know of any Body Shop techs. If they are friends or just acquainted see if you can talk to them to see if they do side work. Nine times out of ten they will, at a substantial reduction in cost. They typically have access to all the equipment and supplies necessary to do quality work as well.

I've had some of the best work done this way.

If you don't find a connection then go to your trusted body shop and make it clear you're paying cash (as opposed to insurance) and try to negotiate a good price. Especially if you're willing to do some of the prep work; disassembly, panel replacement/repair, masking etc. Don't be afraid to shop around...but only at places that have a good reputation.

Hope this helps.

[Ulf]

If you look up the BBC programme "An MG is born" on the Internet, there is a very detailed description of how the car in question is painted - it's a very long and elaborate process that involves a lot of layers, etch primers, wet and dry sanding in between, colour, glossy topcoat etc. But it certainly gives you the desire to try for yourself - the MGB ends up in an unoriginal shade of grey metallic that actually looks pretty good (but would much better on a Pagoda).
If you decide to have it done professionally, there is a lot of money to be saved by stripping and masking off the car yourself.

Good luck.

Ulf

[ja17]

Hello David,

I must agree painting and bodywork takes years of experience for good results. Good results on your first job is very unlikely. Experience is a big factor, in addition the conditions and equipment are another issue against you. If you just want to do it yourself for the experience fine. If you want to save money and get good results you should think about sending it out. Do as much as you can yourself, have an experienced body person check out your work and have someone spray the car for you.

It takes years for painters to get familiar with different paint systems, all paint manufacturers are different. Painters have access to manufacturer's reps, training classes and in depth information on the product, not to mention ideal working conditions. A few degrees difference in temperature can make a big difference on how a paint is mixed and sprayed. A good automobile painter makes over 100K per year and he is quite skilled.

With all this negative advice, I must admit, I painted my first car when I was 22 years old in my father's garage. It was a 1955 Mercedes 190SL. The results were good, but the red lacquer I used was very forgiving compared to todays two stage paints. I also took a three month course on autobody restoration before I began. This included body repair with lead filler, metal straightening, welding and spraying in those days. Just adjusting the spray gun and mixing the paint correctly is something which must be learned.

I have painted many cars (even show cars) since then and have never regreted the experience and tribulations of learning. There is a great deal of satisfaction doing it yourself, but be prepared to travel a very rocky road!

Take care,

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[Tonys113]

I have painted many cars over the years. From Garage Jobs to Down Draft Booth Jobs. Silver Metallic has to be the toughest I have ever applied. I have painted 3 different cars with MY FAVORITE color, 1969 Corvette Cortez (Silver Metallic). The First one came out so bad I sanded down and did it again. All of these were with the newer Dupont 2 stage Urethane Paint.
It is extremely hard to get the metallic even across the entire car. The best one turned out on my 66 ChevY II, I used a suction gun with 10 or 12 1/4" Hex Nuts on the bottom of the Paint Cup and with every pass I could keep the metallic particles a float in the paint by shaking the gun. It is amazing how even after only a minute or two how it settles to the bottom of the cup and you get paint but not enough or no metal.

If your prep is great and I mean great, because it is really all about the body work you can do it.

Tony

[ja17]

Hello,

Yes metallics are a real challenge especcially silver as Tony said.    Not only is it keeping the paint mixed in the gun, but the direction it is applied to the panel, how thick or thin it is mixed,  how heavy it is applied to the panel, how far it is applied from the panel, the time period between coats and the pressure and volume applied on each pass.  These factors must all be under control to get good even spread on silver metalic. 

I used the new dry coat, wet coat system on my last silver metalic and it was much easier than previous paint systems.

[Bernd]

Hi David
wanted to reply, but Joe et al. have pretty much summed it up. I agree wholeheartedly. There are a few comments I would like to make nonetheless. I sense you want to get your hands involved in your car. I think that is great! I have done everything on my car from start to finish, and it has been fun. With regrds to the paint: I have not sprayed PPG, or some of the other newer paints, but I painted my car in 1991 with Glasurit line 21 single stage paint. Then the car sat for 18 years neglected in the corner of my garage and served the local mouse community as shelter. From the picture I have enclosed you can see that it has held up amazingly...no chalking, fading, chipping, bubbling or lift anywhere. Cool thing is, when I bought the new line 22 color for a couple of touchups (kids dinged a couple of spots), I could order a mix straight off the shelf and it blended amazingly. Glasurit colorsands easily, is very hard, and polishes beautifully. It's expensive, but you get what you pay for. I would highly recommend it. If you want to get real fancy, go two stage, but I think the single stage offers a beautiful level of shine.
Do the prep, learn to spray with the primer, then trace coat it and sand out the tracer, then prime again until it's perfect. By the time you get to the topcoat, you will have learned a lot. I did it, and have not regretted it in the least. Be prpeared though, if you expect perfect you ought to get a pro to shoot the topcoat in a paint booth; otherwise, no matter how careful you are in a garage, you will get some dust inclusions and an occasional fisheye. No big deal though, as most of it can be sanded out easilyt if you use a solid color.

[Benz Dr.]

I might paint the engine bay, or the trunk, or up under the fenders but I sure wouldn't paint my own car in my garage. I can't think of a bigger waste of time or money. You can't get the kind of finish that you can in a spray booth. Sanding out runs, dirt and fish eyes - I don't think so.

 The paint makes the car. If you've just spent a pile to fix it up this isn't the place to start learing how to paint. If you know how to paint then you still shouldn't cut those kind of corners to try and save a few bucks. A top notch paint shop shouldn't be doing this kind of work after hours either, if they do, in my opinion, they're not very top notch.

A lot of these paints can be very nasty to breath in. Do you have the proper gear to do the job? I learned a long time ago that I was a lot better off leaving certain things to people who have the skills to do it. I do certain things they can't do so it all equals out.

It up to you the owner. Personally, I wouldn't try it. Silver and/or metalics are very hard to get right. This isn't the place to try and wing it. 

[RickM]

Benz Dr makes an excellent point. A filter mask will not protect you from some chemicals in modern paints. Rather, you will need to make use of a fresh air respirator.