Need P5 painting advice...

[mazdaspeed777]

Hey, for all of you painting experts out there. I am really interested in learning how to paint my own cars(the exterior that is). Specifically my 03 P5. So especially those of you who have a P5 and has either painted it yourself or got it painted, some tips from you would be great.

1: So I would like some advice on what are some good paint guns out there?
3: What is some other equipement and supplies I will need besides paint?
3: Where can I find info on the process of painting a car?

Also any paint advise and how to's along with links and websites on this topic would be great. Thanks for your help. Dan

 

[mazdaspeed777]

For those of you who are wondering what kind of theme or design I am thinking of. I am looking to do kind of what sevsev did. A two tone paint job with the lower half black while keeping the upper half yellow. If any of you have and pic examples of these colors and style that would be great. Thanks

 

[mazdaspeed777]

No painting do it yourselfers huh?

 

[bazooka joe]

No painting do it yourselfers huh?

painting is not easy..actually it's all in the prep work. i'd suggest taking a night course at your local vo tech school body shop...good luck!

 

[mazdaspeed777]

Yep, I am ready and willing for all the work and prep. Just want to know what I am doing before I dive right in. I really like to do and learn auto stuff on my own. There are no Vo Tech schools in my area that I am aware of. We do have a college with a good auto program, maybe I will check out a class there. I was just informed that Sata paint guns are the best out there.

Does anyone one know what else I will need besides the paint gun, paint, and prepping supplys? Will I need a compressor, if so what kind would work well with a paint gun??

 

[u812many73]

you will definitely need a compressor for this, the compressor you buy really depends on what the demands are for the gun. you don't want to run out of air in the tank before the job is done, so you will need a compressor that can maintain more air than the gun uses. Modern paint guns are mostly HVLP (high volume low pressure) that is it uses a high volume of air to atomize the paint for best surface finish. True HVLP guns use 8 to 20 cfm and a minimum 5 hp industrial compressor is required. A good quality gun is very expensive, but will last forever. also a dual action or DA sander will be very helpful for the prep work, not doing this one by hand.

my best piece of advice i can give you is where to paint. i have seen many "outdoor" paint jobs, as well as garage jobs. rarely do these turn out good. you really need to find a paint booth you will be able to use. i recommend you try to locate a local renter. you may even be able to stop by a local shop that would be willing to rent theirs out on a weekend or evening, when it is not in use. the paint both will most likely be heated so the paint will cure faster. It is also a closed, vented system, so you will not have any debris in the paint if used properly. without the booth there will be more work involved after the fact, or you may have to just start over

to be totally honest, if you want to do it right, and do not have any of the tools, which can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars, i would just take it somewhere and have it done. painting is an art, even if its just a car, it takes a steady hand, knowledge of the tools and chemicals involved, and many years of experience.

My high school offered a class called automotive body repair and refinishing which i took for a couple of years, i think it is pretty hard to find a school for this field without paying a premium. after the classes i have taken, i am still not willing to do the painting. the prep isn't bad, so i have no problem doing that. im just more worried about the finished product. luckily i have a friend with an awesome family owned autobody business if i ever need anything.

if you do do it yourself, practice on a bare piece of scrap metal, a beater car or something else, dont want the first batch on the mazda

sorry for the long post, just my $.02

good luck with your project

 

[bazooka joe]

i took an autobody class and actually painted a few cars...this is not for beginers, i had pro stuff/equip and training and let me tell you, it's months if not years of practice that will net you a great paint job!!

my son in law and his dad painted his fire bird last year, and for a back yard job it wasn't bad...but it there were the run here and there, over spray, sanding that didn't get completly finished showing thru...it's just not easy at all!

 

[CTt3P5]

Unless you have plans on becoming a professional painter (taking the classes and buying the proper equipment) I would suggest paying to have it done. Bazooka Joe and U812many73 have given the reasons why.

 

[mazdaspeed777]

Unless you have plans on becoming a professional painter (taking the classes and buying the proper equipment) I would suggest paying to have it done. Bazooka Joe and U812many73 have given the reasons why.

Well the thought had crossed my mind when and if I did learn it and get good at it I could make some extra money on the side painting friends cars and what not. But we will see. I believe I can get most of the painting equipement fairly cheap except the compressor, and I can probably find a good used one for cheap locally. So we will see. Thanks for all the info guys.

 

[bazooka joe]

Well the thought had crossed my mind when and if I did learn it and get good at it I could make some extra money on the side painting friends cars and what not. But we will see. I believe I can get most of the painting equipement fairly cheap except the compressor, and I can probably find a good used one for cheap locally. So we will see. Thanks for all the info guys.

i applaud your determination!!

 

[altspace]

Wow Mark, I had no idea. Very cool. Yea, I'm good with a rattle can, but that's it and for a quality paint job I can just imagine the skills/equipment needed. Enjoy the pursuit.

 

[bazooka joe]

Wow Mark, I had no idea. Very cool. Yea, I'm good with a rattle can, but that's it and for a quality paint job I can just imagine the skills/equipment needed. Enjoy the pursuit.

haha...that was 25 yrs ago....the last car i painted was in 1977!

 

[sawzaw]

Well the thought had crossed my mind when and if I did learn it and get good at it I could make some extra money on the side painting friends cars and what not. But we will see. I believe I can get most of the painting equipement fairly cheap except the compressor, and I can probably find a good used one for cheap locally. So we will see. Thanks for all the info guys.

You know what just from personal experience, you can definitely get by on your own if you're just willing to take the time to do everything right. In your garage, with a sixty dollar spray gun and a home compressor you can get professional results, it just takes lots of time and lots prep to do it cheap. I work in a booth everyday and you know what, there's debris and dust in there too. Cheap guns can work just as well. It's all about your prep before, and your buffing after.

 

[mazdaspeed777]

You know what just from personal experience, you can definitely get by on your own if you're just willing to take the time to do everything right. In your garage, with a sixty dollar spray gun and a home compressor you can get professional results, it just takes lots of time and lots prep to do it cheap. I work in a booth everyday and you know what, there's debris and dust in there too. Cheap guns can work just as well. It's all about your prep before, and your buffing after.

Yah, thats what I figured. But I do agree with everyone else as well. I do understand this is a job not to take lightly, and will take some time. So thanks fo r all your advice. Keep it commin if ya got anymore to add. I have to paint my front bumper here pretty soon so maybe I will use that as practice.

 

[P5inder]

I rattle-canned my rear hatch and DG replica lip...I had no choice. No $$$, increasing rust/wrong colour on the lip. I did everything possible to ensure my booth (garage) free and clear of debris. The job turned out like CRAP.

I wish I had the $$$ to have taken it to a professional. Oh well, at least the car is not rusting anymore...well, no the hatch anyway...now if I could find a match to the black on the B and C window pillars...

Good luck with your endeavour

 

[Diehonda]

http://www.carcraft.com/howto/116_0612_how_to_paint_your_car/index.html

Google had all sorts of info.

I haven't painted a car since flake, bowling ball, and flip flop was the thing to do. It did look good though. I could run a blue on white base flip flop, dual color angle flake, and a consistant bowling ball affect. Even painted some murals here and there.

When cruising meant driving slow and low and gas was $.79 per gallon.

 

[mazdaspeed777]

http://www.carcraft.com/howto/116_0612_how_to_paint_your_car/index.html

Google had all sorts of info.

I haven't painted a car since flake, bowling ball, and flip flop was the thing to do. It did look good though. I could run a blue on white base flip flop, dual color angle flake, and a consistant bowling ball affect. Even painted some murals here and there.

When cruising meant driving slow and low and gas was $.79 per gallon.

Wow! Thats a great in depth link. Thanks! Yah I would do more research on the net about this toppic but I don't have an internet connection right now.

 

[NvigR8]

I decided a while back to do what you are wanting to do and have had good results so far. However, this is also coming from a successful history of spray painting automotive parts (wink). Everyone is right, automotive painting is 95% prep work and 5% painting. The paint is only going to look as good as the surface beneath.

I'm using an HPLV gun from Harbor Freight (the same one that a local paint shop sells btw). Definately get an HVLP over a standard gun (uses much less paint, goes on better). If you do purchase a compressor and rig your own system, make sure that you install particulate and moisture traps in the air line well away from the compressor, at least ten feet.

It does take alot of practice though. Especially with the clear. I would recommend getting an extra quart of clear and practice on something for a long time. You will get dust nibs so buy some good fine wet/dry sandpaper and polish. Wizard's works very well for me. You can even make it work by hand!

When I got interested in home painting, I went to B&N and bought "How to Paint Your Car" by Parks and Jacobs - Motorbooks. It has lots of useful info. Despite everything I've said, I have yet to do a really large project. I certainly learned alot from trial and error with small projects though.

I've got a body kit just waiting for time in the garage...

 

[sawzaw]

I decided a while back to do what you are wanting to do and have had good results so far. However, this is also coming from a successful history of spray painting automotive parts (wink). Everyone is right, automotive painting is 95% prep work and 5% painting. The paint is only going to look as good as the surface beneath.

I'm using an HPLV gun from Harbor Freight (the same one that a local paint shop sells btw). Definately get an HVLP over a standard gun (uses much less paint, goes on better). If you do purchase a compressor and rig your own system, make sure that you install particulate and moisture traps in the air line well away from the compressor, at least ten feet.

It does take alot of practice though. Especially with the clear. I would recommend getting an extra quart of clear and practice on something for a long time. You will get dust nibs so buy some good fine wet/dry sandpaper and polish. Wizard's works very well for me. You can even make it work by hand!

When I got interested in home painting, I went to B&N and bought "How to Paint Your Car" by Parks and Jacobs - Motorbooks. It has lots of useful info. Despite everything I've said, I have yet to do a really large project. I certainly learned alot from trial and error with small projects though.

I've got a body kit just waiting for time in the garage...

right on.

 

[JLBMP5]

my last car had a few items on it and needed to repaint a door and rear bumper and really the only thing I found hard to do was preping the actuial spraying was the easy part. it was making sure it was sanded correctly that is a pain in the ass. what everyone else calls prep I call sanding plan on spending hours upon hours upon hours on sanding and wet sanding and when your all done sanding you get to prime it and guess what . most likely sand some more. so if your wanting to take a night coarse on painting a car I recomend having your car as the project car and for the first 12 weeks of the class you sand and on the last week you get to paint it.and all you have to pay for is the paint and the clear with a major discount at school price and you get to use their top of the line spray guns along with ther million dollar spray booth that will help big time on the curing of the paint.