preparing a car for spray

[danjackson999]

hi guys
just wondering how much work is involved in preparing a car for a spray.
i love modding my astra and like doing the work myself and was thinkin i might have a go at spraying my car myself.
if i cant then im gonna have to pay soemone to do it all.
dont really wanna do this as iv been quoted £1500 by my local sprayshop
cheers

[MuppetMule]

hi guys
just wondering how much work is involved in preparing a car for a spray.
i love modding my astra and like doing the work myself and was thinkin i might have a go at spraying my car myself.
if i cant then im gonna have to pay soemone to do it all.
dont really wanna do this as iv been quoted £1500 by my local sprayshop
cheers

LOADS LOADS LOADS, You need to be a very patient person.

[jimbo750]

Its not as hard as peeps say but you will encounter some probs /runs /etc

Ive just sprayed the shell of my car today solid black...

Give the car a good jet wash then to prep the car I keyed the old paint on the car with 400 grit wet+dry (10 sheets £4) so the paint is matt then wash with a damp rag to remove residue then clean the car with a panal wipe (Degreaser) get about 2 Litre's (£7) and lint free cloths (big box £14) ..

Next step is A quick wipe with a tak rag (not essential for primer) Now spray a acid etch primer filler this will give very good bite in to the old paint and give a good surface for the base/paint ..You can rub the primer down with 400/600 grit w+d if you have runs ...now rub down with panal wipe (Degreaser) and you are ready for paint..

All you have to do now is pick the colour and paint type..Celly...2-Pack etc and add a clear coat compound a gloss and your done...

Im no expert so this may not be the right way to do things but it has worked for me ...

Total price sofar to respray my mk3 astra and smooth the panals is about £140...

Go for it ...And good luck with it...

[MuppetMule]

LOL, nothing about problem areas such as rust, dents or stone chips.

Nothing mentioned about removing bumpers, masking areas, working conditions, tools required and the final result you realisticly want to get.

BIG JOB

[jimbo750]

My car has been off the road for two months sofar but thats just as I can only work on it at the weekends....

So far so good

Nice and smooth.....

Before spray in its gray etch primer



Just now 4hr's after spray with the masking off..





Sorry about the angle's ...small garage..lol

I will post more pics soon as im takeing pics of each process and will post up a walkthrough soon ....With some handy tips that I have learned along the way...

I have not done something like this before so if I can do it you fooking can the key is read ...read ...read all the info and ask as many questions on things you dont understand you can before you you attempt anything....

[Baz007]

If your doin it yourself, a good trick is to buy some yellow sheeting, can't remeber the name, but it attracts dust, like the waterunder some spray booths, leave it up for an hour before you spray, should be good.

[danjackson999]

the car doesnt have any rust but has alot of chips and scatrches especially on the bumpers.
is there any way of getting rid of these without using filler.like a spray on filler.
dont really know much about spraying thats why i wanna find out so i can make my mind up onwhether its worth me doing it.

jimbo-did you use cans or did you use a compressor and that.if you did use a compressor how much did it cost ya.

i dont have a placww where i can spray it at the mo apart from outside which is no good.
i have a couple of mates that work in a boat yard so im sure i can do it down there.
i have thought maybe i could take the bumpers off and prepare them first and then do the rest of the car.

do you think its best to spray the car with the bumpers,skirts on or off?

thanks for your help evryone

[jimbo750]

I used a cheapish compressor and gun..

Gun £20 http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...29307&id=22349

I used a gravity fed gun as I found it to be the easiest to work with ..Get the best you can aford..

2hp Compressor £130 http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...29424&id=73259 You will need air hose to about £12 screwfix

Yes you can take the bumpers off and prepare them first and yes I would spray the car with the bumpers off and if you can get the skirts off them too ...

You will need to take off lights/and trims also ..

[danjackson999]

I used a cheapish compressor and gun..

Gun £20 http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...29307&id=22349

I used a gravity fed gun as I found it to be the easiest to work with ..Get the best you can aford..

2hp Compressor £130 http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...29424&id=73259

Yes you can take the bumpers off and prepare them first and yes I would spray the car with the bumpers off and if you can get the skirts off them too ...

You will need to take off lights/doors/ and trims also ..

what trims do i need to take off?you mean interior trims?

also does it matter what primer you use can you use any primer before the base coat.
did you have dents and scratches and chips on your car before you sprayed it and if you did how did you get rid of them

i love that you have taken the lines out of the car i had this exact same idea but didnt know how to go about it.did you use filler.

[jimbo750]

the car doesnt have any rust but has alot of chips and scatrches especially on the bumpers.
is there any way of getting rid of these without using filler.

for fine paint chips Use a fine wet and dry about 1200-800 grit and sand the chip out until you can see the diffrent larers of paint /primer
then when you add primer it will be gone but if its a deep chip scratch that is in to the plastic bumper you will need to fill it with a fine body filler http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...30929&id=26724

then smooth off as in pic with 1200 grit w+d.. the primer filler will do the rest..

[jimbo750]

what trims do i need to take off?you mean interior trims?

also does it matter what primer you use can you use any primer before the base coat.
did you have dents and scratches and chips on your car before you sprayed it and if you did how did you get rid of them

i love that you have taken the lines out of the car i had this exact same idea but didnt know how to go about it.did you use filler.

Sorry I mean seals round the doors and windows just pull them off ..The front and rear windows are fixed in with mastic so you can remove the ruber round the windows with out the windows coming out...

I used a super Etch Primer on my car Im no expert just starting myself so maby someone else can help with what primer to use here?

Yes I used filler to take the lines out of the car ..

[BigbaRd]

upol easy sand (big yellow tin) is very good use that! about 13 quid i costs for a big thing.

[Baz007]

A big thing? or a big tin? Lol

I've been doing some serious body work on my nova for the past year. I've found that u-pol is excellent filler, but for better results use the most expensive filler oyu can for ur final skim. So if your just doing small dents etc, you'll probably only need 2 skims.

A point to remember. If something goes wrong, it's normally because preperation has been rushed!

[Kris TD]

i mix dolphine glaze in with u-pol filler, goes on really smooth and you don't get pinholes.

[BigbaRd]

u can mix fibreglass resin in with it too if your getting too many pinholes, it also does a good job of making slightly stale filler you haven't used for a while useable again. what's dolphine glaze? nvr heard of it!

[the_fbi]

If your doin it yourself, a good trick is to buy some yellow sheeting, can't remeber the name, but it attracts dust, like the waterunder some spray booths, leave it up for an hour before you spray, should be good.

http://www.bodyshopwarehouse.co.uk/s...sp?prodid=2639

I bought this 150M roll and was sent the 200M one as they had no stock of 150's. It'll last years, its massive, 4M wide! Great for all sorts of tasks.

[Baz007]

Thats the ****, it's great

[alistairk]

LOL, nothing about problem areas such as rust, dents or stone chips.

LOL, tell me about it Been prepping mine all weekend, hoped to get the primer on but still prepping. Still plenty to do. And this car I said was "nice and straight" before I started. Its amazing how much work there really is in it.

You do it because you want to do it, not to try and save money. If money is all thats on your mind you'll rush it and the job won't be any where near as good and you'd have been better paying a pro to do it.

[danjackson999]

LOL, tell me about it Been prepping mine all weekend, hoped to get the primer on but still prepping. Still plenty to do. And this car I said was "nice and straight" before I started. Its amazing how much work there really is in it.

You do it because you want to do it, not to try and save money. If money is all thats on your mind you'll rush it and the job won't be any where near as good and you'd have been better paying a pro to do it.

i do wnat to do it myself but money is also tight at the mo.i wont rush it i just wanna see how much work is involved.putting loads of work in can sometimes be better makes you appreciate it more when its done