ok, so wherever the body shop thread went I'm not sure. Not like it was much help anyhow since nobody seemed to own a shop that was open for more than 4 months, and i'm not going to PM whoever with a hatch they painted themselves to paint my car out of their parents car port. i'm going to paint my car myself, I just want someone who knows to go over my checklist and maybe explain the reducer/hardner/acrylic/urethane/lacquer differences.

I'm only starting with my hood, bumper and 1/4 panels, if they turn out i'll do the body of the car, if not...it can't look much worse.

Here's what I've gathered so far....

Clean the shit out of the car and use a degreaser to get wax off.

Grind down to the metal using orbital sander. Slightly scrub the bumper since it's plastic.

Lay down primer/sealer.

Sand till smooth.

Clean off.

2nd layer of primer.

Sand again, clean off thoruoughly.

Lay down the basecoat. Wait for it to dry, or within the dry time window lay down a 2nd coat, or until it is thoroughly coated. Wait for it to cure. For the bumpers there is an additive to mix into the basecoat so it won't crack, what is that?

Lay down the clearcoat. 2 - 3 layers within the time window or after it cures.

Use a buffing compound of wet sand the clear coat.


Do I have the basic jist of the operation?

The only q's I have now are....with the basecoat I was thinking about getting Sherwin Williams Urethane, something like the Ultra 7000 lineup. I pick my color, then I get a reducer and a hardner, mix the paint and additives to teh respective parts, and i'm set, right? Same thing with clear coat?

I'm thinking I have the steps down, just not too sure on reducers/hardners/acrylic/lacquer/blah. It gets slightly confusing on their website, so maybe someone with experience could answer this. And don't answer with 'you'll fuck it up and have wasted money on supplies, just take it to....'. I DON'T CARE if I fuck it up, i want to at least try before I give some shop money to paint my car.

 

you should wetsand between everycoat starting after basecoat.


goodluck. im also painting my car...except im doing it in my backyard......

 

I've heard that once before too. Can't help you out with that other shit though. Good Luck and post some pics as you go along.