how to paint a car

How To Paint A Car In Seven Days

Learn How To Do Car Painting With Step-By-Step InstructionsBy Andrew Carlsberg

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Table Of Contents

Learn How To Do Car Painting With Step-By-Step Instructions

Table Of Contents

Introduction

Warning:

Things You Will Need

1 - Stripping The Paint

2 – Metal Work, Fixing Dents & Removing Rust

Fixing Rusts In The Car

Patching Up Small Holes

3 – Smoothing And Filling

Types Of Fillers

Applying The Filler

4 – Initial Painting

Sanding

5 – Final Paint

Options For The Top Coat

Applying The Final Top Coat

Final Buffing


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Introduction

Painting a car is very expensive, but sometimes we have no choice but to have our cars

repainted. In most cases, you can consider yourself lucky if you are able to dish out at least

$3000 for a “fairly decent” paint job. But in reality, you will most likely dish out twice or even

thrice that number if you want a quality paint job for your beloved ride.

Of course, you can try to do things on your own, which is exactly why I created this book

to help you accomplish that task. How To Paint A Car In Seven Days is a complete, step-by-

step instructional book material that will teach you how to paint your own car in under seven

days (assuming that the weather favors you of course). By following the instructions that I have

laid in this book, you don’t have to dish out tens of thousands of dollars for repainting your car. If

you turn out to develop your skill in car painting, why, you can even do car painting as your main

source of living!

Warning:

Please consult your doctor before trying to follow the instructions on this book. Some

people might be irritated by the chemical compounds included in car paint and other materials

that are used in car painting and your health is more important than anything.


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Things You Will Need

Here are the things that you will need for a car-painting project:

1. Gloves2. Goggles3. Face mask4. Chemical stripper5. Grit paper6. Sander7. Welder (not necessarily needed, unless you need to weld-in parts to replace rusty

sections of the car)8. Welding mask (for welding)9. POR-15 Paint10. Paint spray respirator11. Paint gun12. Masking paper / masking tape(for covering the car while painting)13. Filler14. Paint15. Fiberglass cloth (just in case you need to cover in some holes)16. Painter’s suit

These are the minimum requirements that you must have, but these are not all the materials you will use. More will be introduced in the book, and not all of them will be utilized because each car will have its own different sets of problems.

Having said that, let’s start learning how to paint a car!


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1 - Stripping The Paint

In any car painting project, the first thing that you must do is strip the car of its old paint.

Decide on how much of the car you want to take apart (to strip paint from underlying parts) and

how far you will go in stripping the paint. The best paint jobs must have all the old paint stripped

and as much as possible all moldings, trim and bumpers removed. There is no need to remove

suspension, engine, interior or anything else as these items are easily masked off. If you do the

total restoration then you would be stripping the whole car to the shell, but for an external paint

job it is not necessary.

Strip the car in whatever means that you want. Chemical strippers will do a nice job, but

they require careful washing of the car to remove all residue (not to mention they also make a

mess on the floor). Any small amount of stripper left in some corner can ruin a paint job. And

besides, chemical strippers are usually smelly and they burn the skin if not handled properly.

Just to add, strippers will damage any plastic filler so all filler must be removed and replaced.

The alternative is to use abrasives to strip the car. Using a 9 inch sander with 24 or 36 grit

papers, sand the car until you see the underlying metal, but do not sand it too much because

you might create some deep scratches or vents if you overdo it.

If the paint job was an old lacquer job or you used a lacquer primer, a simple razor blade

may be used to remove the top layers. This method will remove some filler as you hit it so you

must be careful. Once you hit the metal, use an 80-grit paper to rough up the metal for better

paint adhesion. If the filler is over 10 years old, or from an unknown paint job, then it should be

removed and replaced. You can either use the 9-inch random orbit sander or a knotted wire

brush on a 4-1/2 inch angle grinder. I prefer the wire brush, but the choice is up to you.

There are some more exotic methods if paint removal if you have the finances. Media

blasting with Walnut shells or dry ice pellets works well but is not recommended unless you are

doing a total strip of the car. NEVER sand blast a car body. The sand acts as a peen (this is

how they shot peen rods) and will make body panels look like the ocean in a hurricane. You


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can also acid dip the car which will remove all rust and paint, but the car must be entirely

stripped.

2 – Metal Work, Fixing Dents & Removing Rust

After you have the car stripped, the metal work should start next. Metal work means

fixing the small damages that he body of the car might have sustained. This is important

because paint cannot hide the dents and scratched in a car. Small dents can be worked out by

using a hammer and dolly or a semi pointed probe worked across the metal on the back side. I

worked out several small dents this way and did not have to use any filler at all in those places.

Larger dents have to be banged out using the hammer and dolly the best as can be done.

Unless you are an artisan then you will have to use some filler on large dents. Be sure to not

have any high places in the metal or you will have a bump in the final paint finish that cannot be

sanded down.

Often, high areas can be "shrunk" by using a pick hammer with a dolly in the back side.

What you must do is to exchange the large dent or bump for a whole bunch of small bumps that

are easier to fill and cover. Lightly just tap over that rise area working from the edges to the

center and the bump will slowly disappears. This may take some practice to get good at. If you

drill holes to pull out a dent, then you must weld up the holes when done to prevent moisture

from getting to the back side of the filler material through the holes.

Fixing Rusts In The Car

There is only one way to fix rust. Cut it out, remove it and weld in new metal.

Completely remove all rusty metal from the car, don't cover any up or the rust will grow. I use a

Plasma cutter to cut the metal but quality tin-snips or a nibbler will work just fine. If your car has

some surface rust than this is OK as the paint will completely seal it and prevent it from growing

further. Cut a piece if 18 gauge metal to cover your rusted area that is about 1/4 inch larger

than the hole. This metal should be plain steel and must not have any coating (e.g. galvanized

coat). The base metal should also be very clean for at least an inch away from the weld. Use

wire brush or sander to prep the metal.


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As an option, you can add a depression to the body metal for the patch to set in. A tool

is made to do this but. This tool only makes 3/4 inch long ridges at one time and can cause

some warping of the metal around the patch area. The new metal must be completely welded in

using a good MIG (metal inert glass) welder. Low current 110 welders just don't do the job with

the exception of the Lincoln SP100 or SP125. I use a 200 Amp Century. Turn the welder up to

a voltage that would normally melt holes in the metal if welded continuously. Then tack the

metal in place using short bursts of weld (1 second) about every 4 inches around the patch.

NEVER try to push the metal in place while welding. The metal should fit the contour of

the body naturally with only a very slight pressure needed to hold the pieces together. If you

press hard while welding then you add stresses to the patch and will cause warping in the

welding process. Once the piece is in place you can start welding it solid. This is very

important to do slowly. Weld in about 1/4 to 1/2 inch strips around the patch with one hand on

the surrounding metal about 3 inches away. Each weld spot should spaced apart around the

patch area. You keep doing this until you fill all the gap in. If the surrounding metal gets too hot

to hold your hand on then quit till you can lay your hand over the area that is being welded.

This process may take 20 minutes for a 6-by-6 patch area. If you rush the welding then

the metal gets too hot and warps. Sheet metal under about 12 gauge is made by a cold rolling

process. This process puts stress on the metal released in the welding process which ca cause

warping. Keeping the head down reduces this possibility. The welding should be continuous

and not just spotted. Moisture can come in from the back side and cause rust to grow under the

filler material and cause the filler to lift off. Grind the weld lightly when done to reduce any high

spots in the weld. Before applying filler, rough up the metal with a 24 grit disk on a 7 inch

grinder so the filler has something to stick to. You may also want to use the pick hammer and

slightly dent the metal in around the weld area so that less filler is needed to cover up the patch.

Patching Up Small Holes

For surface rust in areas like the floor board where dents have gotten deep or there are

some Swiss cheese-type holes less than the size of a pencil, an alternate to welding can be


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done. Use a wire brush to remove all loose scale and sand away paint from the surrounding

area for about 6 inches. Clean up all dust with a vacuum. Apply POR15 metal prep to the area

to etch the new metal that is not rusted. POR15 will not stick to clean metal unless chemically

etched, but it sticks very well to rust. Apply a heavy coat of POR15 paint over the entire area.

Lay a layer of fiberglass cloth over the rusted area and coat with another heavy coat of POR15.

After the paint is dry to the touch, add another coat and a layer of slightly smaller fiberglass

cloth. After it has dried to the touch then add 2 more coats of POR15 alone waiting till the paint

has dried to the touch between each coat. POR15 is an amazing paint. It does not ever fully

get hard. It dries faster when it is damp out. It will not lift with the formation of rust like normal

paint will, and is so strong that you will NEVER be able to peel that fiberglass cloth off again.

The patch will be nearly as strong as the original metal. The stuff is not really paint, but

they call it paint for lack of a better word. You can also use it for areas of heavy rust on the

body that has not gone completely through. Simply paint a couple of coats over rusted metal

before filling and painting. If you are going to top coat the POR15 then you need to spray a light

coat of primer on it before it completely dries or sand it so the top coats will stick. You don't

need the fiberglass cloth on an area that does not have holes through. I also recommend using

it under fenders where rust is on the back side and over the back side of the welded-in patches.

POR15 is not the same as rust converters (e.g. "Extend"). It does not convert the rust,

but instead covers it up which helps in preventing moisture from getting to the rust which stops

any further rust spread. Don’t forget to wear plastic gloves. POR15 sticks to skin like crazy

glue. If it dries on your hands you will wear it for about 2 weeks. (I tried Acetone, Xylene,

Toluene, Methel-ethel keytone, Tricholrethene, gasoline, Alcohol, Lacquer thinner, Carb

cleaner, Brake cleaner with Hexane, sand paper, and soap to get it off. Nothing worked.)


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3 – Smoothing And Filling

Now that all the dented and rusted metals are fixed, we need to make the car smooth

before we start painting it. And contrary to what most people believe, there is no need to use

lead as filler. Modern plastic fillers will last just as long and are much easier to work with.

Besides, lead is toxic and hard to find, hard to apply, hard to sand… really hard to use. And not

to mention that the acid flux used can cause corrosion and paint problems.

Types Of Fillers

There are several types of plastic fillers and it is important that you get to know each and

every one of them. Fillers with Fiberglass threads such as "Everglass" are for filling areas over

1/4 inch deep. These fillers do not crack when used for deep fill. Regular plastic fillers such as

Marhide "Golden Extra" is the general purpose filler used to fill most dents and patches. Some

special fillers such as "Metal-to-Metal" are used in areas that may be susceptible to cracking.

These fillers are more flexible to resist the cracking.

There is also a fine-fill Polyester glazing filler to fill small imperfections and spots left

from sanding or hail damage. These fillers are made to be used either under or over the paint

and they are the only type made to do so. These fillers should not be used in fill depths of more

than 1/16th of an inch. The generic "Bondo" brand filler is of OK quality, but is hard to sand.

You will find the filler material you get at the paint store is not any higher priced than the Kmart

Bondo, but in my experience Bondo is much more tricky to sand.

Applying The Filler

Applying the filler can be somewhat of an art in itself. As a general rule and precaution,

mix up slightly more than what you think you will need. (this takes some practice to estimate).

Once mixed properly, you will have about 3 to 5 minutes to work with the filler before it starts to

harden. Too much hardener will cause it to harden while mixing; if you can get it on the car, it


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will possibly crack when if cures because it hardened too fast. Too little hardener will make it

take for ever to harden or might not harden at all. This is a tricky situation and only time and

practice can help you perfect this part.

As a rule, a cup full of filler uses about a half tablespoon of hardener. When mixed

properly, it will get unworkable (meaning, you can’t possibly use it anymore for filling) in 5

minutes, become sandable in 12 to 15 minutes and turn totally hard after about 2 hours. Fillers

are chemically hardened and does not require any time to breathe. Cover the entire area being

filled past the edges to avoid over-application. Once the area is properly covered, work the filler

from the edges to the center using the plastic scraper tool, getting it as smooth as possible to

the final contour. Once sandable, use a 9-inch random orbit sander with 36 grit paper and work

down the filler to the desired contour holding the sander almost totally flat to the metal.

If you desire, you can stop slightly before the final height and use an air file and 80-grit

paper. Work the air file in random directions to prevent cutting too much in one area. For some

tight or rounded areas you might also use a Dual Action (DA) sander with 80-grit paper. Never

use finer than 80-grit paper sanding filler. It will take too long and the longer it takes the more

ripples you will get in the filler. Trying to sand the filler perfectly smooth takes bunches of time

to get it smooth and not get ripples. Don't worry about the deep sanding marks in the filler, as

the primer will take care of them. If you have to apply a second coat, then the second coat

should cover the entire area and not just the low spots. If you cover just low spots then when

you sand the new filler, you will sand some of the previous coat making new low spots. Trust

me on this one, I learned the hard way.

Another thing to remember about painting, you can see low spots but not high spots in

the finish. Therefore, leave any filler slightly high and don't have a low spot. I learned this hard

way also. It takes some practice, but filler can be easy to apply and sand quickly. Unless it is a

corner of edge, don't ever sand filler by hand or with a small sanding block. Your hand motion

will put ripples in the filler that will show up in the paint. To see how you are doing, hold your

palm flat over a piece of paper towel. Rub your flat palm (and the towel) over the area you are

working on while looking away or closing your eyes. You will then "feel" the high and low spots

that need attention. The whole art of body work takes some practice to be good and fast. The

guy that taught me can fill a dent in a door in one coat of filler and it only take him 15 minutes.


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That is about all I will say about filler as saying any more might require another book to get all

the information across.

Note: In the following procedures for painting, several precautions must be taken. All

the paints used are chemically activated and cured. If you do not clean your paint gun at once,

you will soon be buying a new one. The paint will cure in the gun in a short time. (I actually had

the primer setting up before I could get it all sprayed on). New paints are also more hazardous

than the old lacquers and enamels so wearing a dust mask is not sufficient. At the minimum,

you should use a paint spray respirator. If you are sensitive to chemicals or have some

breathing problems like asthma, then you need to wear an air-supplied respirator. This is the

type where a pump sits outside and pumps fresh air in to you.

You could alternatively wear a scuba or firefighters air tank. Most modern paints are

absorbed through the skin and just to be on the safe side, you should wear one of those white

painter’s suits when spraying paint. Paint can also affect and irritate your eyes, so do your

absolute best to protect them. Those little swimming pool eye covers and goggles work well if

you do not have a full face respirator. For most people, the paint exposure is low enough for a

single paint job that the respirator is a good enough solution, but it depends on your health

condition too. (Paint doesn't seem to bother me, but my father can get sick standing outside the

door watching me). Use your own good judgment, but try to be on the “safe side” as much as

possible.

Just to add, most modern paints no longer have mixing instructions. You have to get the

separate instructions from the paint store.


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4 – Initial Painting

For painting you will need a paint gun. I use a Devilbis GFG517 which is a normal flow

gravity feed paint gun. The old suction feed guns are almost useless with today's paints. They

are just too thick and heavy to spray out from a suction feed gun. (High volume low-pressure)

HVLP guns may be used if you wish, but I don't like them. They put the paint out in a rough

finish in anticipation of using a baking oven to make the finish smooth out.

Once all low areas are filled then we are ready to start painting. First we need to cover

up the bare metal to protect it. Mask all areas and openings off with masking paper and quality

3M masking tape. Don't use news paper as paint will actually soak through the paper making a

mess of what is underneath. I use Ditzler DP-40 epoxy primer. It mixes 1:1 with the DP-402

catylist. You could also use Dupont Variprime acid primer.

Give the metal 2 good wet coats, allowing the paint to flash (gloss is gone) between

coats. You should even cover the plastic filler. The DP primer should be top coated with the

next primer stage within 24 hours and no longer than 7 days. DP primer causes a chemical

adhesion to the next coat and the chemical reaction has ran out after 7 days and would require

sanding for proper paint bonding. I usually wait about an hour and apply the primer. For primer

I use Ditzler K36 Prima Urethane primer. You could also use Dupont Uro-prime. It is as high a

quality as the clear coat that you will use and is a high solids paint. Mix it with 5 parts K36, 1

part DU4 hardener, and 1 part DT860 reducer.

Apply 2 to 3 heavy coats letting each coat flash before applying the next. Let the paint

sit at least 2 hours and preferably overnight before you do the sanding. To prevent the

shrinkage of the primer you would have to wait about a week between sandings with lacquer to

allow the reducer to completely evaporate. Remember that the old lacquers were usually not

high quality, forcing you to apply more coats and sand more times. The only good Lacquer

primer is the Ditzler Kondar primer which is a high build and will dry in about 3 days. But

lacquer should not be used with modern top coats as they may react and reduce paint life. The

new Urethane primers are chemically hardened and require very little drying time.


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Sanding

When sanding primer, apply a light mist of some dark color from a spray can of lacquer.

This is called a "tracer". It is your guide to sanding the paint. This procedure is called "Block"

sanding. Use 180-grit paper to sand the first coat of primer. You may think this funny, but you

can use a 3x3 inch piece of Styrofoam about 12 inches long stuck back to a 180-grit paper for

sanding by had. The Styrofoam is straight, fairly solid, and has just enough resistance to not dig

in; just the perfect hand-made solution for you! By hand sanding, you will work the foam in

diagonal strokes trying to keep the sanding stroke at least 12 inches or more. Work it in many

different directions while sanding to prevent cutting lines in the primer. You can also use the air

file to sand the primer with a 180-grit paper. Work the air file in a slow motion across the paint,

changing directions every so often.

For rounded areas, use a foam sanding block or the palm of your hand. Avoid using

fingers to sand, but rather use the whole palm. If you sand with fingers you will cut little groves

that you will see in the paint later. When sanding with a small block or by hand use rapid motion

with very light pressure for best results. What we are looking for when sanding the primer is the

removal of the entire tracer coat. Once all evidence of the tracer coat is gone, then we can stop

sanding.

Just like the filler, the more we sand, the more likely we are to get waves in the paint. As

you sand over the filled area, you will slowly see those massive sanding scratches go away. If,

while sanding, you reach the primer or metal before all the tracer coat is gone, stop sanding the

area because it means you need to add more tracer coat. If you have an area that is real low or

you have some "chip" spots, these can be easily filled with the polyester filler I mentioned

earlier. Just mix and use as little as possible for the polyester fill to be perfect. Sand the filler

with 80-grit using the 9-inch random orbit sander, the Dual Action sander or the Air file. Once

the primer is done with the 180-grit, add more primer.


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If you still have tracer paint or you have to add more filler, then try to apply 2 heavy

coats. Wipe or blow off all the dust before applying the next coat of paint. Just like the filler,

paint the entire car again and not just small areas, although you can actually apply the paint a

little heavier in the areas that you know are low (meaning, the dents are quite deep). Repeat till

you have no tracer showing. If you have no more tracers showing, apply 1 heavy coat. When it

is already dry, sand it with 400-grit paper by bare hand using water. Use 600-grit if you plan to

paint with a metallic color. You will again want to use a tracer coat for sanding and sand till all

tracer is gone. By this time, you should already have a very smooth car ready for the final layer

of paint!


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5 – Final Paint

Remove all the masking tape or masking paper from the car as you will need to add new

ones for the final paint. Dust in the old paper can get in the paint and ruin a paint job so you

want to avoid this problem as much as possible. Using an air hose, wipe the paint off with a rag

while blowing the dust you are wiping away. If you wash the car with water, make sure it has a

couple hours to dry before painting. It will take you some time to mask it off anyway. Use the

air hose to blow air in all areas of the car; the head lamp doors, under the fenders, the cowl

vents, everywhere. Go around the car about 5 times blowing it off. If some dust is left in a

crevice somewhere, odds are it will end up in the paint. Once you are done blowing all the dust

off the car, reapply the masking paper. Paint the car in a well-ventilated area.

If you are doing the car painting in a building, there should be a powerful fan blowing the

paint fumes out with an opening on the opposite end to let fresh air in. Let this fan run while

blowing off the car and for about 1/2 hour after, let it blow all the dust that is airborne out. If you

want to clean the floor mess or sweep the floor, now is the perfect time for you to do so. After

that, you won’t be able to sweep the floor again until you are done. If you are having a calm and

clear day, you can also opt to paint outside. But any dust kicked up and carried by the wind will

get in the paint, so a closed-area is almost always preferred for car paintingprojects. Once

everything is clean and the car is masked off, wet the floor well with water. This will make the

dust on the floor unable to fly off and stick to your car while you are painting. If the floor dries

out it is OK because the water makes it stick to the floor even after the water dries.

Before getting ready to paint, wipe the car down with a tack cloth. Unfold the cloth and

use very light rapid wiping. Pressing too hard will make some of the stuff in the tack cloth stick

to the car which can mess up the paint job. With our fan running and respirator on, apply 2 light

to medium coats of DP40 epoxy primer as a paint sealer. You cannot use the Dupont Variprime

as a sealer. If you desire, the DP40 can be thinned with up to 100% DT860 or 870 reducer to

make it a lot easier to spray. If you do reduce it, then you will have to wait a couple of hours

before applying the color though. Non-reduced, you can go and apply the topcoat in about 30

minutes. If you are using a dark colored paint, then you may want to use the DP red (#74) or


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Black (#50?) instead of the #40-grey-green. No sanding is necessary before applying the color

coat.

Options For The Top Coat

Lacquer

You have several options for doing the top coat. The oldest is Lacquer. Lacquer was

once the paint of choice for show cars because it went on easily and could be buffed to an

incredible shine. However, about 1980 they took the lead out of automotive paint and Lacquer

has not been worth a C*** ever since. Up into the 80s GM cars were painted with non clear coat

lacquer. That is why some of those mid 80s GMs peel and flake so bad. You can still use it but

it will not hold a shine very well and will tend to crack an cobweb easily with time. Most lacquer

finishes are clear coated but don't have to be.

For lacquer, you apply color till "hiding" is achieved, usually about 3 medium coats.

Then clear is added. Lacquer is thinned with the appropriate temperature thinner at 100 to

150% ratio. For non sanding applications, use about 3 coats of clear. If you plan to sand the

clear and buff it, then apply 6 coats as you will sand 3 of them back off. Apply the paint "wet"

and overlap each pass 50% for best results. Don't be afraid to lay the paint on heavy. If you

paint too slow, they you will see dull spots and roughness or "orange peel". For lacquer you will

have to wait about a month before sanding and buffing.

Enamel

The next paint you can choose is Enamel. For enamel to work properly, it must have a

hardener added. This hardener will add some hazards to the paint above that of just the

Enamel itself. If hardener is not used, then the Enamel will takes week to get really hard and

the whole time it will be very easy to scratch. Enamel should not be sanded and buffed. Doing

so will actually reduce the shine and the life of the paint. Enamel is applied in about 3 to 4

medium coats thinned with the appropriate temperature reducer at about 100%.


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Urethane

Next choice is Urethane single-stage paint. One of the earliest of this is Dupont Imron.

This paint is mixed with a hardener and reducer just like the primer. It is applied in the same

manner as Enamel. However, this paint may be sanded and buffed if desired. If you plan to

sand and buff, then use 5 coats instead of 3. This is good paint for doing under fenders, in the

engine bay, and suspension parts as it will shine well with little waxing and does not need to be

buffed.

Basecoat

By far the best top coating is the Basecoat-clear coat. There have been several

varieties in the past. One of the best is either the dupont Chroma base or the Ditzler Concept

2000. I painted my car with the concept 2002 clear and DBC basecoat. For the Ditzler, mix the

basecoat 100% with DT 860 or 870 reducer. Apply 2 to 3 wet coats. This paint will cover fast.

It will spray with the look of cottage cheese but will smooth out as it dries. Too dry of coat and it

will not smooth out. Too wet of coat and you will get some runs like I did. If you get runs in the

base coat, then let it dry about an hour and sand with water and 1000-grit paper. You can then

apply a little more color to the area where the run is.

Since the basecoat is not really a hardened paint, you can spray in a little area and it will

mix in. As a matter of fact, you can just spray DT reducer over the area and the run sometimes

will just melt away. The Base coat is very fragile and even after a week can be just wiped off

with a rag of reducer. It requires the chemicals in the Urethane to make it harden. Therefore,

the base coat is not sanded prior to clear coating. Once the base coat has flashed off, mix up

some Clear and get ready to spray. For the Concept 2002, mix clear at 5 parts, DXF11

hardener at 5 parts and DT reducer at 1 part. It took me about 2 1/2 quarts of clear for the

whole car.


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Applying The Final Top Coat

Spray clear with 2 very heavy coats, letting it dry to the touch between each coat. This

clear is applied to just before the point of running. It may appear a little rough in appearance,

but you will be sanding it out. The paint will look like cottage cheese as it is sprayed but within a

minute will level out. For optimal results, after the car is painted, it is baked at 160 degrees for

about 4 hours. Doing so will cause the paint to "float" out and get extremely smooth. This is the

way the big paint shops get all the orange peel out of the paint that is caused by the HVLP

guns. It is also the way the new car makers are getting the new car paint jobs so smooth

without buffing. This clear coat can be sanded within 8 hours of painting and should be sanded

and buffed within 72 hours but no later than 7 days. If you wait more than 7 days, the paint gets

so tough that it is near impossible to get all the sanding scratches back out when buffing.

All masking paper should be removed after about 2 hours. Waiting any longer may let

the paint get too hard and cause it to chip at the edges where the tape is. When painting 2

colors such as the rocker panels, the masking is applied directly over the previous color coat.

Wait about an hour for the previous color coat to dry and then mask off for the second color. Be

careful peeling tape back off so as to not pull away any of the fresh color. This is one reason

why only good quality 3M painters tape should be used. It is also advisable to use "Fine Line"

tape at the paint edge. This will make a finer edge where the two colors meet. Fine line tape

also will bend in curves easier than masking tape. This is the stuff those guys use to paint

those wild flames on cars.

Sanding clear coat is similar to sanding the 400-grit of the primer just before the painting

of color. Use the palm of your hand with either 1000 or 1200-grit paper and water. Work in

circles and sand until all gloss from the paint is gone. You will see specks of gloss disappear as

you sand out the rough areas. If you don't sand enough, you will still see it as rough when you

are done buffing. Be careful on edges so you don't sand through. Often, I don't even sand the

edges of the paint for this reason.


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Final Buffing

You have to be very careful in buffing the car. A power buffer can burn paint if worked

too long or fast, or can cut right through edges. Use a cloth pad on a variable speed 0-2500

rpm buffer. Apply power buffing compound to the car in a small, 2x2 area. Run the buffer slow

as it will go and work with medium pressure over the area until the compound starts to dry.

As it is drying, increase the speed to 1500 rpm and use light pressure in order to buff the

paint to a gloss. Often it takes doing this 2 or 3 times to remove all the sanding scratches. You

will still see marks from the buffer so don't confuse them with sanding marks. When getting

close to an edge, always make the buffer wheel roll "off" the edge and not onto it. Tilt the buffer

if necessary. A buffing wheel running onto an edge will rip right through the paint. If the buffer

is not working the finish up to a shine, the pad most likely needs to be cleaned.

Hood the buffer running and use a screwdriver to scrape away at the pad gently to

remove the polish buildup. Be careful not dig into the pad or rip the screwdriver out of your

hands. Do this to the entire car. Wipe the car off with a clean cloth. Change the wheel to a

Foam pad. Use the Foam pad compound for the color of the car. Compounds are made for

light and dark colors. Work this pad similar to the cloth wheel. This pad will remove all swirl

marks from the cloth pad. Again wipe off the car with a dry clean cloth. It should now be

looking pretty good. As a final finish, apply some type of a professional finish enhancer. I prefer

to not use any wax that contains silicone as it builds up on the paint. Eagle 1 Carnauba was is

pretty good and smells kinda neat too.


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To summarize, this is how your schedule will pan out if you plan to paint a car on your own

1 to 2 days to strip car of parts and paint.

1 day to weld up holes

1 day to apply filler and smooth

2 days to apply and sand primer (1 day for most guys)

1 day to apply finish

1 to 2 days to sand and buff.

All-in-all, the process only takes 7 days! (If you take your car to an auto shop, you will have to

wait more than a week for sure. Sometimes even months)

That’s it! I hope you had a great time reading this guide to painting your own car. With all the

equipments and materials included, you will be able to save a lot of money if you can paint your

car on your own. This is the first step towards achieving that goal and I hope you appreciate and

apply what you learned from this book! So long!

To Your Car Painting Success

Andrew Carlsberg


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Don’t Forget To Check Out This Amazing Set Of Car Painting Videos From Mario

Goldstein Too! Spray Paint Secret is a video collection that contains literally

HUNDREDS of spray painting video techniques that you can use to further

improve your craft.

Check it out by clicking the image below!


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how to paint a car

Automotive

auto restoration

random orbit

fixing dents

grit paper

back side

fiberglass

air file

paint gun