So I decided I am going to paint my car candy orange I know some, if not most people will disagree with the color choice, but its what i want . Bought all the paint today, just waiting on the Supra SS to get here (wends) then hopefully start next wknd painting... hopefully.
Any advice will be very helpful as well.
I bought an HVLP gun, my unlce has a big compressor, bought a large expensive water separator (for get the real name), and an "in line" water separator (cheap disposable thing, to make sure there is no water) which will go right before my gun. Along with all the other essentials (sand paper, mask, tape, ect.)
The paint I am using is a "4 step" paint. Primer-Candy base coat-Candy color-Clear. But I am still debating on an effect coat, between the candy color and clear. I know I want to do one of them, but not sure which one. Options being a Metallic effect, or a "prism effect". But have not been able to get good pics of both effects, maybe someone can help me decide. I mean if im doing it, I may as well try anything, and not look back wishing i did something, ya know

Anyway started sanding a few days ago, only got in 2 days. But its coming along very nicely




















Rear Bumper is now finished as well, but not in this pic




This post has been edited by mgnt232: Aug 28, 2010 - 7:51 PM

BUMP - reusing an old thread

mgnt232--

Don't be a hater-- wher's your 6gc sticker??

JK JK

Congrats on taking it to the DIY!!

K, so, I'm eager to see the progress & finished Celica!!

Thanks for the support
I do want to get a 6gc decal, I just dont know where Im doing to end up putting it yet Its a tossup between the bottom right rear windshield, or somewhere on the new side skirts?
I may buy one or two soon, just so I have them ready. Im also buying other decals, but those are a secret project

The progression will start very soon, the CF hood comes tuesday, and the supra side skirts come wendsday, and then I can start molding them. then after that I am ready for paint... ugh hate waiting on shipping, im sooo eager to get out there As its been almost a month for both items to be shipped and make it to me

very keen to see how it turns out, am getting into painting my car too. painted the bumper after having primer on it for almost a year and kinda got bit by the 'i wanna make the exterior perfect again' bug..

good start man!
if your not experienced, anything in the clear is gonna be tough to make look even.
pearl midcoats that are tinted are more forgiving, and a bit easier to spray..your best bet would be to spray a few test panels, before you actually spray the car to get a feel for how it lays out.
cant wait to see more!

Thanks for all the support guys !
I painted a little in school (only 2 mirrors, but they turned out well), but nothing to this extent. I will be testing my skills on the spoiler and bottom invader lip first, to re-get the hang of it
What exactly is a "mid coat"? The paint I am looking at for metallic or prism is, premixed and goes on after the candy coat, then the clear goes over everything.
I will try it out of course and let you guys get a preview (possibly monday)

>
yup, what your discribing would be considered a "midcoat"
good luck!

>

nice job so far !!!! im also going to paint my celica but the color i chose is the royal sapphire pearl, just like the supra! anyways, i want to ask u how much paint is nedded to paint the whole car???

I am not sure yet, as I hit a snag doing my k-frame this wknd, and havent started painting. But I got 3 quarts of each paint (primer, base, candy, clear). But I am not painting my hood which is a big portion, so I would say a gallon to be on the safe side ya know? this wknd I will be painting im pretty sure

I should be updating this thread shortly, just a matter of having people help me lol, hate not having a car because when i need something.... I cant freakin get it! and my parents work alot so its hard to get rides, like now im only 2 bolts away from getting my celi done....but I have to wait till tomorrow! ugh:(

>

well, i'll love to see pic of the painting when its done! an what grid of sandpaper did u used? sorry to bother u with my questions

no its fine rlly, i used 180 all around with a DA sander, had to do it 4 times, but its now down to where its gotta be and its all smooth with nearly no imperfections. But idk if im the best person to ask about this stuff lol, ill be able to tell you if it worked after I paint, possibly this wknd?

I approve of the DIY!

I was debating doing this myself...just the prep work, and have someone I know spray it...just don't trust myself with that much money in the hopper. I personally am going to wait on my paint, I want it done perfectly..plus potential swap soon..knowning me I don't want to mess up the new paint =P

I will be asking much details on your prep when your done...hope you got some dings to fill..cause thats where I'm lost atm.

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i hope you went over it with somthing finer.
if not, you reallllly need to re-sand it with at least a 320 or 400 grit paper..for high end stuff, 600 wetsanded.

yeah I am going over it one more time, I have 450 grit. But I have a few sheets of 600 wet, should I use them too before i start as well??
And I have heard to wet sand (like 800 grit) after the primer too, but im not sure if this is true?

haha feel free to ask away, once im done The prep is the MOST important IMO, because its the base of everything you are doing, thats why ive taken like a week of sanding, and got everything exactly where I want

And its not too much money for the paint, its not. More just what people charge, but if you do the prep, then it shouldnt be too much. And what kind of dings? I dont know too much about that, I have only really molded my RB, and shaved my rear wiper. If you are sanding it all down, you will see spots that are dinged, and if you run your hand along the car, you can tell. But my car isnt dinged anywhere, the body lines are veryy smooth

ill be posting up more when im done and as I go along, got the new side skirts coming tomorrow, and maybe i can start painting this wknd

>

I would use 600 dry on primer - it's what I'm doing on my JDM fenders currently.

I would wetsand 800 grit on the actual midcoat and paint, making sure the car is completely dry before you start a new coat - and lint/dust free, so if you're doing this outside I really hope you have a PVC tent made or something, to keep dust and bugs away - they'll show in your clear no matter how small.

After you wetsand the final coat, I would apply clear in 4+ coats (I was told 5-7, not sure if that's correct) and wetsand with 1500-2000 grit sandpaper. It'll come out smoother than glass and look great too.

yeah im doing it in my uncles garage so hopefully it keeps some bugs and what not out thanks for the info, i still dont understand how the 1500-2000 grit works after the clear lol. i mean i know it does because everyone says it, it just seems odd to me lol.
thanks for all the info alllll! of it helps

I wish you luck bro ! and i hope you get what you want ! I would never attempt to paint my car lol just incase i make a run or anything like that im a beast with a rattle can but i dont think i would do to hot on a car. GL bro !

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I'm still not sure myself but i hear its for waxing and sealing? but they also say that I should wait a week or two after the clear coats been sprayed to wax, i'm guessing for the clear coat to cure

After a paint job im sure you need to wait like a month for it to cure. Once it cures you can wash and wax and detail it to make it shine. My friend just paid $5300 to get his MR2 painted and he had to wait like 2 months according to the shop he got it done at.

Make sure your uncle's compressor can handle the job you're about to throw at it. I've burned up a 3hp craftsman the first time I painted a car with an hvlp. And also make sure you're overlaping correctly considering the type of paint you're using. When using a candy paint you'll probably want to spray the full length of the car whenever possible, especially on the sides so that you've got a uniform coat across the panels. I hope it turns out really nice for you.

This post has been edited by krom8: Aug 10, 2010 - 3:43 AM

yeah his compressor is like the size of a couch lol, and thanks for the advice, im going to paint the spoiler and invader FB bottom lip first so I get the hang of spraying should be this wends/thurs

Finally an update!
Unfortunately my dumb a** never charges his phone so not finished product pics I added about 2 more coats of candy color, and then a gallon of clear which you cant see, it looks alot better now

So I woke up bright and early at 7am and went to homedepot to get the last fittings I needed to be able to spray, my buddy dropped me off and I started setting up, tacking the car again. Walked over to the compressor and realized....SH*T!!!! ... I left the water separator in his car! and of course his phone isnt on! so I had to wait for him to get home, get my message and bring it back ugh like a 30 mins anxious wait!

Any how I finally got it and started the Painting process taking as many pics as I could... untill my phone died Finished pics will be up tomorrow

Celi was white - silver - and orange today











































Like pressure told me... thise "mid-caot" was veryyyy tricky! I did like 8 light coats and 3 far spray coats to get the color and depth I wanted, it was ALOT harder than just the basecoat! but it is where I want it, and will get pics of it cleared and buffed out tomorrow





Not sure of the order of the next pics, there may be some that were earlier than others, but no finished pics anyway



























>>A few pics of up close to show the "candy part" it looks pretty good now >>

But obviously it is my first painting ever! so it could have been better, but I am veryyyy happy with the results, only had one run on the invader bottom lip (cant see it when its on the car) because I tripped my self somehow with the compressor hose haha but other than that veryyy clean. I can see looking Extremely closesly there are 5 tinnnny little parts of the sideskirts that could have been molded a bit more. But nothing noticeable at all, I am just very much a perfectionist lol





Tell me what you think
And again thanks to ALL the support of everyone in the community
Still looking for tips on wetsanding and buffing, if anyone has them im all ears

Looks good bro. that silver base looked nasty tho, so did white lmfao. But it looks good. What left your clear ?

haha ikr! the silver looks effin awesome! haha I just wanted the orange so i went for it

And everything is done now, just figured id let it all dry overnight. I just didnt get any pics of the final final coats.
I just have to go and wet sand it tomorrow and im not sure about the buffing still but I know a guy who will help me, hopefully hes home tomorrow

IT LOOKS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better now that its painted!

the sides look so great compared to before haha.


great job man, can't wait to see the completely finished product!

(:

U did a lots of great job man!! I'm waiting for finish photos!! Keep up the good work.

Another Update Only one more to come, tonight after I buff it to make it shine! more
So I wet sanded the car bright and early and spent like 2 "painful" hours taking the tape off because there was a "bond" of paint between the tape and the car ugh took forever!





And WOW is the invader bottom lip (or at least mine because the fitment is crap) is hard as hell to put on by your self! lmao















Tell me what you think

Not really I fan of the kit, But I love the color.
Can't belive this is the first time you painted a car, it looks pretty good.
How much research did you do before you actually started the work?
Now all you need is some decent photos haha.