I ordered the gallia grill for my g35 and i would like to paint it myself. I already have a compressor. I need a recommendation on a good multi purpose sprayer that will do well on automotive paints, a recommendation on where to get paint (carribean blue), and any general recommendations on the painting process; number of coats, how long to wait between coats, etc. I am usually pretty handy so i think i can pull this off. worst case scenario, i screw it up and have the body shop strip it and paint it proper.

thanks,

jk

 

You can nab a gun from www.harborfreight.com they have a couple of allright guns on there. Im not too familiar with the grill you have, but i would sand it with something like 200 primer it with a flexible primer, like a epoxy primer (thats if its plastic), then sand with 400. Get all the grease off, then lay down your base coat. sand with 400 again (wetsand this time). Then lay down your clear. sand with like 1000. then buff it out. GL

 

Go to your local automotive paint store. You can get a decent gun for what your doing for $50-$90. You wouldn't need to spend anymore then that if you are just getting it for this one application. Sharpe just came out with a gun within the past year or so for around $90, the Finex line. You could spend that and then have a decent gun for the next time you spray something. No need to spend $300.

-Sand plastic with 400 grit
-Use plastic prep cleaner to clean it.
-Spray an adhesion promoter...something like Bulldog Adhesion Promoter.
-Spray a Flexible Primer if you want to sand it...can even get a product by SEM, comes in an aerosol. Sem#39133 (flexible primer) Or if the plastic is in great shape, ask the paint store for a good sealer. You could get a sealer that can be tinted, so if you get a chip through the paint you will have the tinted sealer behind it so it won't be so noticeable.
-Spray your base color....no sanding in between coats (unless you get dirt)
- Then clear coat it. Again no sanding needed unless there's imperfections.

**Ask the paint store for Tech sheets on all the products. These sheets will give you mixing ratios, number of coats, dry times between coats...etc..

(quoted the wrong message...sorry)

 

I dont know about you guys but I would not paint my new car with a 90.00 gun. The spray patterns probably suck and probably have hardly any adjustment. I would buy a SATA gun if you have the money. They are one of the best paint guns on the market. Upwards of 500.00 though. If you dont want to spend that much then I would go with an anesta-wata. they are like 350.00. I would also buy a small exhaust fan to create a small vacuum in your garage. just pull the door down on top of the fan with it facing outside and then tape plastic sheets on each side of it (where the garage door is open) to seal the room. This will prevent dirt getting on the paint. You will also need a regulator on your gun. Spray your base coats at 35-40 psi. When you spray the clear turn your air pressure down to 20 psi. Spray the first coat of clear very lightly. Dont worry about covering it all the way the first time. Then wait about 10 min for the clear to tack up. then spray another coat generously. You do this becuase the clear is very thin and if you spray it like paint on the first coat it will run like a *****. You can try to do it yourself but it is not as easy as you think it is.

 

surprisingly many people obtain great atomization with the finex guns and many others such as the devilbiss finishline III and such. I would go with one of those. And btw to the above poster, hes not painting his car, its a grill.

REgards,

Bryan