chodalak

iTrader: (1)

heyy, i am fixing my car up after a crash and its going in for paint in a few 2-3 months

sooo im not very rich and i wana do as much myself as possable,
i can prolly ask the guys at that are painting it for me but i just want a heads up

what is involved in preping the car for paint? like sanding and what whatnot and removal of stuff.

i dont mind speniding a week on wetsanding it or whatever. thanks alot everyone

jeff

davidv

iTrader: (2)

Generally a paint shop will want to prep and paint. That way they have better control over the results. Doubt if self prep will save you a dime. The shop will say that they must prep "the right way."

chodalak

iTrader: (1)

your prolly right, but the place im doing it is a friend, but they wont do it at a loss.

i know i have to remove the handles and emblems and weather stripping ruber things and prolly the windows front and rear,

but im specificly wondering about preparing the surface for paint.such as sanding or cleaning

im not changing the color at all

STL 350Z

iTrader: (3)

I would just it for the pro's to do cause if you do just one thing wrong they are gonna have to fix your mistake in addition to prep and paint. Just get it done right so the results don't end up haunting you.

ITOzann

iTrader: (30)

Leave to a shop if you have no experience. The quality of the paint job will depend on the prep work. Save yourself some time.

Try asking your friend as well since he has a shop. He'll be able to give you some pointers and material.

Chako135

iTrader: (31)

You're going to want to wash the car thoroughly, dry it, go over the whole thing with an alcohol-based cleaner (different options), then remove all the bumpers and some specific things that the shop tells you to remove (ex: mirrors, A-pillars, B-pillars, headlights, tail lights, etc.), next you will want to tape off any plastic/rubber pieces that may get in the way of sanding, after you can use 400 grit sandpaper on the whole car (or use the type that your shop recommends), and finally once you have sanded everything, you will need to go over the whole car with a solvent and then tape off all areas that will not be painted.

I just went through this process with a friend of mine that does this for a living and the completion took longer than expected, but I was happy with the results. The biggest thing is to get the shop to work with you on various levels. I'm assuming your body shop will take care of any damage on the car so leave that completely in their hands. Hope this helps.

YesWePromise

90% of the actual work in painting a car is the prep. Spraying it is the easy part.

I've had my car painted a few times and always done the prep on it. Saved a LOT of money.

You will need to sand it all, obviously. sand sand sand sand sand.

Before it actually goes to paint, you'll need to decide what you want painted seperate and what you want to keep on the car. You'll need to mask off everything you dont want paint to get on. Mask it well. You don't want overspray on your windows.
Also, keep in mind, paint gets everywhere, so make sure the wheels/tires, and other stuff under the car is blocked off too.

In general, just help out as much as possible with the prepping.

chodalak

iTrader: (1)

Hey thanks for the help and stuff, ill talk to the guys at shop about exact specifics!
this is pretty much the info i was looking for
ill let you guys know how it goes
jeff

chodalak

iTrader: (1)

anyone eles with advice about letting the body shop do it all, which is still all good advice
im just the kind of guy to do it myself...
if i f_ _k up at least i learn better i guess.
and i dont wana pay 1000 for a **** job...
and i would rather pay 3500 and get it done well, but drop that to like mabe 2000 if i do a tone myself.

it will be ready for paint within a month, so ill keep you updated