Konnan101

So I'm thinking about painting my 1995 sc400 myself. I've never really painted a car before, but it seems like it could be a nice little project. Does anyone have any experience doing this, or any suggestions/pointers if I do try to do this myself? Also I'm searching for a color. I got 18" 07 is350 rims and a 25% tint. I was thinking a black or silver paint job might look sexy, so if you got an sc with is-esque rims and a nice paint job please post a pic.

Mattmannz

Really you want to spray the car in a proper booth.

You will get grit and material in the paint if you use an ordinary garage.

Changing colour means to do it properly you need to do the engine bay and door sills etc.

If you have access to somewhere nice to spray it then it's not too difficult. Like most things the work is all in the prep.

Matt.

SC_coupe

I would invest in a quality paintjob. I agree it would be a cool project, but I'd never paint my SC myself. Try it on something else before- or get some body panels from the wreckers to try things out. Also, Mattmanz is right, spray booth is the way to go. Furthermore, I wouldn't imagine that the SC would be an easy car to paint considering the curvature of the body panels.

If you decide you do it yourself, make us a thread with pics. I would be interested to see the process and results

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

i say give it a shot, its not like you cant fix it if you mess up, you will just have to live with it till you get it fixed. and for some reason if you dont manage to mess it up that would be great too

but yeah, the sc looks very difficult
i would start on a car with less curves

Zeal3

iTrader: (1)

well. i painted a my sisters celica bumper and it came out nicely.

tips on sanding:
u have to sand it nicely and evenly using 3 kinds of sand paper.i used 3M and i forgot which ones i used but there are ones specifically used to sand the car.
i did the sanding by hand so. use a wood block as a handle for ur sand paper so it will come out evenly.
the bumper took forever. good luck on a whole car.

i also agree with the ppl above. a professional paintjob will be much better. bcs its not really a average job to be done.

JesLet

iTrader: (19)

Watch out for orange peel.

JDMes

properly painting cars takes alot of skill and experience, its not just pull the trigger and go. I'd say if you want to paint your car get some experience first and see how things go. If you do plan on painting it I can answer any questions you have with prep or spraying. Remember to use a good gun because with those cheap 50-200$ guns you get what you pay for, I use a Sata 3000 RP for clearcoat and a Sata 3000 HVLP for basecoat. But either way you will have fun and gain alot of experience by doing it, mainly because you will learn how to fix problems hehe.

antsc300

painting and bodywork takes alot more than meets the eye...i've been a bodyman/painter for about 5 yrs(not counting my school/training years) and still have trouble get everylittle fine edge or sand paper swirl/mark where it doesn't show through on the paint job(even up to 4000 grit finish)...but that's just me, i can see anything that has been redone on a car at 1st glance by fine scratches, to different level of clear coat fading\wear etc..if you're a perfectionist take it to a professional(also it'll give u someone to blame if it don't come out right), if you don't mind imperfections you can do it yourself but practice on trash panels (old fenders etc..) before working on your own...paint may look decent on a panel in certain lights and conditions, but on a whole car it's a completely different deal, it's gotta flow..good luck and post for any more tips..

Blizzy

iTrader: (-1)

Painting a car is not hard. Making it look professional is.

If you have never painted before, you might salvage some cheap car parts from the yard to practice before you get behind the gun on your SC.

Once you acquire some basic techniques and feel confident, you can say your prayers and go nuts. It will be a lifetime experience that you will have in your back pocket forever.

soarinhigh

iTrader: (2)

It takes practice. I paint for a living and It took a while before I was comfortable painting a whole car. Your paint job can only be as good as your prep work. My work has released a couple of very helpful instructional videos. I could probably give you a lot of good tips and i am sure there are a lot of people on the site who can help as well. A lot of people have painted their SC's with excellent results.Mine is waiting for spring time....pm me if you need any help or have questions or something.

2GTSVETTE

I painted my SC in my garage in 24f weather with a lil patio heater... for a good paint job its vital that your body work is up to par... I and any professional will agree on that. like a few others said try practicing on old parts... Prep work is also very important having a nice clean almost dust free environment is good to have an will determine how it your paint looks when your done and how much wet sanding you'll have to do.. also try to get good material ie good paint and clear coat don't go cheap..!! don't let any one tell you cant do it.. just research some more and you'll determine if you can do it or not.... you can pm me if you have some questions..

tavarish

iTrader: (2)

I roller painted my car. Came out very glossy, minimal orange peel. Materials cost me around 60 bucks. I just can't justify buying materials which cost 10 times as much on a car that cost me $400.

celiman05

iTrader: (1)

i agree 100% with the people above. prep work is everything. you would be surprised on how much you can actually see once the car has fresh paint on it. if there is any body work to be done, i would recomend that you have a profesional do it. it will stick out like a sore thumb if not done correctly.

1. if your gonna do the body work your self, grind down area to bare metal with a 36 or 40 grit disc so filler sticks.
2. feather edge the hell out of the edge of the paint or you will have bulls eyes all over the place. sand the body filler with 80 grit.
3. then put on poyester putty and sand with 180 grit.
4. put on first layer of primer.
5. put on a high build primer surfacer and sand with 600 grit.
6. put on a primer sealer, and then paint.

make sure that in between each step you clean the whole car with wax, tar and grease remover. contamination is a B****.

and make sure you mask very very very, meticulously. a little bit of paint on something that its not supposed to be on will be noticable.

those are just a couple of the steps involved in painting an entire car........

i painted my Sc, but it was in a controlled down draft spray booth, and i still got a couple of specs of dust. its not much, but if you now what your looking for, its as plain as day.

Use good products. i used, PPG on mine and i love it.

i wouldnt use your Sc as a test panel, cuz chances are that your not gonna get it right the first time. it takes practice.

watch out for runs! and good luck!

pnyboy27

do you have pictures of the car? id like to see how that turned out.

JDMes

Make sure your block sanding the filler, putty, and high build primer. Also stay away from spray can primers, try to always use a 2 component products which need a catalyst. When masking for primer make sure you NEVER get a hardline because they are impossible to get rid of and you will see it 99% of the time.