Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

I am interested in knowing how much detail you do it yourself'ers put into your body work and paint.

Are you the type that,

1. Does a 100% do it right, remove every flaw, nook and cranny, block it out, color sand, and polish, for a sick, smooth, show car paint job.
2. Get about 90-95% of it as best you can with what you have, and get a nice driver+ paint job. Might still have some high and low spots.
3. Sand it, spray it, and hope for the best.

Or somewhere in between.

If I am paying, it better be perfect. If I am doing the work, I'm obsessive compulsive, to a point (the point where I become frustrated and ticked off and just say "F-it", It'll have to do") - so I'd like to think I would do it perfect, though it might take me 3-4 years to be happy with it. Therefore, I'm better off paying to have it done. Oh yes, did I mention that I suck at body work and hate it, because I don't weld, and hate bondo and am obsessive compulsive - wait, did I say that yet? Anyway, being obsessive compulsive, and not being able to do body work, attempting to do it myself, (which I have tried in the past), would drive me insane as I would never get it the way I want it. So, I should just pay someone to do it.
Umm, what was the question?

I think I am in your 2nd group. I know what It is supposed to look like and I get so pi**ed off when I can't get it there. Sometimes I get so pi**ed off the wife won't even come into the shop. Then I go to a car show and I see what some people paid lots of money for and I think to my self if they had used a bigger block when sanding and had done it one more time before they painted there wouldn't be those ripples down the door. And then someone comes by and tells me my car is beautiful or how much they love it and I kinda forget about all of those flaws that I could point out everyone of them to you. Then I get in and drive and all I have is a big smile on my face and forget all about anything but how much fun I am having.

^That is perfect^

I bet I used over a gallon of bondo on my car. By the time it was ready to paint there probably wasn't 1/2 a pint left on it. For every slight dent, I bet I redid it 3 to 5 times, one in particular I must of redid a dozen times! I did the absolute best I thought I could...it wasn't good enough! This was my first paint job and I think it came out really nice, but I'm sure that the body shop manager would fire me. All those videos make it look like a piece of cake, it's not. Those who can make a panel perfect really do have a talent that takes lots of practice to perfect. If you have never tried body work than you have no idea what a deft touch it requires. I debated seriously about having a pro do the final finish work and spraying, but than I wouldn't of had the satisfaction of doing it myself. Besides if I ever feel the need I can always have it professionally repainted.
That being said I guess I shot for the first group and ended up in the second group

I'm in the 2nd group.
After all, I want to drive the car.
Dan

I put hundreds of hours into the body of mine. I did a lot of cutting rust out and butt welding new metal in. There were three different areas of collision damage that hadn't been repaired properly. There were ELEVEN places where someone had ground right through the sheet metal when removing paint. I used five quarts of filler, a gallon of spray on filler, two quarts of high build primer and two aerosol cans of high build primer. I sprayed the base and clear in the engine compartment, cockpit and trunk, but I took it to my pro neighbor to spray the exterior. These last two weeks I have been sanding and buffing. I am very happy with how it looks. I know that I will do a little more sanding and buffing once I have had it out in the sun for awhile and see some places that I am not happy with, but as it is I am very happy!

#2 for me. I'm too obsessive compulsive to think about #1

I am a solid 2.25'er.
I drive it too much and too hard to be a #1, I would drive myself crazy, and the other priorities at home (similar to Alvin's smiling clan) consume so much time that anything more than "decent driver" status is un-realistic.
On a backroads drive last year, I chased an Autech-powered 510 up the mountains, and had a feeling that each time we went into the shade, my cap was getting sprinkled, or so I thought. In reality, Ted had some REALLY sticky tires on his 510, and he was peppering the front of my car, windshield (and hat!) with small pebbles, as I noticed later in the day. Oh well, all in good fun, that is what she is for, maximum smiles per mile.
My paint is from the PO, and hood and trunk seem to have received a different level of surface prep than the rest of the body. (I can rationalize the hood being heat effected, but not the trunk) Both are wearing much more, and next step for me will be a "two panel repaint", and at some point the area right forward of the trunk will at some point have to be repainted with its edges creatively "fogged in" to the surroundings. (yes, color match is key)
To each his own, I love seeing the glorious examples at Solvang and other get-togethers, but my greatest enjoyment comes the day before/after Solvang, on Tepesquet Canyon Road.

"Ive got 800 bucks will you paint my car?"

.

Sure, you supply the paint and other materials and I'll spray it. Oh, did you want body work with that? Most people don't realize the costs of decent materials to paint a car. When I painted mine the paint was about $350, the clear another $150 or so. Add in the reducer and hardner, the sealer, tape, paper,tack rags and don't forget you need at least a good disposable respirator ( not a simple mask). By the time I left the paint store I had spent around $600, this does not include any of the materials for the body work. By hey Maco can fix you up for just a couple of hundred...yea!

2nd category for me too. Just yesterday I noticed a brand new dent in one of my rear flairs. Bummer, but I shrugged it off. I have done all my own body work, having someone else paint it, then I would wet sand and buff. It was pretty straight, and black. Now I have numerous rock chips, some body flex cracks over the years, battle scars I say. We DRIVE our car. We could not enjoy it near as much nor have the same adventures if I were overly concerned with keeping it perfect. My attitude is probably a carry over from getting the car at age 22-23, where going fast was more important than anything else.

Category 4
Roller-job tremclad by the PO
When its time for a re-do, I won't mind pulling everything apart, sanding & scraping it down ... but I'll leave it to the body guys to do it right. In the mean time I'll probably need to add some clear 3M tape to slow down the chipping.

I am at the body shop often enough to know I cant do it. I do not have the patience. Finding a good honest shop that does an honest time+materials, and will do the project to the level you ask, so helpful.. because I just dont have the patience..

So, I am down to the last panel, stopped by the local paint supplier yesterday and as Mike said paint materials are close to $600 for Valspar which is what this supplier carries and the paint is more than I paid for the car itself.

So, my question is, what other paints are out there that don't break the bank. Or, is this the best route.

On the other hand, other than a few flaws in my body work that I still need to address, I think I'm running around 2.5 on the quality of work scale. Which probably means a solid 2.

What are good websites to buy paint from?

Also, what do you recommend, Base/Clear or Single Stage.