GolfGTIforum.co.uk
General => Cosmetic and bodywork matters => Topic started by: vixteris on 05 April 2004, 12:25
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I was just wondering if anyone here has done a respray themselves. Ive got given some paint spray equipment a couple of years back and its sitting in the garage. How hard is it am I better off to just leave it to the proffessionals?
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i think its quite a skilled art.. if you really want try, why not get some old panels cheap from somewhere try giving it a go.
have also heard a lot of the art is in the preperation.
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Personally, i would have a go, as long as youve got somewhere dry to do it, and a lot of time to spend on the preparation. I think you have to do a lot of coats???
But then again, I am the one who insisted in filling/undercoating/spraying a dent in less than a day, with cr@p results, so pay no attension to me lol
Actually, i spied a compressor thing in our garage yesterday....hmmmm ;) ;D
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I have to reinforce what Overseer says, preparation is everything here, it really is. The paint and lacquer finishes are 100% dependant on the work that sits below it.
The problems don't stop there though! - Not only should your car be perfectly prepared, but the area in which it is sprayed/prepped will have a major effect on the outcome. If you just stick it in a garage or a barn to spray it, you have to think of all the airborne crap that will attach itself to your freshly painted baby, which will ruin any prep you've done on the vehicle itself. You ideally need a very well ventilated sterile environment in which to spray a car.
There is also a science behind the actually paint mixing - Paint, thinners, hardeners, lacquers, its a pretty complex set up.
I have no doubt that you can become proficient with a spray gun Vix, as its definitely one of those skills that can be learnt, so practising on panels from a scrapper will improve your finish, but all the other aspects make spraying one of the hardest jobs for the modifier to do themselves.
Sorry to be the depressing one saying "Don't do it!" but I can't imagine how upset you'd be spending a couple of weeks sanding, filling, degreasing, primering, spraying, lacquering, cutting and polishing to end up with a finish that you aren't 100% happy with.
I have a friend that is a bodywork/spray job guy for a living, and has his own unit for private work, with the previously described spray booth (ventilated sterile environment). If you can bring your baby up to my part of the world, he'll give you a good quote, and the results will be superb, trust me.
As a fellow golf owner (he has an immac Oak green Big bumper Valver) you should be able to tap him up for a 'Fellow GTi driver' discount!
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i think im just looking for a way to save money as i definately need the respray but also want money to spend on other things like accessories and the engine.
i think i may be a little silly to cut costs on the respray if im gonna end up regretting it tho.
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Well, I'm almost certain Steve will be cheaper than where you have been quoted in the past (?1500 wasn't it?) and I will personally garauntee his work - he's that good.
So, put by a day and drive up, he'll look it over, tell you what can and can't be done and give you a price. He's normally got at least one car there you can look at to see the quality of his work, as well as his own, personally prepped car, which will show you what he can do.
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I've done a lot of spraying in the past and agree with everything said. I have a compressor and all the gear..........even breathing apparatus for spraying two pack paints..........unfortunately my compressor isn't really man enough to run the mask and spray gun at the same time so I tended to stick with cellulose paint.
The spraying is the fun bit that comes after hours of preperation. I found the base coat metallic and lacquer systems a little trickier, however this Alpine White mk1 Golf I have, (not the cabrio) I am seriously considering spraying myself..........its white, so its an easy colour to spray and its a solid colour, so much easier to work with.
Yours shouldn't be too bad Vix as it looks like it's a solid colour too. But be prepared for the fact that you probably will make mistakes (no offense, but I learnt from all the mistakes I made) and the prep will take a lot of time and effort. I have quite a few books on the subject if you do decide to go for it, from filling and prep to how to thin/mix your paint, set your gun up etc., etc. I'm quite happy to scan the info in for anything you want to know.
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thanks for the help and advice everyone. As soon as the cash is in the hand i'll drop u a pm s11eps about getting a quote from your mate.
Thanks richandhazel, im going to get the dub done proffesionally but Im still going to have a go with something else. Once the golfs on the road I might spray up my fiesta for some practise and fun factor. Ill get in touch for some top hints nearer the time.
cheers
vix x
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Id goto a professional ... at least if anything doesnt look as good as u want, u can tell him/her to do it again for free!
I got my bodykit sprayed and the spoiler sprayed for ?110.
Its not what u know ... its WHO u know 8)
Im sure s11eps' mate will give u a discount ;)
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i did my rust spots and everything myself. first time i ever done it and it looks fine. my car was a rust bucket. I also stripped the side plastics and filled the holes and sprayed over that. that was a challenge!!
but on the other hand u r talkin about a full respray right. my mate did his nova in Yellow without taking the car apart atall. there is paint on the seats and dash and on the windows. I also love the way that the inside metal of the car is blue. plus when it rains sum of the paint comes off lol. Bloody novas.
Please note he also has one of those things in his exaust that makes his car sound like it has a turbo and dumpy.
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lol im painting doors using Halfords paint ;) Its working very well considering ;D
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why not save urself a few bucks!prep all the car and then take it 2 that guys mate who can give it a once over and then spray it! the more time u spend preppin it the less time he will have 2 spend on it! that way it saves u money n u no that u have dun a lot of the work :D
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i did the tailgate on my cab as that had some rust coming through in one corner, i did have to sand blast the rust out, grind and lose all rust, apply filler, allow to dry, apply undercoat, allow to dry, sand down, apply wet and dry.
preparation is a must, my first attempt i slammed the boot down on a wet towel and gave a lovely rag effect finish, second time needed more lacquer, third time bang on.
beneift of the MK1 is that the door seams, boots seams are wide and its angular shape knocks your eyes off the colour and its difficult to pick up colour changes on some parts do parts in sections.
my car is 15 years old i gave the paintcode to the paintshop mixed and it matched a treat.
bodyshops can give great results, i just dont have that kinder money at the moment and the last wannabe hero who sprayed my previous car must have been bladdered not one panel looked right.
give it a go or as mentioned by others do all the prep work before hand.
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Hi there... I'm putting a new wing on my Mk2 Golf after a little incident with a frontera's tow hitch :( - My dad has done a fair bit of respraying in the past (he restores classic motorcycles) so is going to help me out
My question is where do I get the paint for the job, my golf is Diamond Silver, is this something german and swedish stock? Or am I going to have to get some mixed up somewhere? Ideally I want an aerosol spray can.
Many thanks
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Hi there... I'm putting a new wing on my Mk2 Golf after a little incident with a frontera's tow hitch :( - My dad has done a fair bit of respraying in the past (he restores classic motorcycles) so is going to help me out
My question is where do I get the paint for the job, my golf is Diamond Silver, is this something german and swedish stock? Or am I going to have to get some mixed up somewhere? Ideally I want an aerosol spray can.
Many thanks
Welcome to the forum Tom :cool:
Halfords have started mixing aerosols up, or there is a company called autopaint.
Get the paint code from the sticker in the boot or logbook and get an aerosol mixed there and then :)
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excellent thanks for your help!
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I have resprayed my mk2 in white
If you have a solid non metallic color i would give it a go
The key is prep like every one has said and having a clean dust free environment.
I constructed a poly tent fron two by two and b&q palstic sheeting
Firstly make sure you have a good 100% acceptable surface to paint. Any thing you can even just see before you start to paint will look 100 times worse with paint on.
The get some pro pannel wipe and tack cloths (they pick up dust etc)
Thin the paint correctly usually 2 parts paint to 1 part hardner and about 10% thinners
Then apply thin coats at 15-20 minute intervals this will prevent running of the paint. Dont rush this process!!!!! you are not able to paint a panel in one single go over with the gun
I have found that applying several heavily thinned coats once good coverage is achieved helps to reduce orange peel
Basically i paint the pannel according to the correct thinning procedure given by the maker but make up a little to much paint to do the pannel.
One the pannel is well covered i thin the paint back further and give around 4 more coats with the thinned paint. Be careful when doing this as i will run really badly.
Spraying on the highly thinned stuff makes the paint dry slower and settle more giving a better finish.
Then leave to dry for a few days
Get some 1500 and 2000 grit wet and dry and some G3 rubbing compound, use in these setps
1500 grit the paint
then 2000 grit, i use lots of clean water and some fairy liquid to help the paper move well in both of the above processes. Dont go through the paint thought!!!!
Then G3 to give a shine and finally seal with a good quality wax
Its also easier some times to paint a panel at a time if you have a small gun/compressor making sure any painted pannels are well masked to prevent overspray from getting on them
This is solely based on my experience and is no means a bible but if you have any Q's drop me a pm and i will try and help you out
Tim
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Hi Tim. Can you post up some pics of the spray job you have done?
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Im not putting any pics up untill its finished, the grand un valing etc
But if you drop me your e mail address to
timothy.bullivant@hotmail.co.uk
i can send you some
Tim