respray DIY

[vixteris]

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?

[Overseer]

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.

[Speedydub]

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  

[S11EPS]

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!

[vixteris]

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.

[S11EPS]

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.

[richandhazel]

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.

[vixteris]

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

[Cupra Turbo]

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  

Im sure s11eps' mate will give u a discount  

[R1D3R]

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.