Paint and Minor Body Work Advice

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acai

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Hi everyone

I have a 1994 80 series in Emerald green who's paint is in pretty bad shape from sun damage, especially on the hood and top. It's flaking off and has hit bare metal in some spots. I knew I would have to paint it when I bought it and the time has come. Also the flares have been removed but not in the nicest manner so the areas surrounding the holes need to be smoothed out. There are also some dents and other minor areas where work needs to be done and I also plan on pulling off the roof rack so those holes will need to be welded as well.

My overall budget for paint and body work is in the 1000 - 1500 range. I'm planning on keeping the same Emerald Green to make the amount of work a bit less intensive. I'm willing to do as much of the prep work (i.e. Sanding and cleaning etc) myself to keep the cost down but have never done any paint or body work myself so I am seeking some advice.

If you know of any local shops in Orange County, the South Bay, or surrounding areas in Southern California or have any general advice that you think could help me out it will be much appreciated.

Thanks
 
Thanks, will be getting some quotes locally and looking into some sort of bedliner. Either way cheap paint job of lining it, I'm pulling off the bumpers, mirrors, reflectors, emblems, etc.

What is recommended for painting the grill, door handles, and mirrors housing black? Plastidip, regular rattle can, or black trimp paint?

Also how do you go about removing emblems and then re adhering them afterwards?

Thanks guys
 
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Check out the Monstaliner thread in a search, there are some great examples there. For your price point you could do it really cool that way. That kind of money unfortunately doesn't go too far in a paint shop, but it can't hurt to shop around.
As far as the emblems go, they are put on with very tough two-sided foam tape. You can find new tape at an auto supply store (3m stuff is very good).
 
acai said:
View attachment 1273944 View attachment 1273946 View attachment 1273947 Hi everyone

I have a 1994 80 series in Emerald green who's paint is in pretty bad shape from sun damage, especially on the hood and top. It's flaking off and has hit bare metal in some spots. I knew I would have to paint it when I bought it and the time has come. Also the flares have been removed but not in the nicest manner so the areas surrounding the holes need to be smoothed out. There are also some dents and other minor areas where work needs to be done and I also plan on pulling off the roof rack so those holes will need to be welded as well.

My overall budget for paint and body work is in the 1000 - 1500 range. I'm planning on keeping the same Emerald Green to make the amount of work a bit less intensive. I'm willing to do as much of the prep work (i.e. Sanding and cleaning etc) myself to keep the cost down but have never done any paint or body work myself so I am seeking some advice.

If you know of any local shops in Orange County, the South Bay, or surrounding areas in Southern California or have any general advice that you think could help me out it will be much appreciated.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I tried to get a quote from a local shop that does good work. He told me it woud be more than id want to pay...(insurance work shop) He suggested I get ahold of the community college auto body class. I'm thinking about that route but have maint to complete before I worry about body work
 
Unless you cut some kind of barter deal or volunteer to be a school project guinea pig or have friends who paint (and maybe not even then), you're not going to get a decent job that LASTS near that price. Some good paints go for $750 a gallon, so you see the problem. Pro spray guns like SATA / Iwata (the dominant brands) also run $500 to a grand or so, with more than one used on each pro job (some are better for primer, or paint, or clearcoat). Big compressor to keep going, dry air, wall-mounted regulator, etc. all tools of the trade.

That said, there's a thread on here somewhere about a guy who did his own Cruiser. Not sure how far back, or what paint / spray gun he used, or how it's holding up now.

As to the dents, google "paintless dent repair" or "paintless dent removal" + your area, and also ask some good used car sellers or custom shops who they use. Some of those guys are stellar. They may also plug holes.
 
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I paint cars - I have a disposable HF gun (HVLP) - and I shoot in a temp shelter I hang lights & wet the pit run gravel. I use simple DP primer & the PPG singlestage.

Worst thing I ever had was some "fisheye" I think because I wet it down too much & the heat made crazy humidity.

Use some red scotchbrite to scuff then buy adhesive discs ~800 for the final sand before any primer.

If bugs or crap land in the paint, you let it dry & colorsand it out. Same with runs or sags, sand them flat.

If you choose to shoot clearcoat, don't shake the can.

KISS & it works just fine, and you learn.

Plus with deep green you can convert from metallics to a straight deep green if you like, it costs less to buy non-metallics when you shoot an entire vehicle.

Shops that vendor PPG in particular are super helpful & want the average guy to suceed, so they'll sell you the right reducer for the paint for the time/temp/enviroment you decide to shoot in.

You can do it if you choose - too many people think it's voodoo or whatever, and besides - it's not like you won't add scratches or dents after.

We're not shooting show cars - 10ft'ers look fine with a coat of dust or pollen on them.
 
And do all your colorsanding within 3-5 days if shoot acrylic enamel - once it cures it's some shiney, hard-as-nails paint. Not too pricey either - perfect for 4wd's!
 
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I was thinking of taking off the CC where it's failing, then shooting it with a can or two of Spraymax 2K clear. I have no idea how this will look but it cant be much worse. If it is then I'll just still have to paint the hood like I do now.
 
Maaco with no body prep other than a light sanding, ~$1000 and they will paint over the fender flare and door handle gaskets, but won't fix any holes, dents, rust for that price, all that is extra. A good job at a independent shop in my area doing minimal body repairs (door dings) using mid range paint materials; $4000-5000. A high end job where they remove doors, hatch, lift gate, roof rack, hood, do some body work (say a minor dent in a quarter panel), fix some roof rack/hatch/fender flare holes and rust, $8500-11,000. These are the estimates I've gotten.
 
Kernal said:
Maaco with no body prep other than a light sanding, ~$1000 and they will paint over the fender flare and door handle gaskets, but won't fix any holes, dents, rust for that price, all that is extra. A good job at a independent shop in my area doing minimal body repairs (door dings) using mid range paint materials; $4000-5000. A high end job where they remove doors, hatch, lift gate, roof rack, hood, do some body work (say a minor dent in a quarter panel), fix some roof rack/hatch/fender flare holes and rust, $8500-11,000. These are the estimates I've gotten.
Click to expand...
Would that be for the gold plate with diamond accents? Where's this? (Though I did read someone saying a buddy had paid $25k for a paint job from the same guy who does Leno's cars...)
 
Body shops don't want to do our kind of work - they make the better margin doing insurance collision repair work.

That's what spurred me to start doing 'utility grade' paint work, and it's just a nice surprise when it turns out nicer.

There used to be a story of people getting appointments on a certain day at Maaco & would drive early in morning in a car stripped of headlights, door handles, all the exterior stuff - then would spend a few hours doing their own prep before the Macco guy was 'on the clock' doing dents & primer. You could do that.
 
JCruse said:
I was thinking of taking off the CC where it's failing, then shooting it with a can or two of Spraymax 2K clear. I have no idea how this will look but it cant be much worse. If it is then I'll just still have to paint the hood like I do now.
Click to expand...

I experimented doing this on my old LX450 (metallic green) - I used the edge of a razor to scrape the dead clearcoat & it came up great, got to an edge I just feathered down & shot clearcoat litterally from a bombcan of Rustolium / Krylon - nothing special.

It made it look an honest 8 on a 10 scale - you only saw the hood, but murphy's law the roof spots looked better. You still couldn't tell with a coat of dust or pollen unless I pointed it out to you.

A little practice & you can do it real easy - I'm no rocket surgeon & mine turns out decent enough the dog ain't embarassed to ride in mine :poof:
 
acai said:
View attachment 1273944 View attachment 1273946 View attachment 1273947 Hi everyone

I have a 1994 80 series in Emerald green who's paint is in pretty bad shape from sun damage, especially on the hood and top. It's flaking off and has hit bare metal in some spots. I knew I would have to paint it when I bought it and the time has come. Also the flares have been removed but not in the nicest manner so the areas surrounding the holes need to be smoothed out. There are also some dents and other minor areas where work needs to be done and I also plan on pulling off the roof rack so those holes will need to be welded as well.

My overall budget for paint and body work is in the 1000 - 1500 range. I'm planning on keeping the same Emerald Green to make the amount of work a bit less intensive. I'm willing to do as much of the prep work (i.e. Sanding and cleaning etc) myself to keep the cost down but have never done any paint or body work myself so I am seeking some advice.

If you know of any local shops in Orange County, the South Bay, or surrounding areas in Southern California or have any general advice that you think could help me out it will be much appreciated.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Call Mario at Topline Performance in Huntington Beach. He just refurbished and rebuilt a '94 and had it painted in emerald Green. It looks really good and I don't believe the shop that he took it to charged two arms and two legs......maybe an arm!

714-848-6433
He is a very good mechanic to boot and works on this rigs a plenty. Tell him GFox sent you.
 
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