All it needs is paint. As simple as that phrase may sound in the automotive world, painting a car right requires good preparation,lots of ambition, and the ability to deal with the unexpected, and if it's a good job it'll unequivocally reflect those efforts. It's no joke. For some, spraying the shiny stuff may be quick, because the car's body is clean, dent free, original, and has almost no rust.
For others, even us, falling into various pitfalls is common: quarter-panels that need more repair than originally estimated, body seams that just refuse to line up, and uncovering cancerous rust, with the possibility of having to peel layers of previously fogged paint jobs.So how do you avoid this? There's no perfect answer without diving head first into your project, but to help minimize the chance of unexpected problems, plan a realistic budget, evaluating your wants and your car's needs, and don't deviate from your game plan.
Having your car painted with a show-quality luster can easily run $15,000 or more. You have to realize this is in part because labor isn't cheap, facility costs are high, and materials are expensive. Now if you choose to paint your car yourself, you'll still need to purchase the materials and tools, but your labor, of course, will be free. If you perform the work properly (or very close to it) you'll not only be rewarded with an outstanding paint job, but you also will have gained tremendous experience while adding to your tool cabinet. But before you decide to tackle the job, there are several things you need to know.
Uncovering old bodywork first...
Uncovering old bodywork first is key to producing an excellent paint job. Years ago, body shops would drill holes in dents and then slide-hammer them out. The remaining holes were simply filled with plastic filler when repaired. When this '64 Malibu was media-blasted prior to the paint and bodywork, this old repair was uncovered.
Before any other bodywork...
Before any other bodywork was completed, a MIG welder was used to weld the old holes in the outer door panel. For an even better job, the MIG welder should have been used first and the spot-welded copper nails and slide hammer applied second. This is because the heat that is generated from the MIG welder will slightly warp the panel. If the electronic spot-welded nails were applied last, the entire area could have been slide-hammered out at the same time.