The color of a certain paint varies depending on which plant a car was painted at and the weather on that day. There are three orfour variations of color for each paint code.
N.O.S. Vs. Reproduction
"The more N.O.S. sheetmetal you use the better, because it's original equipment. Anytime parts are made off of aftermarket tooling, they just don't fit quite right and the lines aren't as sharp. They can be anywhere from 11/416 to 11/44 inch longer or shorter, which requires grinding, filling, or welding. Sometimes you have to weld along the edges of a panel to make it longer or cut spotwelds apart and weld them back together to shorten up a panel. Unfortunately, a lot of parts aren't available N.O.S., which means you have to buy reproduction sheetmetal and make it work. The good news is that as musclecars have gotten more popular over the last 20 years, the fitment of aftermarket sheetmetal has improved significantly because customers are demanding higher-quality parts. If a part is junk, no one's going to use it. Due to increased competition and profit potential, some manufacturers are starting to stamp parts off the original tooling."
Prep Work
Bad prep work is the number-one mistake made by DIYers. Painting a car is only 15 percent of the entire process. The other 85 is prep work. "Some people think paint will hide small dents, but it doesn't," says Rodney. Paint magnifies dents and makes them look worse. "If you see flaws like scratches, chips, or dents during the prep stage, you'll see it in the paint work. They don't just disappear and mysteriously go away." All prep work has to be done prior to painting. Check the fitment of panels before painting, or else you risk destroying your new paint job if the panels rub when opening the doors or trunk. Media-blasting can be pricey, but it reveals all problem areas and leaves a very smooth finish on the metal.
Paint Guns
Cheap hand tools can work surprisingly well, but this isn't the case with bargain paint guns. A lot of DIYers buy $50 paint guns and think they're going to lay down a quality paint job, which just doesn't happen. Professional paint guns run anywhere from $400 to $700. However, just because you can't swing that kind of cash doesn't mean you're out of luck. "A lot of times you can find generic-label guns that are the exact same guns professionals use but under a different name," says Rodney. "They will spray the same as high-end guns at a fraction of the cost. Some quick research on the Internet will show you where to find them."