cs_729

I've been thinking on re-painting my car. Being im still in school and not swimming in cash, whats the most cost effective way to go around it. What kind of prep work will i need to do? How many hours apx am i looking at? and ultimatly how much will it save me. I want my car totally painted too (i.e. engine bay, trunk etc etc) Anyone with past expierences in this field would help a lot.

Little bit about it: 92 2-door, teal, few pin dents, no rust.

ADRONICUS

If you don't know what your are doing it will come out looking like crap. You will surely lose patience if this is a car you plan to drive while you work on it too. You need to just be able to work on it. With that being said I would check DIY forum for some tips and tricks as this has been covered before.

SP00NFed

are you doing a color change?

cs_729

Yeah im changing it from teal to black. Im not going to do the actually painting myself, i just want to do all the prep work and everything leading up to it. Thanks

TheOtherDave™

Then you're looking at a full interior strip. The labor charge to strip & reinstall the interior would be significant, so you can save a fair bit right there.

Generally, they can work around the dashboard by thoroughly masking it off, but the rest of the interior panels, seats, headliner, etc... ought to come out. That process is aided by purchasing the set of factory service manuals from Helms, Inc. Just be methodical and careful about saving the various bolts and fasteners. Bag them up by panel or component and you'll be fine.

How are you going to handle the dent repair? For that matter, where are the dents? If you're going to all the trouble of stripping the interior, I would repair the metal itself, rather than relying on bondo. Black is one of those colors that requires the body to be in top condition, so I wouldn't skimp on body prep.

Then comes the question of who does the painting/ color sanding/ clearcoat? Experience will make or break the job. I'm not a big fan of the franchise painters like Earl Schieb, simply because they tend to be sloppy at masking and surface prep. Frankly, I'd bid the job out to a number of body shops and even a few custom painters, just to see what prices are like. Treat the paint job like a long-term investment and spend what it takes to produce a quality result.

And yes, expect the car to be out of commission while the body work and repainting is completed. Depending on the amount of bodywork needed, it could be as much as a week. h:

kiddcarbuff

a complete color chang e will run you in excess of 4 grand or more due to everything dave said above. its a total bitch, (trsut me) the interiror doesnt have to be gutted but the dorrs will have to be taken apart and off and masked so the space where the doors where get masked off....along w/ the engine bay and trunk jams. its quite tedious doing all this masking and THEN prep work, but if its what you want try it..... again ur interior wont need to be guteed jsut ur doors and everything else gets masked

TheOtherDave™

Frankly, I recommend removing the interior to eliminate the chance of overspray on the seats, carpet or interior panels. What isn't there can't be ruined by poor masking.

On an entirely different track, a properly done "rattle-can" flat black wouldn't look too bad on a DA* Integra. Who needs gloss, anyway? :chuckles:

cs_729

Thanks for all the help. I Think i would just get new carpets and possibly new seats cuz mine are kinda beat to hell. My dad's friends owns a body-shop in Vancouver, BC (East-Winn Auto), and aparently he is quite good at painting cars. So bottom line, if i give him my car, 100% prepped, no dents, whats a reasonable price i should expect (Im in Canada also so itll be in CDN). Thanks

cs_729

Hey Guys Thanks for the info. I will most likly put new carpets and possibly new seats in also so im not too worried bout those gettin over-spray. If found quite a reputable auto shop in Vancouver (East-Winn Auto). What would be a decent price they would charge me if i 100% did all the prep?? (In CDN mind you). Thanks

kiddcarbuff

ive never removed the interior on a colorchange.... im maske very carefully.... never ever have i had overspray into the interior and i only use dupont/house of kolor material and basf once in a while