My 2001 black GT is showing some mileage in the paint but only on the front clip. Mostly, just chips in the paint on the hood and front of the fenders. The front facia is less than perfect as well. However, the rest of the body looks really good.
What are my options? I have considered having it professionally done but figure that would be pretty expensive...any idea how much? I don't need a show car quality, just smooth and even and matching the rest of the car.
Is this something I could do myself? I am confident I could prep it properly with sanding but painting it in my garage gives me a little pause for thought! I have heard of people rolling paint on with foam rollers...sounds easy and low investment cost but not sure if it would look right with the rest of the car.
I could invest in an inexpensive gun and spray it but I don't know that my compressor is up to the task. Also, I would want it to match the rest of the car's factory paint.
Well if you are confident you could do it then by all means do it. It would sure be a whole lot cheaper then taking it somewhere. I have never heard of no one painting a car with those foam rollers. If you want it done right you will need a compressor and a good spray gun.
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2002 Saleen S/C Coupe
#293 Torch Red
Power in the hands of a few
Confident? Not really When I was coming of age in the early 80's, my first few cars were rebuilders from the wreck yard (Mustangs, of course...). I rebuilt them with my father's help and then did all the prep work for painting (dent repair, bondo, sanding, wet-sanding, etc.). My father did the actual spraying when it came time to paint. They all turned out really nice. I conviced my dad to put a metallic black on a '77 Cobra II and it was a real PITA but it turned out great. I just never got the nerve to take the gun and spray since my dad was always there to do it. I wish I had...
Anyway, I don't know a lot about paint and even less about today's paint. What I don't know and is keeping me from diving in is whether I need to use a specific TYPE of paint (lacquer, enamel, etc.) and whether a clear coat is necessary to match the rest of the car. It wouldn't be worth the effort if I prep the car and paint it flawlessly only to have it be a little "off" the rest of the car.
As for the roller painting method...I thought it sounding crazy but there are people doing it and (supposedly) getting excellent results. See the following thread for examples...
I'm not a big fan of bras, they look fine but I prefer the braless look. Take that however you want
I am thinking it might be worth considering taking the fenders, hood, and front facia off the car...prepping them for paint...and then having a Maaco or similar place spray them. I have no idea what they would charge but if I could get it done for less than $200-$300 I would probably be money ahead (not having to invest in proper spraying equipment). Just a thought...
I'm not a big fan of bras, they look fine but I prefer the braless look. Take that however you want
I am thinking it might be worth considering taking the fenders, hood, and front facia off the car...prepping them for paint...and then having a Maaco or similar place spray them. I have no idea what they would charge but if I could get it done for less than $200-$300 I would probably be money ahead (not having to invest in proper spraying equipment). Just a thought...
He may have needed one. Maybe one of his headlights were sagging. And it needed some extra support.
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2002 Saleen S/C Coupe
#293 Torch Red
Power in the hands of a few
The only type of bra that I put on my car is what they call a Clear Bra. Love it.
Is that something you did yourself or did you have it done professionally? It might be something I'd do after the front is repainted. What is the cost?
Is that something you did yourself or did you have it done professionally? It might be something I'd do after the front is repainted. What is the cost?
I had it done and it is the best thing I have done. I love it. You can not even really tell it is on there. It is a bit pricey but well worth it.
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2002 Saleen S/C Coupe
#293 Torch Red
Power in the hands of a few
My car is pretty much the same way, but in different areas. It is really unnoticeable, but I would much rather have that brand new glossy car look. I got an estimate on a paint job from this pretty popular shop of somewhere around $1300. I'm seriously looking round for a better deal. I'll let you know what I come up with because I'm really skeptical on spending so much on just a paint job.
My car is pretty much the same way, but in different areas. It is really unnoticeable, but I would much rather have that brand new glossy car look. I got an estimate on a paint job from this pretty popular shop of somewhere around $1300. I'm seriously looking round for a better deal. I'll let you know what I come up with because I'm really skeptical on spending so much on just a paint job.
$1300 is way cheap for a paint job. Better be careful.
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2002 Saleen S/C Coupe
#293 Torch Red
Power in the hands of a few
there was an article in hot rod this past summer on roller painting a car with rustoleum thinned 50/50. i used a foam brush and high gloss black rustoleum thinned 50/50 to re-do my trim on my vert-- it worked out ok.
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89 vert(salvaged)3.73,flows,silencer removed,k&n,tru flo,pullies,shift kit, ford performance headers,ponies,no smog,no a/c,gt-40 iron heads ported, 1.7 rockers,explorer intake(ported),explorer tb, off-road h,electric fan,2400 stahl converter, u/l control arms, subframe connected--some day a supercharger!!!
This is a fairly old thread, but you can do the prep yourself and save a ton of money. It's 90% prep. I'd suggest getting a couple of good books on painting automobiles. It's universal, so don't restrict yourself to just Mustang books. The beauty in the prep is if you get it wrong, sand it down and do it again. Then just take the clip, or the whole car for that matter, down to a shop and have them shoot the final color.
You can also look into your local high school trade shops. They will many times do body work for just the cost of the materials so the students can learn. If you get hooked up with a more advanced class you can get pretty professional results.
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'05 Sonic Blue GT w/ '07 V8 engine, 5-sp, IUP, Beige leather interior, nothing else -
just the way I wanted it. (1 of 113)
OK, so I've added a few things to it. Check my Profile - too many to list here.
Need opinions on painting exterior 
When I was coming of age in the early 80's, my first few cars were rebuilders from the wreck yard (Mustangs, of course...). I rebuilt them with my father's help and then did all the prep work for painting (dent repair, bondo, sanding, wet-sanding, etc.). My father did the actual spraying when it came time to paint. They all turned out really nice. I conviced my dad to put a metallic black on a '77 Cobra II and it was a real PITA but it turned out great. I just never got the nerve to take the gun and spray since my dad was always there to do it. I wish I had...
Better be careful.
