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prepping for a paintjob?

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nickgpgt

New member
Ive got a 97 grand prix gt and i love it, its just got some body issues like fading clear coat and rust by wheel wells which im going to take care of myself when i decide to get a paintjob in the distant future. Im not getting it done anytime soon but Im just curious, I know alot of people hate on maaco but I dont have alot to work with and im not looking for an amazing look just something better than it is now that will last awhile. I read that if I do my own prep work and pay maaco for a few extra clear coats I might end up with a decent job which is all I need. Any opinions? I have no idea how to prep my own car and I dont want to prep it and then it turn out bad because I did something wrong, and do I have to prime it after sanding or can I take it to the shop after sanding? thanks
 


if you dont know what youre doing then dont try. honestly, youre going to make more work for the paint guy, costing you more..

Id say for sure learn painting/prep, but start on something harmless like a scrap trunk etc.
 
Understandable, I just wanna get something decent out of maaco and it sounds like I wont get that unless I prep it. Do they offer decent prepping for more? I just want a decent paintjob when its time to do it
 
Mad Monkey said:
if you dont know what youre doing then dont try. honestly, youre going to make more work for the paint guy, costing you more..

Id say for sure learn painting/prep, but start on something harmless like a scrap trunk etc.
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This.

Not something I would recommend you do yourself if your not sure how to do it and potential making the car look even worse or like that Canadian guy said above me could cost you paying the painter more to correct your DIY bodywork.
 
True, I get that, so should I just chance it on trying to get a decent job out of them and see if they offer something?
 
Way out the pros and the cons..It could end up turning out alright or could turn out even worse.


I'm normally not the guy to recommend this....but how about just plasti dipping the car?
 


I considered plasti dipping it because its alot cheaper and can do it myself, but Im not sure how i feel about matte colors, I love the red Ive got now and not sure about matte redl...and even if i plasti dip ive still gotta bondo some areas, that wouldnt affect plasti dipping in any way?
 
they have a glossifyer, so you could get a red glossy car if ya want, its a good way to start until you can afford proper job
 
Eh Im a high school kid and this is my second car thats not a ****ty ass beater lol, I love my grand prix but Ill never pay for an expensive paintjob, so plasti dip does sound pretty good actually, im just concerned about keeping plasti dip clean and how long it actually lasts on the car
 
I've seen a local guy do his corolla and it came out looking really good I was surprised. Add a glossifier if you want to avoid the matte.

I would get the actually paint gun and spray the car that way versus using the actually cans

Dipyourcar.com

And IIRC w/ the same guy I mentioned above months ago I seem the car and he had some condo on it so I only assume he applied plasti dip over that.


It's worth the shot and its within your budget.
 


People hate on Maaco for a reason. I could not even buy half of the materials to paint my car for what Maaco charges for everything. I had over $700 in materials alone in painting my Stealth and that was with a "family discount." Real price was around $1100 in materials. When Maaco charges $400 to paint a car and that includes materials, that should tell you something is wrong.
 
woo! chalk another one up for the DIP.
its easy to keep clean. and spray it on in heavier coats as it will be easier to come off when the time comes.
 
I've only had experience with the dip in the spray can. make sure you get good paint tape. I will next time I try. with regular masking tape....the dip kind of gets in there and when you pull up the tape some of the dip comes with it unpredictably. it doesn't pull cleanly off--it kind of tears away--so you wont have a simple spot to touch up and you will be able to tell after the fact. but it does look pretty good with four or five coats and is easy to go on for the most part. it doesn't run easily but it will if you go too think. it will probably cover most defects but large chips and cracks you will need to fill in to keep it even. it is pretty durable but cleaning it doesn't work like regular paint. i did run it through the automatic power wash and it held up fine. its been on the car for a month or a little more. i didn't do the whole car, just the hood scoops, the door partition things, and the spoiler and a little on the bumper
 


Shiftingshaddow said:
I've only had experience with the dip in the spray can. make sure you get good paint tape. I will next time I try. with regular masking tape....the dip kind of gets in there and when you pull up the tape some of the dip comes with it unpredictably. it doesn't pull cleanly off--it kind of tears away--so you wont have a simple spot to touch up and you will be able to tell after the fact. but it does look pretty good with four or five coats and is easy to go on for the most part. it doesn't run easily but it will if you go too think. it will probably cover most defects but large chips and cracks you will need to fill in to keep it even. it is pretty durable but cleaning it doesn't work like regular paint. i did run it through the automatic power wash and it held up fine. its been on the car for a month or a little more. i didn't do the whole car, just the hood scoops, the door partition things, and the spoiler and a little on the bumper
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You waited too long to remove the tape. It wouldn't matter what kind of tape you use if you wait too long the "overspray" is going to peel up. You need to remove the tape almost immediately to avoid sticking. This goes with regular paint, or plasti-dip or whatever.
 
stealthee said:
You waited too long to remove the tape. It wouldn't matter what kind of tape you use if you wait too long the "overspray" is going to peel up. You need to remove the tape almost immediately to avoid sticking. This goes with regular paint, or plasti-dip or whatever.
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how can I paint several coats of something, then? I pulled it off after the last coat was dry. not more than an hour or two. retape every coat?
 
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