Gonna Paint The Lumina

[91LuminaEuro]

So after finishing the Monte, we decided to keep the Lumina as a spare car, and now i'm gonna park the monte for the winter again and drive the lumina through the winter.

 

I want to do a quick cheap paint job.

 

I'm gonna start by sanding the whole car to prep it.

 

What grit should i start out with? I'm gonna sand the whole car, then prime it, sand it again and then do the paint.

 

First time painting anything this large. I don't need it perfect, just a little more presentable than is current sun faded non cleared state.

[AL]

What color are you thinking of going with?

[RobertISaar]

planning on grinding down to metal, or just far enough into the primer to get all of the color coat out?

[91LuminaEuro]

Al- Probably some shade of blue, i dont want to do the engine bay, I'll probably do the jambs and pull the door pannels, so something that wont look terrible matched to the engine bay. Also, going cheap on this so thats a factor as well.

 

Saar, not down to metal, just far enough through the color coat, which won't be hard, half of it is already gone.

[Z34guy]

I'm somewhat fond of the Superior Blue used on 2000-2005 Montes/Impalas

[RobertISaar]

Saar, not down to metal, just far enough through the color coat, which won't be hard, half of it is already gone.

 

in that case, i would not go under 120-140 grit, otherwise you'll cut way too fast.

[GOT2B GM]

scuff the paint with 320 grit until there is no more top finish shine, then wash the whole car with a dishsoap mixture to remove any leftover dirt / wax / residue.

[mra32]

I was gonna suggest 320. For paint on top of paint, i'll usually go down to 320. However, the last thing i painted I went down to 600 and my results were even better than usual. I'm not sure if that was the only thing that was a factor, but I do think my rattle can skills are improving...after like 10 years of using them

[91LuminaEuro]

Saar- thanks!

 

Matt - I remember reading that somewhere, thanks for the reminder i'll be sure to do that!

 

Mike- I'm not gonna rattle can it, my plans are to do a base-clear

 

 

I may start on wed, i have a day off and no current plans, so i may start sanding the car, and pull the trim and the door panels. Maybe, if i find the motivation. Haha.

[mra32]

yes i wasnt suggesting you were, just that my experiences with the 600 grit may be influenced by my increasing skill with the rattle can

[91LuminaEuro]

yes i wasnt suggesting you were, just that my experiences with the 600 grit may be influenced by my increasing skill with the rattle can

 

aha! I gotcha. I'm still considering going this route. My plan is it to keep it cheap. I certainly can't make the car look much worse so we'll see how she turns out after i sand/prime her.

[intern8tion9l]

i wet sanded with 600 before doing a rustoleum roller job on my cutlass

[94 olds vert]

[slick]

 

A good example of what NOT to do.

[mra32]

makes it look like a crappier newer version of those 70's lincoln lux-o-barges

[94 olds vert]

http://www.w-body.com/showthread.php/38279-Paint-Idea

[Mark 97 Cutlass Coupe]

So after finishing the Monte, we decided to keep the Lumina as a spare car, and now i'm gonna park the monte for the winter again and drive the lumina through the winter.

 

I want to do a quick cheap paint job.

 

I'm gonna start by sanding the whole car to prep it.

 

What grit should i start out with? I'm gonna sand the whole car, then prime it, sand it again and then do the paint.

 

First time painting anything this large. I don't need it perfect, just a little more presentable than is current sun faded non cleared state.

 

Go to autobody101.com to learn all about body and paint work. It is an amazing site. I have done a fair amount of body and paint work over the years, and I have learned a bunch at this site. Another thought is Maaco. I see you live in Pittsburgh (like me) and there is a Maaco in Cleveland. If you do the body and prep work yourself, and let them paint it, it will be fine. It is actually cheaper to go Maaco, when you consider the cost of paint, hardner, etc than doing it yourself. Of course if they do any body or prep work the costs go crazy. Just get it ready to paint, and let them paint it. Over the years I have taken 5-6 cars I have prepped to the Maaco on Brookpark road in Cleveland with excellent results.

[91LuminaEuro]

Haha, yeahh...dont know what i was thinking back then.......lets pretend that never happened. haha.

 

 

Thanks, i'll check that out! Like i said, i cant possibly make it look much worse, just hope to make it more presentable as a winter beater.

[virtuetovice]

Sand with 600 grit like intern8tion9l said.

Go to Harbor Frieght and get yourself an HVLP paint spray gun[$15], as well as a water catcher for air compressors. If you don't have a compressor check craigslist, I got mine for $20.

Grab a gallon of the rustoleum color of your choice as well as primer and plenty of thinner.

Prime and paint the car, enjoy.

 

 

The great thing about Rustoleum is the price. If something happens to your paint, it's uber easy to run out and spend $6 on a quart.

 

It also self-corrects when you spray, so when it dries it will be smooth as glass. I used this same method on my Cutlass minus the water catcher on the air compressor so it came out, well...not-so-smooth.

[91LuminaEuro]

Haha, already have the HVLP paint sprayer kit that harbor freight sells with the two guns. Gonna paint her at my dads shop so, no worries about the compressor there.

 

 

I'll have to do some re-search on paint, i wanna go cheap and easy. Sounds like that rustoleum may not be a bad choice. There is no hurry on this project, other than the car just sits around for now unless i'm going somehwere i dont want to take the monte.

[Psych0matt]

explain the water catcher? I bought myself a 12 gallon compressor in the spring, and I would like to at some point get a paint gun, but probably not til I get a little better at painting with rattle cans and such

[91LuminaEuro]

Its to get any moisture before it gets to the air lines/paint gun. Catches condensation that builds up in the tank etc. Definitely don't want the water mixing in with the paint at the spray gun. Also good for your tools to keep water out of them.

[Psych0matt]

That's what I figured. Just an inline attachment or something?

 

 

/noob questions

[91LuminaEuro]

You can get an inline filter, or one that attaches to your gun (depending on equipent) some that attach to the compressor. Etc.

 

The compressor at our shop has one attached to int. However we have metal hard lines that run from it to all of the bays. So at each of the drops from the ceiling, we have an inline one just before the hose reels we have installed. Since condensation could build up in the steel lines.

[urbex]

I think a lot of my dad's stuff has two. I know he has one that hooks onto a line coming off the compressor, then the spray gun he uses also has one on the end of it. Not sure if he bought it like that on purpose or if that's just how it worked out. Even with two he's still had water get on things occasionally. But usually you can sand it out.