I know this may be a lot to ask for, but is there a good site that I can get information on tips on re-painting my Fiero? I've gotten 11 estimates in my area, cheapest estimate is $2,100, way over what I paid for the car!! I did some spray painting years ago when I was younger, but never worked on a plastic body. I have a compressor, but not sure if its powerful enough (30 gal, 5 hp). I have a spray gun, suction type, but I read somewhere where gravity type guns are better/easier to use(?) There's only a couple of stores here that sell automorive paint/supplies, but is there a certain type or brand of paint and primer is best to use on a Fiero, and do I need to use "reducer?" Do I need a "clearcoat?" Do I use the same type of paint on the bumpers, which are obviously a different type of plastic? The car was painted once over (red over the original red), seems to be in good shape except for heavy oxidation and lots of chips/scratches on the wing (worst part of the car). I'd also like to paint the entire car one color, including the lower silver areas. I was thinking on practicing on some scrap material, then doing the wing (off the body), then attacking the car.

Thanks in advance!!
Tom

I am not a painter but I do know that the bumpers need "flex-additive"

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"DRIVE IT LIKE A FIERO"
'84 Fiero, engine to be determined
'87Blue GT 3.4L Swap Completed!!!!!!!!
http://www.lasvegasfieroclub.com/

cant tell you a lot, but you can use either a single stage paint, or base/clear coat, either way you need to use a "flex agent" with the paint, so when the body panels twist, bend etc... the paint dont chip/flake off.

syphon feed guns suck. i would go with a gravity feed HVLP, my personal favorite, that doesnt cost an arm and a leg ie the DevilBiss Finish Line.

PREP the HELL out of the car!!! no matter how good the painter, if the prep work sucks, the paint job will suck. just take you time!! the practicing on a piece of scrap is a good idea, that way you can get the gun setup the way you want it. and air compressor doesnt need to be huge or anything, just so long as it can get to like 40-50 psi, youll just have to let the tank fill a couple times while painting.

I have been looking into this a little bit and have found that PPG Deltron DBU clearcoat system
on the website says that additive is not required on flexible parts and that it can be used as a topcoat over DPLF epoxy primer which can be applied over SMC which is what the large surfaces of the Fiero are made of , namely the hood, deck lid and roof. I have painted a couple of cars but I`m no means a painter I would say that the internet is a great place to do research on.

Thanks everyone!

Think I'll invest in the gravity feed gun, everyone seems to think their the best/easiest to use. The prep tip is priceless...will take my time as this is a second/project car. Is it worth taking off the major stuff (lid, hood, etc) and painting them off the car? Not looking for a custom multi-thousand dollar paint job, just one that will improve the looks somewhat from its rather dull and oxidated red. Is it absolutely necessary to sand down to the original paint, or okay just to "rough up" the surface?

Thanks again!

If you search here you will find numerous painting threads. There's a wealth of info on this site. Hint hint.

That said, you can go as little as a scuff-n-spray with a single stage paint (equivalent to a Maaco job) - probably cost $100 for everything, all the way up to a full epoxy-prime, primer/surfacer, basecoat, clearcoat, panel-off job.

I'm going to be painting my Fiero soon. I'm doing the full way. I've spent over $1k on materials so far (including primers, reducers, activators, basecoat, clearcoat, cleaning supplies, sandpaper - about 8 different grits, 3 types of filler - glaze, flexible, glass hair). It ain't cheap doing it the insane way. But I'm doing it to learn. The Fiero is my beater. I'm using it as a learning platform in preparation for painting my other (nicer) cars.

There are quite a few threads here on Pennock's about repainting your Fiero, including info about compressors and guns. As for paint, if you have a supplier that has decent quality products, then I'd suggest using those as you will have some over-the-counter assistance and someone to answer questions. Get the ' cut sheets ' with the paint/product info and they explain all the necessary reducers, mixing ratios, flash times....etc. If you are using a urethane paint, DO NOT use a flex additive. As mentioned, it's not necessary and can actually cause problems when you use it.

Get the gravity feed gun. You use less paint, have less overspray, and your smaller compressor should be able to keep up with the painting.

Is it worth taking off the major stuff? That depends on what you want for a finish. The insides of the fenders and decklid are covered when the panels are on the car, but do they need to be repainted? That's totally up to you.

Prep? If you have oxidized paint, sand with 180 grit sandpaper until you get rid of the bad paint, then switch to 320 grit. Primer isn't necessary unless you sand through all of the paint and primer and hit plastic/SMC. Otherwise, new paint sticks better to properly prepared old paint than it does to primer. Deltron DBU is heavy enough to be able to fill scratches up to 180 grit, but sanding with 320 grit makes for a much better finish. Don't sand with anything finer than 400 grit before painting as the old paint will then be too smooth for the new paint to grip to.

There are several professional painters on the forum, so if you have questions, we'll certainly help out.

Mark

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quote Originally posted by sardonyx247: I am not a painter but I do know that the bumpers need "flex-additive"

Aaaahh, never mind, no comment.........

Kevin

Fiero-in -paradise i know a guy who is federal service as well but he has also painted 3 fieros plus mine as soon as he gets back from washington. If you want to talk story about fiero or need parts call 808-295-6781

I moved back to Virgina two years ago from Hawaii and I painted several cars there. If you are in the service Hickam AFB has a great paint booth you can rent for $60 a day. I would paint the car on Sunday and leave it in the booth Monday and Tuesday while they were closed to let it fully cure.(still only $60) A great place to learn a lot is 'autobody101.com'. I wish we would have met you when I lived there because I was going through Fiero withdrawls, would have picked up that IMSA in a heart beat. Oh and if you are not in the service I am sure you know someone who is and they can excort you to Hickam.
Good luck

As far as taking stuff off to paint it, the only things that should be removed are rhe mirrors and the wing. Everything else can stay!

Edit- Oops! I almost forgot, be sure you don't paint the area around the gas door too heavily. You might "fill in" the seam between the gas door surround and the rest of the surface. ( Happened on a friend's MAACO special. )

[This message has been edited by Jim Gregory (edited 06-10-2006).]

Thanks everyone! Wow, great to know there are more Fiero owners on the island! I was lucky, AF guy in my squadron got short notice PCS, so I got his 86GT for a good price (I'm a GSer). Now that I fixed all of the vacuum hoses, I'm running it everyday, its the red one on Hickam. Only seen two others on base, a blue one and a white one. MMeyer86, thanks, I'll give you a call, definitely would like to hook up and talk story!
Mahalo!
Tom

I am getting into this myself.

I wrote a turorial. I wrote thos for a metal body car, so we don't have to worry about flash rust or anything like that. Materials.... Lemme say this. You don't need a $300 gun... you can have a professional paint job with a $100 gun. I bought an Astro HVLP DX3. Paint...Forget the single stage stuff..do the base coat clear coat. You don't have to spend a fortune to get a kick ass looking paint job. I am up to about $1200 on my Cutlass.

Paint / body steps:

Clean everything! Wet the garage floor, Set up a plastic tent in the garage with filtered ventilation. A box fan with a furnace filter on it will work well. Also-Place compressor in the basement, and turn the AC up all the way to avoid moisture problems. Run the air hose to the garage.

Tape off panel or panels I will be working on. Remove any molding, lights or anything that shouldn’t be painted. Green tape and plastic sheeting.

Sand down the entire panel using 60-80 grits. Palm sander is fine. This can be done in the driveway.

Wipe down that panel with wax/grease remover.

Spray a “light” coat of Rustoleum “Cold Galvanizing Compound”, let dry.

Spray Epoxy primer/sealer. Use “Kirker Epoxy Primer”

Bondo/Bodywork. Fill in low areas/dents with “Evercoat Rage Gold” Anything deeper than ¼” should be pulled out or fiberglassed.

Blocksand to shape- Starting with 80, then 150,220. Take 10-20 swipes with 80 grit, the, 20-40 swipes then with 150, then 40-100 swiped with 220. For curved sections , use a stir stick with 80 grit on it.

Repeat as necessary

Prime with a high build primer/filler.Use“Marhyde 2k Highbuild Primer” 2.0 tip.

Apply a Guidecoat

Blocksand- 220-320 (can use a 48” level and sticky paper) Anything strait can be used. Use a greenie weenie or a sponge as a backing pad over curved sections.

Wipe down the area with wax/grease remover.

Prime with a high build primer/filler.Use“Marhyde 2k Highbuild Primer” 2.0 tip.

Wait 3 weeks to do any more work. The fillers and primers may shrink some in this timeframe, and waiting this period will avoid “Picturing”

Apply a Guidecoat

Blocksand- Start with 320 dry then wetsand with 400 Add a little soap to the water to clean as you go.

Basecoat time-2 coats of Dupont G9900S Super jet black with a 1.3 tip on the gun

Clearcoat- 2 coats of SPI universal clear # 4000-1, let that cure for about a week.

Wetsand with 1200 grit to remove any imperfections.

Apply an Adhesion promoter

Clearcoat- 2 coats of SPI universal clear # 4000-1 Let that cure for about a week

Wetsand- Start with 1000, 1200,1500,2000. Change directions with each grit.

Tape off all edges to avoid burning through the clear.

Rubbing compound- 3M rubbing compound “Perfect It II” on their white waffle pad.

Wash the car

Polish the car using 3M Polishing compound “Perfect It II” on their black waffle pad.

There is lots of information on automotive painting and some specific info on painting a Fiero at this site:

http://www.fierosails.com/fierosecrets.html

When you get to the site, click on "Paints, Coatings".

One of the better deals we have seen is $180 plus shipping for a kit of Base Coat/Clear Coat paint materials. It is under the link for "Inexpensive source for Kirker paints".

Paul McKibben
fierosails.com

Thanks for the great info! Now...as soon as I can get some time off from work! Actually my focus now is finding leak(s) in my AC. Getting hot here in Hawaii, so priority has shifted somewhat. After a 15 mile drive in the afternoon, I'm ending up with wet shirt syndrome! But thanks for the tips, I will certainly check them out.
Tom

go to www.autobody101.com and start doing research on the forums there.
don't bother with flex additive
do get an Astro gun (inexpensive Sata knock-off I think) HIGHLY rated gun especially for the money. They make guns that work well at lower pressures these days.
one problem I had if you do it yourself. MAKE SURE the breather hole on top of the paint cup stays clean & clear when you clean the gun between coats. if it plugs up it makes your gun start shooting dust (practically) and you won't have a clue why!
Also, the paints today use hardeners which are made from super-glue. NO stand-alone strap on type MASK made can claim to be safe with modern paints.
Therefore, you need a fresh-air system! Sounds expensive? I made one for about $40, if you want I'll share it with everyone.
Basically I mounted a used $10 Dust Deveil handheld vacuum on the wall (to draw in outside air), ran a vacuum hose to a gas mask, and voile (sp?) fresh-air, baby! Works like a charm!

[This message has been edited by countach711 (edited 06-15-2006).]