right for all of you who have painted your own car i gots a few questions

got this car it has been sitting uncoverd for two years (no shade on one side house on the other) and this car has got very bad fadeing on one side (almost completly silver) and on the other side it has a really cool(not sarcastic) transition from gold (original paint) on bottom to silver (sun bleached) on top. and it has a clear coat that looks like skinn a few days after a bad sunburn all cracked and flaky

first how hard is it to paint a simple coat onto a fiero (no xp but can get the tools)
next how hard is it to change from one color to another and mimic the other side

in light of the fact that i might not have the xp required for a color change job what is the best course of action to gt a solid color onto the car should i find a way to strip off the clear coat but leave the factory paint or should i take the whole paint off dowm to the plastic and start from scratch
i have heard conflicting tales about that

next any strippers primer paints i should look for/steer away from when shoping for stuff

tnx-John

I'm no expert, but stay away from strippers, it's best to just sand. More work but the strippers tend to get into the plastic and cause problems with the paint.

If you do some searches there are some good post on repainting. With the new paints it's not that hard

Prep is the important thing. Spend your time on preping and you can get a good looking job.

I think the Fieros are an easy car to change colors on since you don't have to paint the insides of any body works just the skins.

I'm changing my 85GT from Red to Mono White this summer.

John Its going to be hard to paint one side of the car to match the weather damaged other side, that champain gold color gm kicked out in the mid 80`s had a tendency to fade as it did, the flacking of course is laquer check, its probally best to paint the whole car in one color. Since it still has paint on it, you should be able to sand with 360 or 400grit down into the clear , all your looking to do at this point is to scuff it well, so your new application will hold. As mentioned above from dodgerunner, you can go with a complete change in color as the door, hood, and deck jambs are flat black, so you wont have alot of cutting in to do, prep is the key to a great paint job, stick with sanding, strippers can cause problems with the body panels we have--I have used both methods and would recomend sanding, Roger or Mark should be along shorty to help with some of your other questions, the libary is filled with very informative books as well as some internet sources and of course our archive and resident experts here on the forum. Some good paints would be PPG, Dupount, Spies-hecker some of the knock off`s will only cause problems down the road for you in 2-3 years or less. This may help some for the info you need as well www.autobody101.com good luck , hang tight you came to the right place ...

Yup, dont use cems to strip it, just get out your sander and start with around 120, then 220, and then 320 or 400. Had to do that to an 87GT we got and jsut about ready to paint it. With some help and if you dont need to do much rapairs, you should get it done in a weekend. Important; dont use bondo! If you need to fix chips etc use, ployflex.

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Trueleo.com/fiero.htm
RSpiderII@aol.com

Yeah, it's no trouble at all: should be able to do an all-over *custom* paintjob in a weekend NO PROBLEM!!!
Here's how you paint a Fiero (if you want it done right).
1) Take the car completely apart (all the body panels). Roof peicess are a PITA you may want to leave them on (but pull the windshield molding along with all the other trim).
2) Sand it down with 180, sanding ALL the clear off of it. No need to sand it any further unless the color coat is damaged.
3) Prime with epoxy.
4) Dust on a guide coat.
5) Wetsand with 400 using a paint paddle (on the "flat" surfaces) & sponge pad (on the curved surfaces).
6) Shoot the color & clear. If you want a fade/blend job your auto paint supplier can sell you the 2 colors you need for that, if you let them look at the car before you start (it's not hard at all to spray a fade-in: you''ll see once you start spraying). Shoot the top color all over the car untill covered & then shoot the side color all the way around.
7) Wet sand the car using a paint paddle & sponge pad again but with 1,000, then 2,000 or 2,500 grit.
8) Buff with micro-compound using a foam pad & polish with machine glaze using same (but different pad).
If you don't want it done right, you're far better to find a reputable Maaco than to tackle it yourself.
With nearly 40 years experience, & allowing the proper amounts of time for the primer & paint to dry, I can do one in around 4 to 6 weeks (if there's no major repair work).
HTH,
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Remember 1/2 of the population is below average.

[This message has been edited by Tha Driver (edited 04-26-2007).]

The quick and easy way to strip a Fiero of its paint is to use a single edged razor. I have done it many times in the past. It will take it down to the factory primer and then you can scuff with 320 and shoot the paint.

sounds crazy but it works.

Dont use stripper period.

Prep however you feel comfortable. (sanding, masking, etc)

'Fade' paint is not that hard to do. You shoot the initial base color on the whole car (this should be the lightest of the colors... silver in your case). Then starting at the bottom, apply the darker color in one long stroke from end to end on the sides and clear across the front and back. The paint should be mixed thinner than normal. Each coat should extend beyond ( or above in your case) the previous one. Use slightly higher air pressure to atomize the paint into finer particals untill you have as much covered in the gold as you want. DO NOT TOUCH including tack at this point or you will smear it and have to start over. After it flashes, proceed to clear as normal. This type of job MUST BE DONE WITH BODY FULLY ASSEMBLED (except for wing and trim parts of course) Wet sand and buff as you would normally.


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Owner / Operator Custom Paint and Body...
specializing in Corvette & Higher End Autos for 40+ years
Ferrari, Mercedes and Porsche Approved

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 04-26-2007).]

I read a book on auto painting and it said,when sanding the surface your just dulling the paint or clear coat so that the new paint or primer will stick (not removeing the paint entirely unless there is a few coats of old paint).I wroght this article on preping the car for autopainting,hopefulley you'll get something out of it.There is some controversery on the paint shops listed.
Fiero Painting Prep Tips for those preping the car for painting
I had a car painted a Earl Sheib and they did a great job,I chose a nice Dodge viper red.Maco is also a good choice.They both should prep the car for you, thats sanding and primering.But I wanted to make sure it was done right so I sanded the car my self (I didn't primer though).I wanted to make sure the paint wasn't going to peel off.Get your car painted on sale because Maco charges about $550 when it's not on sale.They also charge a little extra for any body work,like cracked paint in the front nose or rear bumper and Im not talking about cracked plastic, just the paint.These hair line cracks will show up again after the car is painted so be sure to fill them your self or have them fill them, includeing any pits you may have (be sure to use the correct bondo,I think it's a flexible plastic.)As for sanding,I would do one piece at a time,(fender,hood,door) unless your energentic and want to do the whole thing in one day.Start by washing the car this will remove surface grit and will help prevent scratches.Buy some wet and dry sand paper (not too course and not too fine you want to avoid scratches) Have a bucket of soapy water(this will help prevent scratches) and a sponge handy,Cut the sand paper (or tear) into squars. Now rub two piece together to break the surface tension (this will reduce scratches, that can show up later)Dip in you bucket of soapy water and start sanding (by hand), the surface should be dull, your Not removeing the paint completely, just dulling the surface and be carefull all the body parts are plastic so dont use a sanding block because you could shave off a corner. Pay close attention to detail like nooks and cranies (the edge of the hood and were the fenders fold over the top and trunk area.) Rinse your sand paper often and hose off the paint residue,this will greately reduce scratches.When your finished wash the car again and you will may see some shiney spots that you missed sand those.You will probubly end up washing the car at least 3 times or more,you can also use an air hose to blow the dust off the car.Make sure you sand all the shiney spots because this will prevent what is called Fish Eye.Thats were you get a small circle due to the paint being unable to cling to the shiney area.If you want it done right do one to two body pieces a day (removal is not necessary).When you take the car in you will have your choice of paints, includeing metal flake or Peral or both. The metal flake and Peral cost extra and so does painting the door jams, but the door jams can be painted by you prior to painting the car.Be sure to get the Clear Coat and UV protection.They also charge extra to sand and repair pealing paint (Total coast Varries, I paid $280).Be sure to remove any Tar around the lower body panels.After all this is done you end up with a $2,000 paint job

[This message has been edited by James Bond 007 (edited 04-26-2007).]

James, just to point out there is a huge difference between Metalflake and metallic. A lot of people confuse them. Metallic is fine aluminum or mica suspended in the paint. MetalFlake is large, almost 'glitter' sized. MetalFlake takes many coats of paint and many resandings to be smooth. Whens its sprayed, its as rough as a piece of #80 sandpaper....the reason for all the clear and sanding. A metallic painted car that costs say $2,000 professionally done compares to a MetalFlake job that can run easily to $10,000. Metallic particals cant even be felt there so small.

Metal flake = huge chunks, looks ugly IMHO (only really looks good on lowriders, and motorcycles -it's what it's for anyways)

Metallic = Gorgeous

Pearl = even more Gorgeous than Metallic.

-M

Did you know ..........metalic look was first done with fish scales???.......so i actually tried it about 10 years ago with lake huron salmon scales....very long drawn out process drying/grinding /sifting/redrying/ regrinding ...and finally shooting.... then reshooting ( 7 or 8 ) coats of clear ..final result was ok but no where near what we have today .....pearls/ prismatics/ illusions ....

done in a weekend???? Your Hired!!!!!!!!!!! but ya have to garanteee your work.lol.....

Dont be discuraged with the many steps to the process.its all worth it and if you do it yourself ( rather than Maco/Shieb) you WILL appreciate your car all that much more and in my opinion.....have a better job

Good luck on your project and know help and advice is very forthcomming in this forum

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It isnt re-creation....its recreation!!!!

intresting stuff
i had a bio teacher who said that if you mixed diatamatious earth (powder made from shells of diatoms) into your paint it would give a shiny glossy look to regular flat paint

has any one heard of this