Painting three cars this weekend and after all these years I still hate doing it

So much chipping on the pillars, around the windshield, around the sunroof and the gap between the rear clip and roof panel...

BTW, never buy a Ryobi sheet sander. Third one in two weeks. They refuse to return my sons money but will give him an infinite amount of exchanges?

Enough about the sander! It wasn't mine, I didn't buy it, I didn't use it.

#1


More pics below

[This message has been edited by FriendOfYours (edited 03-01-2012).]

did bodywork for 40 years, fieros are the eaiest car in the world to work on ! chips, you get that annoyance on any car. ***Ryobi ANYTHING is Garbage. they haveTERRIBLE customer support, be it on 2 stoke machines, of electric or air tools. just try looking up any of their products online for customer satisfaction.

Body work is much easier but the frequency in how many cars have this issue is way too high

It was my sons he brought to the shop to help and twice the bearing exploded and shot balls into the body. The one + cordless line is not bad and shares many parts with Rigid and Bosch. Liion battery packs use the same Samsung cells as Makita and Milwaukee at almost half the cost

Everything gets chipped. Fieros are easy for me. Not much to mask, no weird body lines. I never use more than a quart of paint on one. Best part is theres no body rust to fix ever. I owned my own body shop for 45 years. Id have been thrilled to do 3 a week all those years over some of the junk Ive had to work with. Im a bit impatient so there a perfect size to get fast results. Try sanding and masking a 70 Cadillac or Lincoln.

Your sander air or electric ? Any electric sander is a waste of money. With a job of any size, youll burn one up a day. Theyre made for house projects like making a bookcase, not stripping a car body

quote Originally posted by FriendOfYours: Painting three this weekend and after all these years I still hate doing it So much chipping on the pillars, around the windshield, around the sunroof and the gap between the rear clip and roof panel... BTW, never buy a Ryobi sheet sander. Third one in two weeks They refuse to return my money but will give me an infinite amount of exchanges?

You're painting three in one weekend & you're @#$%^ about it? Send them to Maaco - They'll do a better job for $265.
You buy cheap china made tools & you're @#$%^& about them? The folks that should be @#$%^& (at you) are the Americans that are out of a job because you're so cheap. But after all they ARE lasting as long as your paintjobs will.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Custom Fiberglass Parts

Again, not my sander. Both the DA were being used and my son wanted to help. I've shot a couple hundred cars in the last 30 years. I may not be as experienced as some of you guys but c'mon. I'll be painting in my personal booth and bc/cc.

I was expecting some ya it sucks and here are some tips, not to get jumped on for the sander and to get talked down about my skill

If your doing cheap fast paint jobs, why not do them in acrylic enamel ? Last year I done a white one in it, prepped, and did some body work in a day. cost me a quart of paint and a quart of reducer...like $50.

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: If your doing cheap fast paint jobs, why not do them in acrylic enamel ? Last year I done a white one in it, prepped, and did some body work in a day. cost me a quart of paint and a quart of reducer...like $50.

They aren't cheap jobs that's why

One is a 4.9l Formula that I put up for sale on here, the other is my 87 TTop and the third is the 91 Civic 4.9l we built. Have a magazine shoot at the beginning of next month for the Civic and figured I'd do all three at one time

quote Originally posted by FriendOfYours: Again, not my sander. Both the DA were being used and my son wanted to help. I've shot a couple hundred cars in the last 30 years. I may not be as experienced as some of you guys but c'mon. I'll be painting in my personal booth and bc/cc. I was expecting some ya it sucks and here are some tips, not to get jumped on for the sander and to get talked down about my skill

I guess it does take a lot of skill to do three paintjobs on one weekend.
Here's a tip: take the time to do it right & the next guy won't have to strip off all your paint & redo it.
Seriously; I know you can make a lot of money doing scuff & douche jobs, but when the owner realizes how much it costs to strip & re-do it, he won't be happy. Of course most folks that want a quick job are just going to sell it & let the next owner deal with all the extra expense.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Custom Fiberglass Parts

quote Originally posted by Tha Driver: I guess it does take a lot of skill to do three paintjobs on one weekend. Here's a tip: take the time to do it right & the next guy won't have to strip off all your paint & redo it. Seriously; I know you can make a lot of money doing scuff & douche jobs, but when the owner realizes how much it costs to strip & re-do it, he won't be happy. Of course most folks that want a quick job are just going to sell it & let the next owner deal with all the extra expense. ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver" Custom Fiberglass Parts

What the hell do you have against me? Are you confusing me with someone else? I work 60 hours a week, my health is not that great after suffering from a stroke, and I have a family. And yes, I'm taking my time. I never said spraying them would be a big job

I say something about not buying a sander and apparently that makes me incapable of painting. I'm so confused. I didn't say anything about the work or what I'm doing...

[This message has been edited by FriendOfYours (edited 02-09-2012).]

that 4.9 civic is an awesome custom job. ive pointed some class mates to check out what a real honda,looks like. hope this lightens your thread a little from all the trash talk.

Where do you guys get paint for such good prices? Im planning on repainting my car this summer

quote Originally posted by FriendOfYours: Painting three cars this weekend and after all these years I still hate doing it So much chipping on the pillars, around the windshield, around the sunroof and the gap between the rear clip and roof panel... BTW, never buy a Ryobi sheet sander. Third one in two weeks. They refuse to return my money but will give me an infinite amount of exchanges?

I still really enjoy the painting part of it. It's the prep work that I dislike but the results make up for it. The cracking and flaking of the roof panel are sometimes difficult to deal with. The cracking around the sunroof can be haunting.

I've never used an electric sander on the cars. I like being able to adjust the air pressure and speed of the sander. I do have several Ryobi products that I use in woodworking that have been good tools over quite a few years so I never had to deal with any return/replace issues. I would guess that Ryobi would rather send you a new tool instead of refunding the money. It's probably cheaper for them....

Good luck with the cars.

Mark

I painted my 86 GT in a garage a while back.
Had the garage lined with plastic removed the engine cover and hood (sprayed them vertical).
picked out a deep red (wound up being $90 qt 6 years ago) needed 2 qts.
But it came out great and still looks good even after all these years..............................

when buying Body Shop Sander / tools, there IS ONLY 1 BRAND TO BUY... HUTCHINS ! Once you use one , you'll know why! Besides that they run smoother, last longer, they will stand behind them !
Every time, without exception, anything, ANYTHING, from China is Low grade garbage ! mechanical, electronics, Food ! The US is INSANE for letting their crap into our market place ! they are destroying our economy Because "we accept it"!

quote Originally posted by FriendOfYours: What the hell do you have against me? Are you confusing me with someone else? I work 60 hours a week, my health is not that great after suffering from a stroke, and I have a family. And yes, I'm taking my time. I never said spraying them would be a big job I say something about not buying a sander and apparently that makes me incapable of painting. I'm so confused. I didn't say anything about the work or what I'm doing...

Nothing personal. It's just that all the body shops (I assume you have one) that do these quick In-&-out jobs sell them as quality jobs & the unknowing public buys it & can't understand why a real quality job costs so much...
You DID say you were doing THREE cars in ONE weekend.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Custom Fiberglass Parts

Just the painting will be done this weekend. The body work on all three has slowly been done in off time over the past two weeks, hence the comment about the particular sander dying that many times in a couple weeks

Great job Friend.

I am not sure why Tha Driver is acting that way. It is better to give people the benefit of the doubt when you don't know the whole story. I am hoping that someone hacked into account is acting like a jerk instead of him.

Again, keep up the good work and post pictures when you're done.

quote Originally posted by FriendOfYours: Just the painting will be done this weekend. The body work on all three has slowly been done in off time over the past two weeks, hence the comment about the particular sander dying that many times in a couple weeks

Well you made it sound like you were fixing chips in the roof panels, prepping the cars, & painting them all in the same weekend.
Sorry.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Custom Fiberglass Parts

Thats the way i read it too. .... 3 cars in, prepped, masked and painted in a weekend. Sure spraying 3 wouldnt be hard to do. It only takes a few hours to spray one. Im fast, but a quality job takes me a week minimum...for the complete job One for painting, a couple for body and prep work, another 2 for color sanding and buffing. The only thing I really pointed out is not to sand a car with an electric sheet sander which is what I assume a Ryobi is. I use a DAQ air one that ive used for last 15 years.

Post some pics when your done with them.

FOY,
Post pics when done. can't wait to see them.

The driver,
Very classy to apologize. Big of you.

Primed and blocked in the garage and then around the alley to the booth. I use a cheapie HF hvlp for primer and a Devilbiss FL3 for base/clear

My main compressor - It isn't the greatest but it gets the job done


Decided to throw another car into the mix. My buddies 85 SE turned Fastback GT. It was initially 5 different colors so he prepped it and brought it to me


The other cars waiting to be finished




The 87 is the recipient of the SC 4.9l and the paint is still great




Tried to get a good shot of the 4.9 exhaust

quote Originally posted by zkhennings: Where do you guys get paint for such good prices? Im planning on repainting my car this summer

Im a professional body shop. I get shop prices thats sometimes nearly 1/2 of retail price. For most colors I typically now pay average $20something a pint for basecoat colors. I just did a hood on a newer Impala that was maroon (reds are most expensive) and paint was $29. Colors like black or white are usually $15-18 a pint.

Make friends with someone in a body shop and let them get your materials for you Ill always buy stuff for people if they just ask. They just have to pick it up because most of the stuff cant be shipped.

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 02-11-2012).]

Long weekend of dealing with the insurance company and filing a police report after after finding my booth vandalized. I'll post pics

We only got one car painted and ended up makeshifting it in the garage. Few nibs here and there but it turned out pretty good

wow, that looks nice. does mine ever need that kind of help!

[This message has been edited by ricreatr (edited 02-17-2012).]

What a difference coat of paint makes! That looks great. I don't agree with your comment about that air compressor, since I have the exact same one

Slow going

quote Originally posted by Tha Driver: The folks that should be @#$%^& (at you) are the Americans that are out of a job because you're so cheap.

I suppose their fat cracker asses should have stayed in school. Math and Science scores in America at an all time low? Lets blame Maaco.

quote zkhennings:Where do you guys get paint for such good prices? Im planning on repainting my car this summer

Where? I buy mine in Joplin, Mo.

I have seen paint for $50/gallon at swap meets.

Since all of you body guys are here in one place... I am curious about something.

The metal strip that the nose goes over and is bolted under the gap between the hood and nose... what are those little black squares that you can drill into? Are they replaceable? I had to drill into them and now some things are a bit off.

If your looking for tips on shooting fieros at home in a garage setting well I guess I can throw a bone into the bowl.
Like the other guys I have been spraying cars for years. Your pics tell a story that could be due to a poor camera but looking close at the pics as is the pics seem to show a healthy bit of orange peel.
I would bet you are not getting the gloss you would like either based on what I see in the pics which Leeds me to believe your not mixing right and not spraying at right air pressure.
Far as body work on a fiero I agree with My fellow body men, they are the easiest car I have ever worked on, and this includes doing custom body work and fiberglass. What I am getting at is if you hate fixing chips and hate all those pesky circles were u burned threw the base coat into the glass use a filler primer and re-sand before you paint.
If you want a sander that last a long time get a nice ingrosol rand palm da sander, they are 90 bucks and will last you years and years plus if it ever does go to hell they are rebuild-able with new bearings that you can get at any bearing supply house like Weimer for less than 3 bucks.
looking at how you prepped the car I got to wonder what your going to do if the side molding shift and expose the paint line below the edge when the heat expands the plastic or cold contracts it? If it were me<--- I would paint them off the car and yes you can do that I will gladly give examples.
To shoot the hood, open it up and move the hinge down one hole so you cant get all the way around it.
A little thinking and extra prep while spraying in a garage will save you allot of hassle with over spray settling so you want to minimize the amount of body panels laying flat Here are some pics of 86soon3.4's car, I sprayed it last summer for him in his garage with a box fan in the window.
I used a devilbiss finish line gravity feed hvlp gun with the right fluid tips matched to what I was doing in this case it was a 15 and 13 if I remember right. don't quote me on that tho its been a year.
Anyway if alittle time is taken laying out your jobs you should be getting this result even if you spray 3 in a weekend. The spraying took about 4 hours or so time is your friend spraying metalics with clear TAKE YOUR TIME! make sure its flashed off before moving forward or you will just have issues. here are some pics to give you a idea of what you should be seeing if everything is going good and this car was far beyond chipped when I started and still was not all that bad to do.]
These pics are of this car that is NOT wet sanded yet to give you a idea.

[This message has been edited by jetsnvettes2000 (edited 03-01-2012).]

They were all taken on a camera phone. Zero orange peel. These cars were already these colors. There won't be any color showing around the moldings. I'm not talking about sanding through and getting chips. If you've ever bought a Fiero from a very wet climate that was stored outdoors it's whole life, you would know what I'm talking about. There were literally 50+ chunks missing from the smc in the roof around the windshield and sunroof.

You must have skipped a few posts. I use the same gun as you and have painted more than two hundred cars in my lifetime. I own a crossflow booth that was horribly vandalized and had to resort to painting in my home garage.

[This message has been edited by FriendOfYours (edited 03-01-2012).]

Like I said based on the pics and guess its a case of poor camera quality. but still Why a electric if you have this much experience? by now you must have figured out they suck the big one. and far as the moldings even if its the same color if they shift you will have a hard line or a dry edge line that would also suck to fix later on why bother? just seems to me like your setting yourself up for a future pain in the ass if you get a bring back on it?

You've got broken clips if your molding is shifting. I've painted a dozen or so Fieros without removing the molding and have had zero complaints. I already said twice it was my sons sander and he just wanted to help. We all use DAs

quote Originally posted by FriendOfYours: They were all taken on a camera phone. Zero orange peel. These cars were already these colors. There won't be any color showing around the moldings. I'm not talking about sanding through and getting chips. If you've ever bought a Fiero from a very wet climate that was stored outdoors it's whole life, you would know what I'm talking about. There were literally 50+ chunks missing from the smc in the roof around the windshield and sunroof. You must have skipped a few posts. I use the same gun as you and have painted more than two hundred cars in my lifetime. I own a crossflow booth that was horribly vandalized and had to resort to painting in my home garage.

Here are pics of my 17,000 mile all original 88 coupe, complete with aging chips.






I'm looking for a source to repaint this car, but I was thinking of a panels off job. The original windshield does not have a single chip in it, but it is starting to delam in a couple of spots, so since it has to come out, it will be easier to fix the chips around the pillars I guess. The dash is also out right now.