Paint Job advice?

[wheel1856]

Having read some of the threads I've realized that I should:

take off the trim that I can
remove the emblems
sand the paint down
look to buy paint and find a shop that allows me to supply the paint

BUT, I only have about a grand to spend on paint. I really don't wanna try the body work myself. Im gonna have a friend (who's a welder) shave the moldings for me. but as far as the dings n such, I think a good shop would be better to fix them than I. and I wanna change the honda tahitian green I have to a more snot-esque color with a lil pearl coat.

so what else (aside from body work) can I do to save money on the paint job?
thanks all
-wheel

[el_loco_civic]

you pretty much got it down..

- prep it so its sanded, no dings. . etc
- buy yer own paint
- price check around for peeps to get dings out if ur not doin it
- price for painting shops too
- make sure you pick the right color paint the first time, cuz that will add up fixin that

thas bout it. The dings and dents really arn't that hard to fix, i'd read up, and try it out. You'll save alot of money, and have more money for a even better paint job. 1000 is enuff for a pretty decent paint job. But if yer gonna spend some of that for them to fix it for you, it will end up being like only 750 going to yer paint job.. and that wont get you too far. So if youd fix and prep yer car yerself, all that 1000 can go to yer car. jus some friendly advice

[wheel1856]

'preciate the advice. any links to some info on doing body work.
from what I know, you get on the inside of the panel, and using a screw driver or appropriate dolly, you pound out the dent/ding, and then grind down the nub that has replaced the ding. then fill the hole with bondo or the like, and sand and paint.

but it would seem to me that much more is involved.
thanks again,
-wheel

[tynebeach]

hey wheel1856 what's the deal with VX hatches? I know there's the DX and the Si also, is the VX faster than the DX or slower or what?

Sorry for the odd question, but I might buy a VX

[el_loco_civic]

If you get a book specially for your car ( its in any book , but you might as well get one for your car ) its called Hayne's Repair Manual. You can get it at autozone, advanced auto parts, or maybe pep-boys.. But in there somewhere will be articles on how to fix dents, rust, the works . But you got it mostly right. If its just the typical dent, if you can get behind it, get a block of wood, palm size. . (or they got specially made tools ( metal blocks in smooth shapes to fit yer cars contour ) press it behind where the dent is, get a hammer to hammer it out by hittin the tool or wood block. This will ensure you dont hammer it out un-even. ~*~OR heres the how to i use~*~
They got special tools.. its got metal end w/threads like a drill kinda, and at the end, where you hammer it into your dent's center. After its in, you pull the dent out as best you can, then you sand where the hole is cuz lil' pieces of metal from where hole is will be there right.. then after its sanded smooth, get bondo, apply it w/hardener, let it dry so you can still dent it if you press yer finger nail against it, then when its that dry, you get a body file or Surform Tool to shave access bondo away. Then use coarse grit sandpaper and a sanding board or block to work the filler down until' its smooth and even. bout 360 or 400 grit. You shouldnt be able to feel any difference from where the dent was worked on. Then just add some layers of primer to the area. Make sure b4 addin another layer of primer, the last layer is dry. Primer will help reveal imperfections or scratches. Fill em with Glazing compound, follow the instructions on the lable, and then sand w/ 360 or 400 grit S.paper, repeat the glazing,sanding and respraying until the primer reveals a perfectly smooth suface. Finish sand the primer with very fine S.paper bout 400 - 600 grit. to remove primer overspray. clean the area w/water and allow it to dry. jus use a rag to remove any dust. Then apply your finish coat, and let That dry.

Thats how i do it, and it works fine. No probs at all. Hope this helps ya some !

[wheel1856]

wow! quite a bit of info! not to sound like an ass or an ingrate, but, I have done body work on the car before, if you look close, you can see back where the rear bumper meets the rear panel, a lil rust, yeah, that's after I fixed it. I cut out the rust, put in a screen (auto repair mesh) and bondo'd the spot, smooth, then paint. not so good, obviously, if its rustin again.

I think my issue is that Im a lazy ass. I dunno, I thought I did it right the last time and it rusted over again.

what's this glazing compound you speak of? never heard of it, is it a finer solution than bondo for those last little divets and bondo holes?

and seriously though, thanks for the advice, I do appreciate it, I dont wanna sound like an ingrate.


and....

tynebeach: the VX: relatively rare (see the rims? those are factory) its a V-tec E engine, E for economy. they post about 95 HP, torque I dunno, and EXCELLENT gas mileage, were talkin 30 m/gal city. I have 238+ thousand miles on mine, still runnin great. there are absolutely NO amenities, no power nuthin! not even a passenger side rear view. It is one of the lightest honda chasis out there though, which is why the b16 swap Im doin will kick ass. no power steering either, so ya better be steady. It's a nice lil car. But there are better honda's out there. I've had it up to 98mph (down hill), and I've been told that the O2 sensor on it is a "really good one" and really expensive" dont know why, haven't looked into it.

but, if I were you, unless you're looking for a commuter car, save a few extra bones, and get something with a quicker engine, better suspension, bigger wheels, and some power anything. (puttin power windows and doors in is a bitch, believe me!)

hope that answers your queries.

[el_loco_civic]

Originally posted by wheel1856
wow! quite a bit of info! not to sound like an ass or an ingrate, but, I have done body work on the car before, if you look close, you can see back where the rear bumper meets the rear panel, a lil rust, yeah, that's after I fixed it. I cut out the rust, put in a screen (auto repair mesh) and bondo'd the spot, smooth, then paint. not so good, obviously, if its rustin again.

I think my issue is that Im a lazy ass. I dunno, I thought I did it right the last time and it rusted over again.

what's this glazing compound you speak of? never heard of it, is it a finer solution than bondo for those last little divets and bondo holes?

and seriously though, thanks for the advice, I do appreciate it, I dont wanna sound like an ingrate.

When you added the mesh,Bondo and paint.. did you ever spray it w/Primer too ? Primer is what protects the metal from rust. Like if you ever get a scratch that goes to the metal, just spray it w/primer til' u can fix it right so it wont rust. The Mesh you used, did you do this ? :
Bondo it, let dry, smooth out to your car's contour, Primer it, sand it, clean it, primer it, clean it, let dry, clear enamel, let dry, paint, let dry. That should be right. Glazing compound is kinda like a finer thinner primer. Its glossy so in different angles and lights, you can see in the light the imperfections. Thats jus if you want it super perfect. You can not use that method, and still be un-noticable. Just if yer a perfect freak and no prob.. ask all the ?'s you want. Glad to help

[tynebeach]

okay yeah thanks for the info. I would definately want power steering at least. I'll look into the DX and Si then. Thanks for the info and good luck with the swap!

[wheel1856]

tynebeach - word.

el_loco civic: yeah I primered, then sanded, then primered, then sanded, then primered...then paint, 5-6 coates, then clear coated, 2-3 coates. I didnt primer the mesh, it was aluminum, very plyable, to get it to the somewhat right contour. I think my fatal error was not getting onto the other side of the panel, later I found that there was some rust on the interior of the panel.

Im thinkin now, that since the area is gettin pretty big, about 2-21/2 inches from wheel well to top of spot and about 5-6 inches long, I may do this, tell me whatcha think. I dont think it so big it needs welding, so I may bust out the trusty fiberglass, which after loads of practice and play I've gotten pretty good with, patch over the hole with fiberglass from the inside of the panel. use a few layers of fiberglass on the inside for strength. then a coat on the outside for a bit of filler, just the resin. then bondo to flush it with the panel. then all the stuff you mentioned from above.

think it'll work? I really don't think its so big I'd need to look into metal fabrication. But do you think the fiberglass will stick? I think with some coarse sanding on the interior of the panel it oughta work.

opinion?

thanks, I appreciate all the help.

[wheel1856]

here's some pics of the driver and passenger side. from the rust down needs replaced, fixed, patched, whatever. you can see where the paint is getting nasty and the bondo has shifted, the pics are a lil grainy, i used my phone to take em.


hope that gives a better perspective.

[el_loco_civic]

Originally posted by wheel1856
here's some pics of the driver and passenger side. from the rust down needs replaced, fixed, patched, whatever. you can see where the paint is getting nasty and the bondo has shifted, the pics are a lil grainy, i used my phone to take em.


hope that gives a better perspective.

The pictures aren't showing up. But it seems your idea with the fiberglass is the right way to go. Get rid of ALL the rust, dont fiberglass over any. Cut away all of it, then add the fiberglass where ever you need it. If you fiberglass over the rust, ( depending on how bad the rust is ) your fiberglass can be weaker just being applied to a weak rusted peice of metal. But Make sure theres no rust being fiberglassed over, and yea, them directions from above. You should be fine. I wouldnt go w/refernishing w/welding or anything drastic like that iether. Good luck, and if you hit any probs, jus ask.

[Bustamon]

Your car will rust if you don't prep it for rust! If you sand to bare metal always apply a rust proof coat on the car,then prime, lay a good base coat(usually a lighter version of your desired color), then several layers of primary paint, and finally a few layers of clear coat. I plan on opening a paint/bodywork shop (HENSON AUTO CONCEPTS) in the near future so I could probably help anyone with any paint problems they have. You have a grand and want to do all of this? Custom paint is never cheap and when you add pearl into the mix prices go higher. Also shops usually charge pretty hefty prices to remove those tiny dents. Just choose extremely wisely when doing all of this.

[wheel1856]

well poo...the pics were there right after I posted...either I have to keep them on my phone or sprint doesnt quite like the idea of me posting them elsewhere. I'll work on it.

well ok then, I think I have my weekend cut out for me ( no punn intended )

any tips for finishing the paint? ie: the whole cut and polish I hear about all the time? How to prevent those lines where the new paint ends and old paint begins? How to treat it right after painting? Surface cleaners that wont mess up the paint?

Thanks guys, I really appreciate you help and patience.

(Plus I think aside from myself, this thread could prove helpful for others as well.)

[AirAllen01]

Can you tell me if this is a good price for my paint job? I have a 98 Civic 4 dr. $1800, fix all dents and dings, fix all cracks in body kit, custom mold kit to the car (no gaps), custom 3-tone (black pearl, blue pearl, white) paint job, and smooth out the shaved handles. I have a green color that can't be matched and I need to get things fixed on the body, so I figured I would go ahead and get the whole car repainted.

[Bustamon]

Originally posted by AirAllen01
Can you tell me if this is a good price for my paint job? I have a 98 Civic 4 dr. $1800, fix all dents and dings, fix all cracks in body kit, custom mold kit to the car (no gaps), custom 3-tone (black pearl, blue pearl, white) paint job, and smooth out the shaved handles. I have a green color that can't be matched and I need to get things fixed on the body, so I figured I would go ahead and get the whole car repainted.

$1800 for all that? It seems alittle too cheap. That three tone paint job alone is worth that. Check up on your car daily at the shop to make sure they are doing the best job possible.