How to Custom Paint Cars & Trucks
Creating a beautiful, custom paint job takes patience and practice. The foundation for the job is flawless body work that can takes weeks, if not months, to complete. Planning the "look" is also vital to to a successful custom paint job, and there are two approaches to creating a color scheme for the car. The first approach is a linear, or graphical, style of painting, such as stripes or cubes. The second approach is a more painterly style. This works well for natural-looking flames or murals.
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Things You'll Need
- 3/8-inch socket set
- Screwdriver set
- Sandpapers
- Assorted sanding blocks
- Body fillers
- Masking tape
- Masking paper
- Paint gun
- Compressor
- Respirator mask
- Plastic pail
Instructions
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Wash the car and then strip as much trim as you deem necessary for your paint job, and in most cases, the more the better. Remove all the head and tail lights, chrome moldings, and door handles with a socket wrench and screwdrivers. This step prevents masking lines and makes the paint job much neater. Use masking tape to cover any trim that is not removed to prevent accidental sanding scratches.
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Open the trunk and mask the holes from inside the trunk where the tail lights are installed. This prevents sanding dust from entering the trunk. Follow this same process for any areas -- such as door handle openings -- where dust may enter.
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3
Sand the car with progressively finer sandpaper, starting with 400-grit and finishing with 800-grit. Use body filler or sanding glaze to fill any minor dents or dings. Even the smallest ding will show, so be very patient and thorough. Do not sand without using a sanding block because your fingers will leave streaks in the existing paint that will show when the car is finally painted. Between sanding steps, spay primer on areas that require glaze or body filler. Allow the primer to cure for up to four hours before sanding. This allows for off-gassing and prevents bubbles in the custom paint.
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Wash the car before painting. Allow it to dry in the sun for several hours. Water infiltrates all sorts of grooves and gaps on the car and will splash out when painting with compressed air. When the car is thoroughly dry, mask the car with masking tape and a good quality masking paper.
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Spray the base coat of paint, being sure to use the right paint thinner based on temperature. Follow the manufacturers directions to get the right ratio. Allow the base coat to dry for three to four hours, then tape off and mask the graphic areas with a high-quality masking tape designed for automotive use. Spray the additional colors, allowing drying time between coats.
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Remove all the tape and masking paper for the graphic areas and spray clear coat to protect the work and add gloss and shine. Apply a minimum of three, thin coats. Allow the recommended time for the clear coat to set before applying additional coats.
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Allow the paint to cure overnight before removing the tape and masking paper. Don't be in a hurry to reinstall the trim. Give the paint time to harden and become more resistant to scratches. Once the paint is sufficiently cured, reinstall all the trim.
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Tips & Warnings
If only small areas need body filler or glaze, professional primers are available in aerosol form at auto paint retailers.Stick with one paint system. Don't mix different brands of paint, such as PPG thinner with Dupont paint.
Custom paint looks better when thin, accent stripes are applied. These colored stripes divide the graphic areas and are available in plastic rolls with adhesive backing. A better choice is to have a professional hand-apply the stripes with paint.
Keep your hands clean and away from grease or oil. These contaminate paint jobs. Don't use newspaper to mask a car. The ink transfers to soft paint.
References
- Photo Credit car show image by itsallgood from Fotolia.com
