Any chance one could get an "acceptable" paint job on a daily driver, by using a paint brush.:D
Of course the usual prep would be done
Feel free to laugh out loud, but this was suggested to me. :dizzy2:

"Use a good quality brush and a good enamal paint"

Acceptable ???? :eek: That word could have many meanings. Owning a body shop gives me chills even thinking about such an operation,,,:( but, granted, it may be acceptable to certain people and lifestyles. If your only goal is to extend the life of the outter panels, I guess it would be "acceptable". JMHO. :D

OK I am going to spray, the question is I have to purchase a spray gun and am wondering what to look for. I have a fairly large air compressor.
Also what paint can be used, any enamal/metal paint or vehicle brand only?
As you can see I am clueless ( in many ways)
Suggestions?

I am to lazy to type out everything you need to do/know - so download this free e-book http://www.autobody101.com/
Two short tips. Prep is everything and practice on your trunk lid until you get it perfect. Once you get the feel of how the paint is flowing do the rest of the car.

thanks, any thought on the "brand" of paint gun to look for?

By the questions you are asking, You won't be happy with the results. You will waste a bunch of expensive paint and ruin a car.

Seriously, get it done by an experienced painter or even a cheapo chain paint shop. It will turn out much nicer than you could ever do on a 'first paint job'.

If you want to learn....start on cheap stuff and ask a lot of questions.
Here is an active message board for all levels of experience.
http://www.autobodystore.com/cgi-bin/config.pl

He may be starting on the cheap stuff - probably is. I say go for it - with the spray gun. A good paint store can help a lot. It'll be fun as long as you don't kill yourself. I would stick with air dryed enamel for a first job - with a good mask. Catalyzed urethane without the proper equipment can kill.

hey I used to own a 1969 ford f-100 step side pick up.
One rear fender had to be replaced due to an accident.
DIY job.
but the fender color was green and my truck was brown. So I painted the thing with a paint brush.

Hey, it was OK.:P

thanks, any thought on the "brand" of paint gun to look for?

You know for what you will spend for a paint gun and the related equipment you could have a cheap Maaco type paint job done to your car. While Maaco is not known for high end quality work even their lowest cost paint job will be miles better than you will ever get yourself. Do lots of reading. There ARE some good paints like for boats that can be brushed on. They are VERY expensive. The results on your car will not be acceptable. The other folks and the body shop owner hit it when they said you are getting in over your head. What you can look into to save some duckets is to try to do a lot of the prep work yoursef. Then pay a good painter to shoot your car. The actual painting of your car is the easier part. The prep work is what kills you. If you can sand the old paint down, remove trim, and do the masking yourself you might be better off. Then find a shop to do the paint work. Again it is a PITA if you have never done any body work. It is easy to do a bad job but much harder to spend the actual time to do good body work. My friend is an artist. He can blend spots on hoods and 1/4 panels that are nearly impossible to find if you do not know where to look for the work he did. I have a rust free Florida 1983 300SD that could use new paint. I have a good friend with a body shop. If I do a lot of the prep work it will still cost me around $2K for a decent looking paint job. If you insist on trying to paint your car yourself do a searches for the higher rated professional body shop supply shops in your area. I painted a a few cars over 25 years ago that came out just OK. The last thing I painted a few years ago was my ranch house with a $500 spray unit. I was able to resell it for $325 after the job and I cleaned it well. So it was a bargain for the week that I owned it. LOL, that was latex paint. Here is a link to some turbine spray units. I was thinking of buying one to paint the underside of my car with good rust inhibitor/rust prevention paints. Instead I will pay my body man that I trust to shoot the underside of my car for me as a side cash job. Do not skimp on a high end respirator. The life you save may be your own. There are tons of links on how to prep cars for paint. My next door neighbor painted his old Datsun 240Z himself. It was one of the worst jobs I ever saw, period. Do web searches and read up on this subject until your eyes ache. Then read and bookmark even more sites. There are lots of good ones in this section for you to start with. John

http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/articles/showarticle.asp?articleID=1959&partID=2

thanks gang, I am now into the body work portion, and am leaning getting this part done and them have someone spray it. I have all the chrome off that I can reasonably get off and I believe I could mask the rest.
Thanks again for your advice

use a good tape like 3M.do'nt use cheapo stuff as the paint will bleed thru ,and if you leave it on for more then about 2 days it will be hell to get off.3M makes a green masking tape that is somewhat flexible,i love it but it is spendy.also if your gonna paper the car again use actual masking paper,if you use newspaper again the paint will bleed thru.

Have Maco spray it for $100. It will look like crap but will be painted.

I hate cheap paint jobs, especialy on a MB. Spend the cash to do it right or don't do it at all.

Have Maco spray it for $100. It will look like crap but will be painted.

I hate cheap paint jobs, especialy on a MB. Spend the cash to do it right or don't do it at all.


(any) paint looks better than rust....

I am thinking about painting on my new 83 300SD beater with cracking faded metallic grey paint but no dents no rust. I already have a self-contained HVLP rig and am thinking about using generic paint from http://www.paintforcars.com/ , www.expresspaint.com or Magnum Paints in NJ or sanding everything removing the big chrome and going to Maaco (or another production facility like Peach Auto Painting ) . The nearest Maaco franchise told me that they do not use a pimer sealer on their basic $300 "Ambassaor" job ( the natioanl avertising states that it is included ) . I will probably check with another Maaco franchise and see what their story is .

Any chance one could get an "acceptable" paint job on a daily driver, by using a paint brush.:D
Of course the usual prep would be done
Feel free to laugh out loud, but this was suggested to me. :dizzy2:

"Use a good quality brush and a good enamal paint"

Well, in Peru, it's *very* acceptable to attack the daily driver with a can of housepaint, applied with what looked like a broom, broadside on.:D :D

The taxis especially, Brazilian made VW beetles, and 1970s CKD (completely knocked down, assembled in Lima) Dodge Coronet/Monaco sedans especially receive these sorts of "paint" jobs

Those cars are being supplanted by boatloads of Japanese cars trucks and buses which failed the Japanese inspections, you can get one for about $1500 and up. (Converted to left hand drive)The buses were put into service so quickly the Japanese slogans on the sides of them aren't painted over. A teenage boy is hired to hang out the door of the bus and shout out the street destination of the bus, just jump on the one you want. A quick way to get from here to there. They cram the passengers in. Another really fast way is the "Kombi" taxi, a Japanese minibus like the Toyota Hiace etc.with all seats removed so more people can get inside. Those are driven like a bat out of hell, real fast, so they get around quick, but when they have accidents, they are HORRENDOUS.

Anyone can operate a taxi in Peru to pick a few extra bucks. All it takes is a large "Taxi" decal in the front window. But, you MUST negotiate the fare in advance. The drivers cruise by and solicit fares by honking and yelling . Gringo tourists beware.

For longer journeys to the country, from the coastal or larger cities like Lima, Callao, Arequipa or Tacna, you can get a space in a "collectivo" usually a bottom of the line/middle of the line 60's -70's Ford Custom, Chevy Bel Air (not Biscayne or Impala) or Dodge Coronet, 6 cylinder three on the tree, they sell 6 tickets per car so it is really filled up.

Normal U.S. concepts of body shops, car insurance and car parts and smog controls simply don't apply there.

MB content: Yes, one or two heckflosse taxis seen in Lima.

Jim