Who has painted their own car?

You don't EVEN wanna see the up-close pics of my paint work. By my own admission, I completely SUCK at autobody work ... but I don't have the funds or space to ever do it up right, anyway, so I just have to make the most of what little funds/tools/know-how that I have.

I rolled on 1/3 gallon of Rustoleum Gloss Black on my notch last summer. Go ahead and laugh. From 20 feet away, though, most folks don't even notice; up close, it just looks like a really bad case of orange peel. I could have prep'ed the front end a lot better than I did, hence the reason it's been getting sandblasted so easily by road grit/debris, but otherwise it's been holding up pretty nice for a completely ghetto paintjob that cost me $50 in materials and two days' work. It holds wax well enough, and it's held up to the Arizona sun for one year already without any problems. Come springtime, I might get the motivation to sand down, primer, and re-roll the front end again. Just can't justify putting a lot of time and money into making a car with a quarter of a million miles on it look all pretty.

Don't follow by my example, of course ... unless you're just putting together a track-only beater or something. Go with what the folks above have done.

I have, in the past, been known to actually use Herculiner to coat an entire car - never have to wax again, washing only requires a quick spray (not even soap), and parking lot dings are a worry of the past. Only downside, of course, is that once you put something that thick and sturdy on the surface, there's just no turning back... :D
 
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Its been almost 3 years since I painted mine, DA sanding is the way to go on everything that doesnt need body work. As for guns, if your still looking for one a Devillbis GTI is a good gun for a decent price. I got mine under a student account and it was 250 with a case, regulator, and 5 fluid tips. Now for the pics, Sonic Blue.

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