I'm painting my beater, need a bit of cheap help!
 

89 Nissan 240sx, more than clear body panels :)

I started sanding her down today, and soon we'll be using some fiberglass and polybond to 'create' the missing part of the rocker panels :D (unless someone has a better idea :) )

Please don't suggest maaco, i'm set in what I'm doing. I'm going to prep the body, and paint her with spray cans of primer.

I need to know, should I use primer or can I use engine enamel? I was hoping to find a royal blue or dark blue in either colour :) If not shes going to be flat black. Unless someone can suggest a colour to go with! :)

Your help is appreciated :)

If you paint it with spray cans you will see all the spray marks
or do you not really care since it's a beater :)

But if you have a air compressor I suggest buying a cheap paint gun, buy paint, and shoot it

priming with spray cans isn't bad I don't guess :confused:

LOL!!!!!! Engine Enamel would be hilarious! It'd probably make the car look like abig piece of cast iron rolling down the block! :lol:

-Mike:D

If you want something that'll stick - period - then get you some zinc rich primer. Not sure where exactly to find it these days, used to could get it at Lowe's, but haven't seen it lately. It is what they use to cold galvanize chain link fences and such with. The stuff is REMARKABLE! It is just flat gray, but it sticks well.

I would say A/W's suggestion is good, but if you insist on using spray cans - definitely do a flat color, it'll look much better than a gloss. Why not go with some of the Krylon "Hammered Metal" paint? :lol: It would look like it was beat all to crap, and would be all silver and bumpy looking, but smooth. You could always go with some BBQ grill paint - it's flat black, and will stick good too.

I'm wondering what kind of primer colours are available... :)

I know you can get flat black, rust/brown, red, orange, grey...

you must be able to get a dark blue, or some sort of blue :D

With primer you won't see the spray marks, i have part of the car already done in spots where I've been sanding. It goes on thick with no fade spots :)

I saw it at the Home Depot the other day, by Rust-Oleum (I'm not sure), but I rather go with the cheap spray gun the are like 20 bucks or so. and I'm sure you have a friend or a neighbor that have an air compressor you could barrow.

Someone offered me an electric spray gun, apprently its meant for painting houses and decks but he said he wasn't sure if car paint would work with it....

what do you think?

Hehe paint it with house paint :)

I guess it would work my dad painted our house (he used house paint ;) ) with his car paint gun it worked maybe it goes both ways :confused:

Friend of mine had a 89 civic hatch he sprayed flat olive drab green. Car didn't look half bad for spray cans. He eventually got some elcheapo monocoat paint and sprayed it a real nice gloss white for like $100 total invested. He's long since sold it, but we still call it the tank. :)

you should get some of that stuff that they sell for painting vases and other random junk that looks like stone. I painted a bike frame with it once, and my computer case. its really cool ****. I can just see a big rock drivin down the street. lol

Thanks for the tip - that sounds like the stuff (Rust-Oleum made the stuff I am talking about anyhow).

You can get any color of primer you want just about - just don't expect it in spray cans. Go to Sherwin-Williams and they can sell you many many colors of primer. Blues, Reds, Greens, Oranges, Yellows, whatever you need. You will have to spray it with an air gun, and it isn't that cheap.

Of course, if you want spray cans - many auto body supply stores will put products into spray cans for you. I got a few cans of my truck color when I had it mixed - they were only $15 a can. :)

I did get a spray gun for $17 from a store called "Harbor Freight". and I think I have seen them in the Home Depot for around 20 bucks.

Use a hobby type airbrush. Sure, it might take awhile, but think of all the colors you could get! Make sure you buy alot of those little glass paint jars! ;)

Well now, I'm starting to lean towards putting a bit mnore effort into this project. From what i can see you can get spray guns off ebay for pretty cheap. Looks like I have a slight possibility of getting my hands on a compressor.

But heres the latest development, what should I buy for my 4 1/2" angle grinder to remove some of the hardcore rust? I seen this piece that looked like knarly wire brush disk, but it wasn't really wire. Said it was for removing rust and stuff..

Then I was thinking of 80 grit sandpaper for removing minor surface rust and then also sanding down the car?

thanks for the advice so far fellas, i can't wait to get started on this project, already started removing the front fenders. :)

you should get one of those " Haynes Automotive Paint" book from AutoZone, they are like $14-15, and you don't have to read it all, there is a chapter where it walks you thru the process; or, if you don't want to spend time and money, talk to the guy at your local Automotive paint store, He should help you out.