An awesome black 1968 GTO was brought in tough shape to the shop and we made it awesome!
There are three basic questions to ask yourself before you decide to paint your own car. One, do you have the skill to do a good job? Two, do you have the time? It will take 100 to 150 hours. Three, what is your time really worth? If you can make as much or more money doing your day job than what the painter charges, you may be better off having it done by a pro!
Air Supply
A word of caution for DIY painters as well: The new paints, especially the Isocyanates, are highly toxic, and the fumes can be lethal. If you are going to spray them you must have a supplied air system with a paper uniform. Supplied air systems have a special oil-less compressor that pumps in clean air from outside the spray booth. Professionals require them, as well as an HVLP (high volume, low pressure) spray gun that produces less overspray than older paint systems. In addition, the materials used in paints are highly explosive, so there can be no open flames in the shop.
Most painters recommend base coat/clear coast urethane paints, although lacquers can still be found online. Lacquer was once the best paint, but urethanes have since surpassed them for durability and gloss. Lacquer is also hard on the environment and is banned in most states. The few surviving modern lacquers don't have near the shine of the old ones, so there's no point in looking for them.
Click on the thumbnails to view the fullsize images.
