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ekizz · 04-11-2007, 04:35 PM

Okay so I'll try to get this as detailed as possible.

The total cost of the project is roughly 50 dollars. I forgot the individual prices, but it shouldnt be any more than 55.

To prep the car, I first washed the entire car thoroughly with soap, then let it dry.

To the parts that the paint was terrible (like the top of the trunk), i sanded it with a medium-grit sandpaper, then started to use finer sandpaper to get it smooth. After I was done sanding, I washed the car again with soap, making sure to get all the dust off the car, then let it dry.

The paint used in this project is Rustoleum Gloss black, which is essentially a multi-purpose paint (also used to paint houses with). I ended up using only 1 can of this paint, with some left over.

Then the key is to mix the mineral spirits with the rustoleum gloss black. I basically emptied out the entire paint can with all of the mineral spirits, and stirred it throughly with a chopstick. It may seem unusually watery, but this is the consistency we want.

The high-density foam rollers are also a must. Make sure they are the mini ones as well. The little mini-foam brushes also help a ton to get those hard-to-get spots.

I painted my car in the garage, out of the harsh rays of the sun. I attacked each body panel at a time, and slowly progressed around the car until the entire car was painted with the first coat. Make sure that you put on THIN coats. Thick coats are BAD. They drip a ton, and will not be as even. With the mineral spirits making the paint very thin, the paint will dry up very evenly. Also make sure that the paint doesnt leave drip marks on the bottom of the surface you are painting.

I started painting at about 10:00am in the morning, and waited to about 5:00pm to put on my second coat. I started to wet-sand out some of the imperfections in the paint. I had the hose running over the car while sanding it down with a very fine sandpaper. After another thorough wash with soap and water, and getting rid of the dust, I let it dry overnight.

Day 2, at about 11:00am again I put on another coat. This coat came out really good, so I didn't see the need to sand anymore. I waited to about 5:00pm again, and put on my final layer. By then, the car was evenly coated, with that super-glossy ass black paint. To finish the job, I put on the meguiars wax and applied it by hand, then buffed it out again with my hands.

This is probably the best DIY thing there is out there. Guaranteed that a $2000 paint job will look better than this technique, but if you are strapped for cash, and have about 2 days to do the project, go for it!