EddieC
08-04-2025, 02:23 PM
Hello fellow builders,
I have recently finished doing the body work and paint on my build, and I wanted to post some pictures and also some of my thoughts on the process to maybe help some people on the fence decide about doing this themselves. Also I'm quite proud and I would like to share the results! Just a bit of fishing for compliments really.
Here's some of my thoughts and what I learned:
1. It was not easy. If you plan to do it by yourself, the work load is immense and the hours can seem countless. For the body work especially, if you want all of the details of doors fitting properly and being fair to the body, the hood and trunk, etc. plan to spend the hours to do so. Do not take this on if you are easily frustrated!
2. The forum is incredibly, incredibly helpful. I did a lot of research, as well as in the moment searching on the forum, and it made the job infinitely easier. This seems like a good time to thank Jeff Kleiner not only for his posts but for his responses to myself personally. If you aren't sure, search for it on the forum.
3. There is not a massive money savings doing it yourself in my opinion. Of course it will be cheaper, but plan to spend the cash to get it right. Buy quality tools, spray guns, paint, and materials. Protect your garage and protect yourself during the process.
4. Fit everything as if the car was finished before disassembling and painting. Do all of the fitting, filling, and fairing while the body is on the chassis. In theory it will all just fit back together easily after painting....in theory.
5. Plan stripes before hand. I had centerlines marked and a plan for the stripes after final fitment and before starting the paint and it still took about 5 hours to mask the stripes. Keep this in mind as once you start painting from the sealer onwards you will have somewhat limited time to mask stripes and continue with the base coats and clear depending on the paint you use. Also think about your endurance to finish the process from sealer onwards, I myself spent about 36 hours with only a couple hours sleep to go from sealer through base coats for stripes, the body, and then applying clear. There may be a better way, but I didn't feel like sanding anymore by that point! It was a very challenging 36 hours. You can find brilliant plans for the stripes on the forum, again all the answers are there!
6. Ventilation and lighting are very important. Get a suitable exhaust fan for the space you're working in, and get filter material for the fan to control overspray. You absolutely need the air to move through the booth, especially when spraying clear. It's also worth noting that it will be obvious when spraying especially the clear because there will be a fog blowing out! Keep this in mind if you have twitchy neighbors. Change the exhaust filter as much as you can as it blocks quickly. The hard part is getting air in, more so if you will use intake filters, which I would recommend. Take your time to get air moving through your booth before you start. Lastly, when you think you have enough light, add a few more on the roof and sides.
7. It will not be perfect. I allowed myself certain imperfections more so for the actual painting process, some you can fix and some will be very hard to fix. For the body work take your time and get it right. I really believe that if you do your best you will probably be the only one who notices the small imperfections with the actual paint.
8. No doubt you will get a better paint job from one of the professional painters on the forum like Jeff Kleiner, Jeff Miller, and others. Their experience is unmatched and the time spent doing it yourself is actually insane. I am happy I did it and proud of the result, but only take it on if you can cut yourself some slack and enjoy the process!
There are endless things I could mention but for now this is the best I could think of. I hope it's helpful for anyone thinking to take it on. I really enjoyed it, although it was a challenge, and I couldn't be more proud of the result. If anyone has any questions please feel free to reach out. Happy building/painting!
Eddie
217214217215217212217213217211
I have recently finished doing the body work and paint on my build, and I wanted to post some pictures and also some of my thoughts on the process to maybe help some people on the fence decide about doing this themselves. Also I'm quite proud and I would like to share the results! Just a bit of fishing for compliments really.
Here's some of my thoughts and what I learned:
1. It was not easy. If you plan to do it by yourself, the work load is immense and the hours can seem countless. For the body work especially, if you want all of the details of doors fitting properly and being fair to the body, the hood and trunk, etc. plan to spend the hours to do so. Do not take this on if you are easily frustrated!
2. The forum is incredibly, incredibly helpful. I did a lot of research, as well as in the moment searching on the forum, and it made the job infinitely easier. This seems like a good time to thank Jeff Kleiner not only for his posts but for his responses to myself personally. If you aren't sure, search for it on the forum.
3. There is not a massive money savings doing it yourself in my opinion. Of course it will be cheaper, but plan to spend the cash to get it right. Buy quality tools, spray guns, paint, and materials. Protect your garage and protect yourself during the process.
4. Fit everything as if the car was finished before disassembling and painting. Do all of the fitting, filling, and fairing while the body is on the chassis. In theory it will all just fit back together easily after painting....in theory.
5. Plan stripes before hand. I had centerlines marked and a plan for the stripes after final fitment and before starting the paint and it still took about 5 hours to mask the stripes. Keep this in mind as once you start painting from the sealer onwards you will have somewhat limited time to mask stripes and continue with the base coats and clear depending on the paint you use. Also think about your endurance to finish the process from sealer onwards, I myself spent about 36 hours with only a couple hours sleep to go from sealer through base coats for stripes, the body, and then applying clear. There may be a better way, but I didn't feel like sanding anymore by that point! It was a very challenging 36 hours. You can find brilliant plans for the stripes on the forum, again all the answers are there!
6. Ventilation and lighting are very important. Get a suitable exhaust fan for the space you're working in, and get filter material for the fan to control overspray. You absolutely need the air to move through the booth, especially when spraying clear. It's also worth noting that it will be obvious when spraying especially the clear because there will be a fog blowing out! Keep this in mind if you have twitchy neighbors. Change the exhaust filter as much as you can as it blocks quickly. The hard part is getting air in, more so if you will use intake filters, which I would recommend. Take your time to get air moving through your booth before you start. Lastly, when you think you have enough light, add a few more on the roof and sides.
7. It will not be perfect. I allowed myself certain imperfections more so for the actual painting process, some you can fix and some will be very hard to fix. For the body work take your time and get it right. I really believe that if you do your best you will probably be the only one who notices the small imperfections with the actual paint.
8. No doubt you will get a better paint job from one of the professional painters on the forum like Jeff Kleiner, Jeff Miller, and others. Their experience is unmatched and the time spent doing it yourself is actually insane. I am happy I did it and proud of the result, but only take it on if you can cut yourself some slack and enjoy the process!
There are endless things I could mention but for now this is the best I could think of. I hope it's helpful for anyone thinking to take it on. I really enjoyed it, although it was a challenge, and I couldn't be more proud of the result. If anyone has any questions please feel free to reach out. Happy building/painting!
Eddie
217214217215217212217213217211