Editing Cheapo paint job

{{youcanedit}} You get what you pay for. Hotrodding forums frequently witness posts by hotrodders endorsing various (and numerous) "cheapo" methods of painting a vehicle. The overwhelming consensus of body professionals and experienced hotrodders is that, in most cases, "Cheapo" paint jobs simply aren't worthwhile. There are many clever and reasonable ways to save money while building a hot rod, and, overall, aggressively scrimping on the paint job does not seem to be among them. While "Cheapo" jobs may be good for "Cheapo" vehicles (beaters, work or farm vehicles, "practice" cars for learning painting, etc.), they aren't good for vehicles in which you have invested significant amounts of time, money, and effort. The complexities of the various painting products and application methods can make it difficult for an amateur to understand why scrimping on a paint job is, ultimately, not a wise decision. So, this article has been started in an effort to diminish those complexities. If you are an auto body professional, an experienced hotrodder, or simply someone with good information on the realities of the "Cheapo" paint job, please feel free to add to this article. ==What's a "cheapo" paint job?== ===Cheapo application methods=== ====Rattle cans==== ====Brushes and rollers==== Often referred to as "powder puff" paint jobs, because, historically, hotrodders actually applied paint with powder puffs used to apply makeup. These methods typically leave visible marks indicating that a cheapo method of paint application was used. However, when viewing photos of paint jobs (in a magazine, on a website, etc.), there is a crucial understanding to keep in mind. The brush or roller marks can be hidden when photographed. This could be done unintentionally, or with "selective" photography methods. Note the two photos below. {| |-valign="top" |[[Image:Cheapo_brush_job1.jpg|thumb|none|400px|A brush-applied paint job appears to look good in a photograph.]] |[[Image:Cheapo_brush_job2.jpg|thumb|none|400px|Another photograph of the same paint job, with different lighting and perspective, reveals clearly visible brush marks.]] |} To properly assess a paint job, you need to look at it in person. ===Discount paint franchises=== ====Maaco==== While Maaco shops follow corporate Maaco guidelines, they are all independently owned and operated. So, depending on the management, your local Maaco shop may or may not do quality work. However, in general, when speaking of Maaco, horror stories abound. ''(Research and expand on this specifically, and give examples and proof)''. *Horror story #1: I took my car to Maaco to have it painted and once I got it back it had overspray all over a well taken care of engine bay, all over all four of my wheels and tires, paint drips on my rain guards and more! They even painted something I did not ask them to! When asked to fix it they began to do a very poor job right in front of me. I immediately told them to stop and just drove the car home. All in all my paint job cost me $600 and it began to flake off one year later. I will never visit a Maaco again. ====Earl Scheib==== ===Lacquer-based paint=== ====Dupli-Color==== Dupli-Color is a lacquer paint product being sold by Sherwin Williams. It's marketed to the lower end of the skill and experience spectrum, as an easy-to-apply and inexpensive option for hobbyists. Lacquers are the other "family" of paint products (the primary choice being enamels). While lacquer paints used to be commonly used, they have given way to the more modern enamels. Lacquers literally "dry" -- the solvent evaporates. For this reason, lacquers will re-dissolve in their original solvent. By comparison, enamels "cure" by chemical reaction. If you apply lacquer thinner to a lacquer paint job, the paint will become a liquid again. Other solvents can have the same effect. Lacquers also have minimal UV protection. While you can paint over a lacquer paint job, the lacquer would likely be the weak part of the paint job. Dupli-Color describes lacquer as "durable", and enamels as "very durable". This is, at best, a generous description, and at odds with what professionals are saying. Marketing aside, lacquer paints are not considered durable. A Dupli-Color paint job would likely be fairly easy to apply, and look good when completed. However, it will not have the durability of more modern paint coatings. ===Oil-based machine paint=== ====Rustoleum==== Rustoleum does not have UV protection. Its use will result in a paint job that will fade, chalk, and peel. ''(expand on this)''. ==Why is the "cheapo" paint job so tempting?== *The learning curve: selecting equipment and learning how to use it, choosing finish products, getting a few screw-ups under your belt. *Automotive paint costs a lot. People who have never bought car paint are used to paying "house paint" prices for paint, so hundreds per gallon seems very high *The satisfaction of a "do it yourself" project completed. *Forum posts often show cheapo paint jobs that appear to be high-quality. *There are many examples that have started after the Moparts.com post that show completed work done over the years. -- '''show examples here''' ==Why not do a "cheapo" paint job?== *Time invested in mechanical aspect of job. *Deterioration of finish over time. Looks great at first, but can take years to deteriorate. *Value of paint job relevant to value of rest of vehicle is disproportionate. AKA, using this method to paint a show car or rare automobile. *Down the line, if you want to do a professional-quality paint job, all of the underlying cheapo paint will need to be removed. Stripping the paint, doing the filler work, priming, blocking, and removing trim or panels can take hundreds of hours for a hobbyist, or cost thousands of dollars if done professionally. When modern finishes are applied over cheapo finishes, the differing chemical make-ups cause problems. This removal is very time-consuming and labor intensive. Cheapo paints are often very soluble, and when modern finishes are applied over them, the solvents will get under the old paint and make it peel. Cheap Paint Job? As a novice don’t even think about painting your car to save money. Do it for a quality job you can count on with better results than an economy paint shop would give you. Don’t think you can beat the $299 special on price though. I spent that in primer. Remember this is just an opinion and you know how those go. You can look at the pictures http://vintagebus.net/red/index.htm to see the extent I went to. I have over 10 hours in the color sand and buff which at $65 an hour shop rate, would have cost $650 alone. The first step was to grind out all the rust and weld in any new panels. It has been going on for so long that I can only begin to guess at hours, but I would say close to 25. Step two was to tape off and prime. The primer filler alone was over $100 a gallon. I would say block sanding and priming took about 40 hours. I should have done a lot more to truly get a flat panel worthy of painting flat black. Don’t forget I have another $100 in sandpaper, masking paper, and tape. Step three was to paint the entire car white. This was done not only for the two tone effect, but also for a white base to highlight the green. I bought cheap enamel offline at $50 for a gallon with hardener. With taping and spraying I would say about 6 hours. Step four was the green. This was another $50 and about 3 hours of masking and spraying. Step five was the clear coat. This cost another $50 and about 7 hours worth of masking and praying the 5 coats. Step six really sucked. The final coat of clear yellowed because of some type of garbage in the paint. I think it was juice from the million bugs that seem to land in the paint the minute you start spraying. Yes, I did use pre cleaner before every coat. So now I have to re-spray the white after sanding. There goes another 5 hours. Step seven is another coat of clear. One hour for start to finish. Step eight is the color sanding and buffing. Color sanding took about 5 hours and buffing took about 5. Don’t forget the rubbing compound and swirl remover with pads costs another $125. So what was the grand total on my cheap paint job? Miscellaneous supplies like thinner to clean the gun and pre-cleaner $80 Total hours 97 at $65 an hour $6305 Primer $100 Sandpaper $100 Paint $150 Buffing $125 Total without labor $555 Total with labor $6860 ==When is a "cheapo" paint job appropriate?== *Work truck. *Beater. *Vehicle that will see farm or utility use. *Learning basic paint techniques. *Vehicles with a sufficiently low market value such that spending the money required for a traditional paint job doesn't make economic sense. ==The "right" way to properly paint a car== Put basics in here, and see: [[First paint job]]. ==Articles describing "cheapo" paint jobs== *[http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html $50 paint job] -- RickWrench.com *[http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/body/hrdp_0707_1962_ford_falcon_budget_paint_job/index.html $98 paint job] -- Hot Rod Magazine *[http://www.stylusscustoms.com/poorMansPaintJob.html Poor man's paint job] -- StylusCustoms.com ==References== *[http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/good-hot-rod-mag-aproved-paint-must-read-128119.html "Hot Rod Mag-approved" paint job], ''Hotrodders Bulletin Board'', November 13, 2007. *[http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/how-paint-your-car-75-00-no-kidding-128092.html How to paint your car for $75 -- no kidding], ''Hotrodders Bulletin Board'', November 13, 2007.

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