So we're 6 months or so out from painting the 'bu. Still need to do the body work, and after much research among old posts here, it's painfully obvious that we're a little short on knowledge, but full of ears and patience.

It's clear that we are by no means ready to actually paint the car ourselves, but I'm quite sure we could at least get the base layer sof primer after doing the boy work. I've done enough plastic and glass work to be reasonably comfortable and I can sand and et a surface ready with the best of 'em.

Now comes the bigger question... In all likelyhood, we won't use a big compressor and spray gun much once this project is complete. We don't have a lot of room in our "2" car garage for a big compressor and we don't have a paint booth to do the actual painting. Still, we'd like to be able to at least shoot the primer after doing the prep and filler, but we're totally ignorant as to which way to turn. I've seen the rattle cans with self etching primer, but at $5-10 a can, that's gonna get expensive REALLY fast, and I rather suspect the quality of self etching isn't going to be all that good.

Staying in the under $500 range, is there a decent set-up one can put together of gun, compressor and accesories that would be worthwhile? What size compressor is a good starting point? A decent gun? We're not big Harbor Freight fans, but I know like the car, this has the potential to get real expensive real fast.

Thanks for any input and insite you can provide!

-curt

You should be able to get a 30 gal compressor (Sears Crafstman), a mid-level HVLP gun and some good 2k primer for under $500. Throw in some sand paper and filler while you're at it. You should still have a few bucks left over.

You might want to consider that if you get a compressor, you might as well get one that will operate most air tools. Otherwise you can rent a 115V 5-HP compressor fairly cheap for a weekend. If you are looking to buy one then I would suggest a "REAL GENUINE" 5-HP, 30++ Gal (60-gal is best) that runs on 115 for basic use. Note that Craftsman makes a 5HP equivalent compressor, it is not actually 5HP and recovery time is the pits.

A good paint gun like a Pro-tek 2600 Pro-Tek Industries (http://www.pro-tek.ca/Pages/Anglais/Menu_anglais/anglais.html) HVLP top feed gun should run you about 60-70 US. Get a gun with a 1.7 tip if you are going to spray heavy primer. Pro-tek has offices in the US and are distributed there also. There are other's, better / more expensive but I'm thinking Bang for Buck for what you want to do.

Stay away from Rattle Can primer's. They are very expensive and the quality is less than desirable. A good high build etching primer is the way to go and I would very highly recomend Evercoat's Slick Sand Primer (http://www.evercoat.com/productDetail.aspx). It builds well, fills in the imperfections very well and is compatible with all topcoat products.

Hope that answered your questions.

Yes, the Pro_Tek link is a good start.
I need someone in the Sacramento, CA area that carries the equipment of course, but I'm looking at the guns and see there's a whole new world of info and terms to start learning. Mixing, cleaning, pressure, filters, water in the lines, HVLP... OH MY GOODNESS!!! :eek: :eek: