If you're tired of your car's old paint job, you may want to paint it in your own design. Before taking on the task of custom painting your car, you need to realize that this will involve more than just applying a different color over the car's original coat.
Instructions
1. Strip all the original paint off the car. If you use a chemical stripper (which is best), protect your eyes and skin. Apply the chemical with a brush, wait the recommended time, scrape off the paint and rinse the remaining chemical off.
2. Sand down the car's body so it will be more adhesive to your paint. Cover all parts you don't want painted with masking tape. This should include windows, hood ornaments, bumpers, wheels and anything chrome.
3. Cover the car surface in a urethane or gray lacquer primer. You should apply four or five coats of the primer, and use this application as practice to learn apply the actual paint.
4. Add a thin coat of red primer over the gray primer, then sand it. This helps you find the car's high and low spots for the main coat. Now apply a sealer over the body and let it dry for 1 to 3 hours (but no more than 4).
5. Paint the car in the customized color you desire. Holding the spray gun head 8 to 10 inches from the car, start at the top and use equal, even strokes.
6. Apply at least eight light coats of paint, with the first being the lightest of all. Sand down each coat before applying the next one to make sure the next coat sticks properly.
