Hi guys,

I've been asking around for any paint shops on long island that are open to letting a novice come in and use their booth? Also any shop that will be willing to do some teaching of what to do or not do while painting. I know a guy in TX that is more than willing, but packing my car up and getting from NY to TX is a bit of a stretch for me. I will buy all supplies, and pay the rate for the booth of course, but since i've built every part of this car myself (minus the muncie). I'd love to see if i can do the paint as well. I've read countless books, watched tons of DVDs. Read through all of Martin Sr.'s articles, and John Doyle's "How i painted my car" article. I think i can tackle it with a little guidance. Now that my car is mechanically the way i want it. I'm planning on pulling everything out and take it down to bare metal. There are really only two dime size rust holes that need to be patched around the rear window. Other than that all the other panels are in good shape.

Any idears?

Thanks!

I had the same problem no one seems to want you to use their booth.....Insurance risks, EPA etc were the reasons......As far as the teaching/learning....Most here will agree that pratice makes perfect or close to it.

Here is what I recommend and if I had to do it again and will with my other cars.....I would first do a practice on a panel or two (something from a junk yard or a left over panel from the restoration).....you will not have the amount of work as if you were painting a whole car but you will get the procedures and headaches out of the way....you will also have something to practice on if you run into a problem with the car you can duplicate the problem on the practice panels and go from there...

This will prepare you for: mixing product.....primer.....high build.....sealer.....wet sanding....tacking.....masking.....wax and grease remover.....cleaning the car before paint.....buffing and wet sanding clear....paint gun set up/clean up......fan patterns....flash times.....ventilation......both for the paint and your lungs....make a few runs/drips....bugs/dirt......in the practice panel so you will learn how to deal with them....I think you get the idea....

This can all be done outside with no need for a booth at this point....Yeah you will spend some money on materials and some time but I have always found that hands on is the best tool for learning a new skill + you will get to see how your paint color/combo looks and if you are torn between two colors it is a great way to seem them both before you paint the car ....... You only want to paint this car once ask me how I know......

If you have no luck with the booth rental you can do like most and build a temp booth for a couple of hundred dollars.....just be sure it has a lot of light and a lot of ventilation....do a search and you will get/see alot of great ideas from fellow members.....

Tips:
Make sure you have extra product for each stage......Make sure you use guide coats along the way (this is a must do part of preparing the car for final paint).....Make shooting a test pattern each time you load your paint gun a must.....(If you made a mistake ie: mixing gun set up air pressure etc....it will show in the test and not your car).....Be prepared to spend hours preparing a stripe if the car will have one.......Read about all paint problems and how to avoid all of them.......Keep a log during paint so you have a reference to when things were painted (time) and the order......(easy to forget a coat or part of the car once things get color on them).......These are just a few.......

Good luck
8ball

Do you have any trade colleges in your area? Around where I live, you can sign up for a body shop course and use their paint booth for working on your project.

Might work for you.....Good Luck