jlumba81 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I'm planning on painting my seven when I buy it. I was wondering if anyone painted their own seven and how difficult was it. I'd like to know what kind of paint you used, primer type and if you paint all the parts separately or together. I'm debating whether I need to use a self etching primer or not. I plan to sand down the places I plan to paint, clean it off, mask off everything I don't want to paint, then primer, block sand it, then paint the nose cone stripe, tape it off, then base color and clear. I plan to experiment on an old van we had w/ duplicolor spray cans and see how well it will turn out. Just going to do the hood first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB6 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Jumbalai, You are looking to spend $60 K plus on a 7 then paint it with rattle can paint? Why not have the car painted from the factory ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 It will depend on how the car was origanally was prepped. If it has a factory paint that is not peeling and just needs fresh color you can color sand it with 4-600 grit paper. Prime any chips then block out the primer then repaint. I would paint the base color on the whole car then tape off center stripe apply color then clear the whole thing. You will need to apply more clear on the tape edges, but be careful it will tend to develope drips and runs on that edge. This will allow you to block the clear then buff out to a brillant shine and bury the tape edge. If the car has bare aluminum then you will need to sand with 180-220 grit and apply an etching primer. Then you will go back and apply and epoxy high build primer on top of the etching. I would highly recommend using a quality automotive paint. You can get cheaper brands of paint from NAPA or from a local paint store. Paint supply stores will usually carry a PPG prduct and then a cheaper brand. If you have no experience painting you might consider finding someone that will spray it as a side job. You can easily spend 800.00-1000.00 on materials that is assuming you have the proper spray equipment and prep tools and supplies. You could proabably have it professionally painted for 2000.00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Jumbalai, You are looking to spend $60 K plus on a 7 then paint it with rattle can paint? Why not have the car painted from the factory ? I have to agree with DB6 about the paint on a $25K to $60K car but if you are like me and build your own 7 from scratch then rattle can painting can be done with some practice and effort for under what a quart of PPG color paint will cost but it will never be a show quality finish, more of a track or fun-car finish (what I call a 15ft finish). Here is a photo of my car and its $28.00 paint job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumba81 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 I was just curious what a rattle can finish would look like if you did the prepwork properly. I went to the duplicolor website and it seems that using their rattlecan primer, basecolor and clear it turned out pretty well. Its just an idea I was bouncing around. If it turns out bad I can always strip it down again and redo it. That's why I'm going to practice on another car first. The other option was to to buy an Earlex Spray Station 5000. To make it look nice and shiney all you need to do is a bit of wet sanding to get the orangepeel off and then buff it. I already have a nice random orbital and a wax and polish kit from Griot's Garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumba81 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Don't forget unless the paint is ready to spray you will also need to buy some reducer and the ratios are usually 4:1 or 3:1, that's reducer to paint ratio. Then if you want to make sure the paint stick you should use a primer and then to get a nice gloss use come clear. Paintjobs are really all in the prepwork if the surface doesn't look nice it will show up in the paint. I have a feeling that I'll have missing parts when I order my kit, so I'll have a good amount of time to work on the paint. For anyone interested this site has some nice paint and bodywork supplies http://www.eastwood.com. Btw, painting is really expensive here. I think my cousin was quoted $1200 just to get his bumper on his evo painted. Also I don't trust the work of the shops here, I see too many cars w/ peeling paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff7 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 If your cousin was quoted $1200 for a bumper then having a whole car painted for $100 more is a steal . Seriously , you are geting good advice on here from ppl that know these cars,if you decide to spend that amount of time and money on this car then why not have the factory do the paint right first time for you and save money on other things that you have experience with and do not have to worry about screwing up . By the way, if you are getting a deal with CATUSA due to exhange rates then jump on it, from what I see and hear they do not drop prices often if ever. Cheers Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 paint just adds weight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumba81 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 I'm planning on painting my seven a metallic silver w/ a black nosecone stripe. Caterham USA quotes the metallic paint at $2435 and the stripe at $153. I can get an earlex spray station 5000 for around $400 and the paint and supplies for another few hundred. All in all it should be around $800-1000, maybe cheaper depending where I get the paint and supplies from. I don't mind screwing it up, I'd rather do it myself rather than pay someone to do it for me. Also I won't have to worry about any paint scratches from the shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB6 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 (edited) Jambalaya, As I said before, I would not go that route myself, as I do mind screwing up on a 60K car, but good luck. I do not think you have to worry about "paint scratches from the shipping", they have been doing this for a while. Have you driven a 7 yet to see if it suits you ? Not to say you are putting the "cart before the horse" (I think it's great to ask questions) but have you driven one yet? If you have not yet I would def recco a test drive as they do not suit (or even fit) everyone. Edited March 10, 2009 by DB6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumba81 Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 Large containers from the lower 48 tend to be barged up by sea. Occasionally stuff happens depending on weather. I'm not worried about the kit being shipped from england to colorado its the colorado to alaska part. I plan on visiting colorado and getting a test drive before making the purchase. I'd like to be there in person instead of buying over the phone. If I was worried about messing up the paint then I would have bought a used seven instead. Its just paint if I mess up just redo it. I'm more worried about building the engine than painting. You can drive it w/ a crappy paint job, but not w/ a blown engine. I just wanted to know if anyone has tried painting their seven before and if they had any tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumba81 Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 (edited) WestTexasS2K, thanks for the advice. I was curious about the primer and what sequence to do the stripe. I think I'll probably end up buying paint from http://www.eastwood.com. They have a nice selection of supplies and I think I can get everything there. The rattlecan idea was just a thought. I probably won't do it on the seven but I got an old van to practice on. Paint is peeling off it anyways so it won't hurt it. I plan on practicing on a few other cars first. Edited March 11, 2009 by jlumba81 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB6 Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 So the Atlantic is less of a scratch problem than from Colorado to Alaska, ok I give up. If you do buy a new 7 from Caterham I will give you $100 for good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumba81 Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 If there's a problem when it reaches colorado is more easliy taken care of. Shipping to alaska is very expensive and I'd rather have it done once. It might cost $500 to ship something coast to coast, but it would be another $500 just to get it from Washington to Alaska. Anyways paint is paint, doesn't matter if its a $20k car or a $60k. Seems like more people are scared to do painting than to rebuild their engines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I plan on visiting colorado and getting a test drive before making the purchase. I'd like to be there in person instead of buying over the phone. I When are you planning on coming to Denver? I live near there and a ride/drive in my SV can be easily arranged. I'm sure you will get a test drive in Ben's demo, also an SV. Skip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumba81 Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 It probably won't be until the end of summer, last week of July-August hopefully. Still need to come up w/ the funds and finish up building my garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumba81 Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 On the other hand for those seven owners w/ the polished aluminum body panels. Has any of you put on a coat of clear after polishing? A friend (who's a certified master mechanic) recommended doing that when I mentioned buying a seven. I believe his dad owns an old jaguar w/ a polished alum finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff7 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 (edited) nooo. This ain't the same guy giving you the paint advice is it, what Jag with the polished ally by the way?? Edited March 12, 2009 by Jeff7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11Budlite Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 On the other hand for those seven owners w/ the polished aluminum body panels. Has any of you put on a coat of clear after polishing? A friend (who's a certified master mechanic) recommended doing that when I mentioned buying a seven. I believe his dad owns an old jaguar w/ a polished alum finish. I wouldn't think any kind of sprayed clearcoat would adhere very well to aluminum after it's been polished but I could be wrong. I know some people use a protectant or wax after the final polishing but it does dull the finish somewhat if I remember correctly. On another note, for owners with fully painted cars from the factory, does the underside of the bonnet get painted or is that left bare aluminum? Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumba81 Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 I was wondering about under the bonnet too. Also has anyone tried powdercoating the body? I've seen where they sell curing lamps which are pretty much just high wattage IR lamps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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