Any tips for painting and new interior for my ride?

sno.lcn · 08-10-06, 01:58 AM

I'm going to attempt painting my bimmer black in a couple of months when it cools off a little outside. Anything I need to know? There's a few small dents, maybe to small to pull out easily so am I okay using body filler? I bought a really expensive hvlp sprayer maybe a year ago(don't remember why, seemed like a good idea at the time). Is that what I'm supposed to use? Where do I buy paint? Good primer? The car's gold right now so I'll be stripping it down so I can get everywhere. I guess I'll have to pull the engine too(I may keep it gold to avoid this step). Anything I need to know so I don't screw the painting up? I guess I'll try and find a book to buy and read before I start.
Also, I figured I'll replace my interior at the same time. Carpet won't be a problem, I'll just order a pre-fit one. But what about seat uppholstry? I'm wanting to go leather but nice custom covers are going to run me $1k minimum. Does anyone know how I should go about this?

hitbyaprkedcar7 · 08-10-06, 02:26 AM

Save money and build a new machine.

kidding

I love BMW's. There my absolute favorite car (well, high up there.) Those new six series are sharp!!!

Post up some pics of it

As for painting, etc, i have no idea. So therefore i contribue nothing to this thread. lol sorry

perfectturmoil · 08-10-06, 07:35 AM

You don't need to take the motor out - Since this is your first time, its not going to come out showroom perfect. So, you can tape off the engine and paint the important areas like where the hood and fenders meet so theres not gold showing through.. I'm pretty sure you'd be OK with there still being some gold paint where no one sees it, right? :- ]

Theres a chain near me called Dent Wizard. They do the paintless dent removal stuff.. I suggest you find something like that. Their prices are decent, and they do great work.. Just throw a couple hundred at them and take care of a handful of the bigger more visible dents.. start it off right.. and then bondo what you don't want to pay to get fixed. And since you're stripping everything out anyways, you might be able to get a better price from them cause they won't have to do as much work..

I remember there were leather seat covers available for my Jetta that came to about 500 for the whole set. No idea where I found them tho. You should look into some local upholstery shops - maybe they can do a custom job for you... Might not be cheaper, but it could turn out better in the end. I've also heard of people going to tech schools and having students studying that stuff do work for them for cheap.. It might take a bit longer, but if you have the time.. Maybe hit up a junkyard for a spare set of seats and get those ones fixed up while you use the ones you have now..

E30 right? If you do end up pulling the motor to do the paint job, be sure to replace it like this ;- ] http://www.germanautosport.com/images/et_1_lg.jpg (thats the shop I go to :- ] )

FudgeNuggets · 08-10-06, 08:16 AM

Try a scrap yard for the leather seats, they usually pull ones that are nice and keep them somewhere where they won't get ruined.

As for the paint.... Your paint job is probably going to turn out like a MAACO paint job, so don't expect wonderous results. When a good paint job is done, they strip all the trim off the car, tape off the windows and lights, then strip the paint down to the metal, primer it a few coats, paint it a few coats, put it in the drying booth to bake on the paint, then pull it out and put another coat on it, then put on several coats of lacquer, bake it again and finally put on a clear coat and sealer. One thing you can tell about a crappy MAACO job is that they never get the door jambs or under the hood and trunk lid done. If you're going for something really specially they may even strip the car down to just the body itself and dip it instead of spray it (if you've ever seen this done, it's amazing).

sno.lcn · 08-10-06, 09:13 AM

I'm going to get it stripped down as much as I can because I'm thinking of purchasing an old barracuda or two and restoring them. For that I'll have to rent a big garage somewhere and I figure I'll get one big enough to do the bimmer while I'm at it.

FudgeNuggets · 08-10-06, 09:21 AM

A couple of Cudas????

My neighbor had a 70 convertible, it was purple with white leather and a white top. That car was sweeeeeeeeeeet

perfectturmoil · 08-10-06, 12:32 PM

Well if you're looking into getting big into the 'fixin' stuff... Consider completely doing the interior yourself - IE cut and assemble your own carpet, custom glassed and coated dash, see if you can't learn to do the seats by yourself. I know there are plenty of books on automotive upholstery, and lots of info on general sewing and stuff too... Give it a shot, maybe if you're good at it you can make your own leather seats with colored suede inlays :- ] Very classy ;- ]

And that will help when you want to do something to the cuda thats not available in stores :- ] Cause its not quite custom unless no-one else has it :- p

Cyrix_2k · 08-10-06, 01:05 PM

For paint & bodywork: http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sum...dy-paint1.html

Good luck!

The_Jizzler · 08-10-06, 01:43 PM

most of the "paintless dent removal" procedure is simply putting a chunk of dry ice on the dent. only works for small, pinpoint type dents (like from rocks hitting the car). the cold contracts the metal rapidly and will usually "pop" back into place. super simple.

perfectturmoil · 08-10-06, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Jizzler

most of the "paintless dent removal" procedure is simply putting a chunk of dry ice on the dent. only works for small, pinpoint type dents (like from rocks hitting the car). the cold contracts the metal rapidly and will usually "pop" back into place. super simple.

Naw.. My two were a 7 inch circuilar dent near the headlight and a 4 inch ovalish dent on the door.

They massage the dent out from behind the panel with special tools.. And they're not really that special.. just specifically shaped prybars, rounded surfaces, and that sort of thing.

The guy who did it for me was very weary because he had to cut / drill a hole in a panel in the headlight area because it was baffled and there was no way that he could get in behind it to push it back out. He was telling me that he probably couldn't, but I told him to try. He came out saying that he did an 'OK' job getting the dent most of the way out. I couldn't believe it - it was gone, and practically good as new (aside from the scracth on the dent from where it bumped). And there was just a small piece of the panel behind missing.. he was able to pry it up a little bit, and then cut some away..

So its not just dry ice ;- ] At least not in all cases :- ]

08-10-06, 01:58 AM	Thread Starter #1
sno.lcn Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA, USA	Any tips for painting and new interior for my ride? I'm going to attempt painting my bimmer black in a couple of months when it cools off a little outside. Anything I need to know? There's a few small dents, maybe to small to pull out easily so am I okay using body filler? I bought a really expensive hvlp sprayer maybe a year ago(don't remember why, seemed like a good idea at the time). Is that what I'm supposed to use? Where do I buy paint? Good primer? The car's gold right now so I'll be stripping it down so I can get everywhere. I guess I'll have to pull the engine too(I may keep it gold to avoid this step). Anything I need to know so I don't screw the painting up? I guess I'll try and find a book to buy and read before I start. Also, I figured I'll replace my interior at the same time. Carpet won't be a problem, I'll just order a pre-fit one. But what about seat uppholstry? I'm wanting to go leather but nice custom covers are going to run me $1k minimum. Does anyone know how I should go about this?
	QUOTE Thanks

08-10-06, 02:26 AM	#2
hitbyaprkedcar7 Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Barnegat, NJ	Save money and build a new machine. kidding I love BMW's. There my absolute favorite car (well, high up there.) Those new six series are sharp!!! Post up some pics of it As for painting, etc, i have no idea. So therefore i contribue nothing to this thread. lol sorry __________________ [:::::CPU::::\\//:::::: AMD64 4800+X2 @2.9ghz::::::\\//::] [::::MOBO:::\\//::::::ASUS A8N32 SLI DELUXE::::::::\\//::] [:::::GPU::::\\//:::::: Dual BFG 7900GTX's SLI ::::::\\//:::] [:::SOUND:::\\//::Sound Blaster X-Fi ExtremeMusic::\\//:::] [:::::RAM::::\\//:::::2gb OCZ Platinum 2-3-2-5::::::\\//:::] [:::::HDD::::\\//::4x37gb WD Raptors RAID 0+1:::::\\//:::] [:::::PSU::::\\//::::::OCZ 520watt ModStream:::::::\\//:::] [::::COOL:::\\//:::: D5:TDX:2xMAZE4:120.3BIP2::::\\//:::] <QUOTE> [[benbaked]] - I've heard those words before, she was complaining about me not listening to her or something, I dunno exactly what I wasn't really paying attention.</QUOTE> :mad: :mad: Oh the HEAT:mad: :mad:
	QUOTE Thanks

08-10-06, 07:35 AM	#3
perfectturmoil Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hillbillyville	You don't need to take the motor out - Since this is your first time, its not going to come out showroom perfect. So, you can tape off the engine and paint the important areas like where the hood and fenders meet so theres not gold showing through.. I'm pretty sure you'd be OK with there still being some gold paint where no one sees it, right? :- ] Theres a chain near me called Dent Wizard. They do the paintless dent removal stuff.. I suggest you find something like that. Their prices are decent, and they do great work.. Just throw a couple hundred at them and take care of a handful of the bigger more visible dents.. start it off right.. and then bondo what you don't want to pay to get fixed. And since you're stripping everything out anyways, you might be able to get a better price from them cause they won't have to do as much work.. I remember there were leather seat covers available for my Jetta that came to about 500 for the whole set. No idea where I found them tho. You should look into some local upholstery shops - maybe they can do a custom job for you... Might not be cheaper, but it could turn out better in the end. I've also heard of people going to tech schools and having students studying that stuff do work for them for cheap.. It might take a bit longer, but if you have the time.. Maybe hit up a junkyard for a spare set of seats and get those ones fixed up while you use the ones you have now.. E30 right? If you do end up pulling the motor to do the paint job, be sure to replace it like this ;- ] http://www.germanautosport.com/images/et_1_lg.jpg (thats the shop I go to :- ] )
	QUOTE Thanks

08-10-06, 08:16 AM	#4
FudgeNuggets Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gone Racing	Try a scrap yard for the leather seats, they usually pull ones that are nice and keep them somewhere where they won't get ruined. As for the paint.... Your paint job is probably going to turn out like a MAACO paint job, so don't expect wonderous results. When a good paint job is done, they strip all the trim off the car, tape off the windows and lights, then strip the paint down to the metal, primer it a few coats, paint it a few coats, put it in the drying booth to bake on the paint, then pull it out and put another coat on it, then put on several coats of lacquer, bake it again and finally put on a clear coat and sealer. One thing you can tell about a crappy MAACO job is that they never get the door jambs or under the hood and trunk lid done. If you're going for something really specially they may even strip the car down to just the body itself and dip it instead of spray it (if you've ever seen this done, it's amazing).
	QUOTE Thanks

08-10-06, 09:13 AM	Thread Starter #5
sno.lcn Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA, USA	I'm going to get it stripped down as much as I can because I'm thinking of purchasing an old barracuda or two and restoring them. For that I'll have to rent a big garage somewhere and I figure I'll get one big enough to do the bimmer while I'm at it.
	QUOTE Thanks

Any tips for painting and new interior for my ride?

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08-10-06, 09:21 AM	#6
FudgeNuggets Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gone Racing	A couple of Cudas???? My neighbor had a 70 convertible, it was purple with white leather and a white top. That car was sweeeeeeeeeeet
	QUOTE Thanks

08-10-06, 12:32 PM	#7
perfectturmoil Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hillbillyville	Well if you're looking into getting big into the 'fixin' stuff... Consider completely doing the interior yourself - IE cut and assemble your own carpet, custom glassed and coated dash, see if you can't learn to do the seats by yourself. I know there are plenty of books on automotive upholstery, and lots of info on general sewing and stuff too... Give it a shot, maybe if you're good at it you can make your own leather seats with colored suede inlays :- ] Very classy ;- ] And that will help when you want to do something to the cuda thats not available in stores :- ] Cause its not quite custom unless no-one else has it :- p
	QUOTE Thanks

08-10-06, 01:05 PM	#8
Cyrix_2k Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, MD (School) - Westminster, MD (home)	For paint & bodywork: http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sum...dy-paint1.html Good luck! __________________ ASRock Z68 Extreme 3 Gen3 2500k @ 4.9ghz Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO vCore 1.287 \|Idle: 33°c \| Full load: 68°c 16gb Corsair XMS 3 \| Sapphire 6950 2GB UNLOCKED F O L D For Team 32!! Black belt Ubercloxx0r Audio Technica ATH-A900's "yet another issue with the R-series. If I actually use it on my lap, I can feel my sperm count dropping."
	QUOTE Thanks

08-10-06, 01:43 PM	#9
The_Jizzler Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: To the Moon	most of the "paintless dent removal" procedure is simply putting a chunk of dry ice on the dent. only works for small, pinpoint type dents (like from rocks hitting the car). the cold contracts the metal rapidly and will usually "pop" back into place. super simple.
	QUOTE Thanks