Hey it’s Tony here… Thanks for watching this video and checking out the blog today. In this video, I talk about automotive paint cost. Should you buy medium or high end clear coat?
I’m working on my moped again. I’m going to sand it down and put glaze putty on the scratches on the covers and fairings. Then, give it a nice coat of primer, scuff it, then it’s done. I’m ready to paint.
I picked up some paint and spent close to two hundred dollars. Let me share with you what I bought.
I got the SEM Bumper Cover Paint which is a high quality clear, for the inner panels of the moped. I decided on getting the black instead of the dark gray.
It’s a medium grade clear with high solids and 4:1 mixture. I’ve never used it but a lot of guys are happy with it. So, I’m going to test it out.
The other brands were about one hundred and seventy dollars. I don’t want to spend that much because you can get the same exact finish with this kind of clear as opposed to the high end ones. If you get the medium grade, you’ll have the same results.
You just need to do a little color sanding and buffing. Sometimes, you don’t even have to, and you can’t tell the difference. I guarantee that. You can ask any auto body professional and they’ll tell you the same thing.
I have a quart of green base coat for the touch-up on a truck. I will paint the hood, the side of a bed and maybe the front fenders.
Then, I got six rolls of 3M tape. There’s no discount when you buy the whole sleeve so, I just bought six rolls. It will last me a couple of jobs.
I usually get the American Tape brand but 3M is a dollar cheaper. It costs $2.25 compared to around $3.25 for a roll of ¾ inch tape.
You’ll get high quality professional automotive finishes with clears and bases like these. Painting costs a lot of money but you’ll get good results. Don’t use cheap aerosol to paint your car. I only use it for the inside plastic panels.
I’m also going to use some extra paints I have for the moped. I’m leaning toward doing purple again. I’ll do a silver base then green for the graphics.
I’ll mask up the graphics then have purple on top of it. It will be a green and purple mixture. I may also do some shading around the flames.
Here’s an update on another project. In my previous video, I showed you how to fix the dents on this car. So, I had the rear lip spoiler attached to the trunk with epoxy.
You have to waste some of the epoxy, though. This don’t come out mixed at first. You have to waste about a tablespoon of epoxy before it gets really mixed.
It did not dry in the area where I started putting epoxy. But the other areas of the lip spoiler are as hard as rock.
Since the areas where I first put epoxy is still tacky, I have to clean this off with thinner and redo it. Then, it’s ready to be sanded.
It’s Tony from LearnAutoBodyAndPaint. Please Like, Comment and Share this video.
I’ll keep you posted on my projects. If you want to learn more, download the FREE 85-Page Auto Body Manual. Also, check out the LearnAutoBodyAndPaint VIP Course.
It will teach you the whole paint process. You don’t have to spend a crazy amount of money to pay auto body professionals to customize rides. You can do auto body work from home.
Talk to you soon! Bye!
-Tony
Other Helpful Links:
How to Mask for Two Tone Graphics – Two Tone Paint Job
How To Repair Dents With Body Filler (Live Google Hangout)
Automotive Spray Guns – SATA, Iwata, CP, DeVilbiss or a Warwick – Best Bang for Buck?
What Is Best For Headlight Restoration – Buffing or Clearing?
How and Why You Need To Use Wax and Grease Remover Before a Paint Job