How hard would it be to paint my '98 Disco myself? I'm thinking about going flat black so i wouldnt need to do any wet sanding, as i wouldnt be too concerned with the smoothness of the surface. I've got a paint gun and a compressor, and a grinder to get off the old stuff (epsom green). Is this something i might be able to pull off myself or is it smart to have a pro with a booth do this? (Also i dont have sunroofs so thats one less thing to worry about)
thanks guys

 

I'd say it wouldn't be that hard, especially with a gun. Paint work is ALL in the prep. But it all depends on the look you are going for. If you're going for "rugged trail rig", painting yourself would be fine. If it's something you want to take to the country club, you might get some funny looks because it won't turn out perfect, especially if it's your first time.

I stripped and painted my '74 Land Cruiser flat black but with cheap rattle-can sandable primer and it turned out 10000x better than I thought it would, plus it's easy to touch up if it gets scratched, but then again that's my weekend/trail rig, so having it come out perfect wasn't my plan from the get-go. Here's a BEFORE and AFTER.

 

I'm definitley not trying to impress anyone with it, yours looks like it turned out great. From the things ive read it sounds like if my current paint has good integrity i shouldnt have to take it down to sheet metal, i could just scuff it and prime it and shoot it. Does that sound about right?

 

Yeah, it turned out great I though! There wasn't much of that 33 year old paint left to get through so it was pretty simple to get to the sheet metal in my case

With a newer vehicle you won't want to get to the metal, like you've read. There will be layers of good primer and paint, and if you'll want to keep that on for rust protection. Just get through the faded top coats, make sure it's nice and smooth and shoot away. When you go buy your paint ask the guys there for any additional advice, they may have some tips to make the job easier and save you a little extra time.

95% of your time will be prep work, and you'll be much happier if you spend extra time to prep it right. Good luck with it, make sure to post some pics of your work!

 

Pics of course! It's just a matter of convincing my dad to lend me his garage for a long weekend as i live in center city philadelphia and garages are non-existent in my tax bracket. It sounds like it is something i could get done in a long weekend considering my prep sanding would be minimal as i'd be keeping on the majority of the undercoating. I'd just be sanding for smootheness. With the primer (since it'll be on top of more primer) do you think i'll need an etch primer or no? And i should be sanding between all coats right? primer and the matte black? And this may seem like a stupid question, but if im going with a matte finish do i need a top/clear coat?

 

Self-Etching primer is mainly used for painting directly on bare metal so you probably don't need it, but that might be a good question to ask the guys at the store when you buy the paint.

As far as a clear coat goes, you'll want to use a matte finish clear coat so you don't get too much shine. You'll want to protect the paint from whatever kind of rain/snow you get in Philly.

 

If I was going to do all that, I'd go ahead and make it a Zebra Stripe or maybe do it like some of the newer style camo patterns.

Do a little airbrush work on the sides maybe a mural of a Rover crossing a trail or river.

 

If this is the color/finish you are going for, my vote is 2 big thumbs up

 

Is that what yours looks like now or is it still yellow?

 

that is not his. its his dream color