DIY same colour respray.

[328i ninja]

good day to you all.

trust everyone is getting some well deserved smiles from their bimmers.

so my E36 was due for some minor touch ups as the paint had been burnt through when the previous owner tried to polish it but the touch ups turned into a full respray.

i bought it over from him after he got tired of it.

it is a E36 Alpine White 2, obd2, 328i motor sport according to the log book and is currently sitting on 231xxx km. i done a vin check and it is what the logbook says. not a 316i with a 328i engine.


i have decided to everything on this car besides mechanical (not to confidant in my skills yet), electrical (i dont want my car to burn) and suspension (dont know nothing).

first step was to determine how much of the car needed painting so i had a look around the vehicle to see if i could pick up any high or low spots with my eye and i picked up quite a few and circled them with a marker so that i have a visual to work with.

(i do have more pics to post bit it is telling me image file missing so as soon as i sort that out will post more.)

i then stripped what i could from the interior as my leather is quite good it just needs a good clean and condition. so before i dirty it with wet sanding etc i decided to remove everything besides the b pillar and wrapped them all in paper.

the a and c pillar as well as the roof started to sag so will be replacing that with a black suede or velvet as soon as i can find a supplier in the pietermaritzburg region.

this "project" of mine will be done only by myself, my younger brother and some close friends of mine. but mostly by myself and younger brother who is still in school.

i myself have no idea what i doing but i learn fast and think i have learnt enough to give it a try and the rest i will learn along the way. i have been a paramedic for the past 11 years and have never done any sort of sanding let alone spray painting.the only thing in life i have sanded was the back door at home to apply varnish.

now the exciting part. from what i have learnt and researched the block sanding is the most important part in achieving a "glass like finish". my plan is as follows. my body is fairly straight with a few high and low spots. i starting off with 80 grit in the areas that have metal showing and apply body filler and level.

once those spots are sorted out, rub the whole body down with 180 apply primer wait for it to flash and apply guide coat. once i have flattened it with 180, where there is still guide coat i know i have low spots and where there is not i have high spots. i will either sand until the flat spot has been removed or fill it and repeat the process. once i am happy that the whole car is flat i will then move onto 220 and repeat the whole process, then 360 and repeat the whole process, then 600 and repeat the whole process. once i am satisfied that it is flat with 600 i will then do my final prime and mask it off for paint.

during the sanding phase i will take some time off to learn how to paint the car. i do have alot of doors, bonnets, boots etc to learn on so i will be practising on those before i come close to my car with a spray gun.

i go tomorrow to buy the block sanding equipment etc and get it ready to be sanded. progress on this build will be a bit slow as im a paramedic and work 2 days 2 nights and 4 days off, so will only be able to work on it 4 days at a time.

if there is anyone thats willing to give some pointers i will be more than happy as it will assist me in getting my bimmer to tip top shape.

until next time. stay safe and stay blessed everyone

 

[DieselFan]

No pointers here. But wow for someone that's never sprayed anything in their life you are taking a big risk.

There is a thread on e46fanatics where a guy does a bare metal respray. I suggest reading through that before you begin. You can learn from the mistakes he made.

Here is the link: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1005727

All the best with the project ahead.

 

[328i ninja]

thanks for that DieselFan i do appreciate the thread.

 

[zaleonardz]

There are officially something like 186 shades of white before you get into the metallic and pearls.

Bud, if I can give you any advice, have this done professionally.

The actual color application takes like 2 hours... the rest of the 50 to 150 hours is spent on preparation work.

This is hard work, there is a reason why paintwork is so expensive..

Go try this first...

Go to a scrapyard, go buy the cheapest fender you can find, no more then R200.

Sand, prep, paint, clear, polish.

Look at the amount of work involved and actually decide if you want to do this by yourself.

With 3 prep guys, I used to do a complete respray in about a month...

Think this through bud, and go try the fender test..... I usually encourage guys to do DIY's and get their hands dirty...

Not on this, not this big...

 

[DieselFan]

What about doing most of the prep and having it finished professionally? Since its the majority of the man hours involved.

 

[328i ninja]

thanks for the advice Zaleonardz.

i have thought this through for about the past 3 months so im pretty much decided on im doing this. i have spent a while though in some panel shops just watching and asking, not touching though.

due to that i feel i have enough theory knowledge to give it a practical try.(thats how us paramedics are taught).

i do have a few panel beater and spray painter friends that i can ask for help if i am stuck or before i move onto the next step so in that way i feel i am ok.:rollsmile:

plus im one of those guys that has never let lack of knowledge stop me from doing something i will learn along the way.:=):

i do appreciate your advice though and will maybe get more input from those in the know along the way just to make sure my car does not look like it was done on durban beachfront with all its waves.:ty:

---

for the moment i was planning on doing the sanding etc to level it flat and before i do my last guide coat get a qualified guy to come in and just have a look at it just to make sure that its the way it should be.

 

[zaleonardz]

Ok...

Then,

Supplies can be sourced from http://www.marounsgroup.co.za/

Make sure you have a decent palm sander.

Remember that once body filler is applied, it CANNOT be close to water, you have to seal/prime the panel straight after application.

Lighting is important.

Good luck bud.

 

[MikeR]

:coolShake: good luck dude, u can only learn from experience.

 

[prado]

Exciting stuff! Where there is enthusiasm and inspiration, anything is possible!

I am a teacher but I am crazy about motoring. I haven't had much experience on working on cars but man, I jump at the opportunity!

My old E34 was in an accident some years back. It was going to be written off. It was my first ever car that I owned and I didn't want to part with it! This was one of the greatest opportunities to repair and re spray myself! My dad sprayed a few cars as a hobby while we were growing up, way before the Internet. He had to read books and observe spray painters. Today, I was amazed at how much one can learn within a few weeks! And, the paint shop guys can be very helpful with advice and equipment.

Here is my car after the crash! Note the old narrow grille. I got the facelift bonnet, grille and bumper to 'upgrade!'



Some work in progress!





And, now! Notice - I changed the colour from Burgundy to Sapphire Black! Yours will be much less work as you are keeping it the same colour.



Unfortunately, time and money came in the way of completing it the way I'd really like to but hopefully soon, I will wet sand and polish it as best as I can, complete the interior and continue working on bits to make it really great again!

What I have learnt personally is that if you have the vision, a clear picture, a dream in your mind and heart, go for it! The experience of learning, getting the right tools, getting the education you need which is so unbelievable in the Internet age, is just a magical time if you want to work on a car.

Enjoy your project. Enjoy the learning process and keep showing us the progress! Share all the tricks you have learnt as well. Enjoy! :=):

 

[328i ninja]

Good day Fanatics.

i do apologize about the delay in updates with progress things have just been hectic.

there is some progress though. started sanding the bonnet and fenders with 220 grit and have got it pretty straight. been sanding with gloves as its such a big aid in finding high and low spots when feeling down panels.

been using the biggest block i can find that will work in the area that im working on. been going in a X pattern with the block at a 30 degree angle. when sighting down the panels its giving me a very nice mechanical adhesion.

bought some pre paint prep and have been spraying it on to have a guide as to how my clear will look and im getting a mirror reflection with no waves .

will be doing my first prime on the bonnet and fenders tomorrow as i dont want them to rust as i have hit metal in certain parts, then will proceed to sand the rest of the vehicle.

unfortunately was not able to take any pictures as the sun was going down when i finished and they were not going to come out good. will take some and post them up tomorrow before i prime.

Prado all i can say is WOW!!:clapper: i really like the way you tackled your car. and you are so right about having a vision, dream and clear picture in heart. education is key and with the internet around you can just about learn and then go practice anything you want on your car.

thanks once again Fanatics. i trust you are all staying safe.

 

[moranor@axis]

cant wait to see pics

I had to repanel the rear of my e46 but I messed up the paint and did not have the time to fix it so let a panel shop do the paint

the panel shop told me my mistake was using silicone to seal the boot I assumed that automotive silicone would be good but its no good if you want to paint lol kept lifting on an part that had the slightest residue

 

[328i ninja]

hello fellow Fanatics.

threw my first coat of MS primer today and for a complete novice first time picking up a spray gun i think i done well.

first are the pics i promised before i started with the prep work for you guys to gauge as how the car was before starting.

 

[Rodney///Marsh]

I'm subscribed

PRADO - nice work there bro.

 

[328i ninja]

once i had stripped almost everything from the car i started the sanding.

started off with 220 grit water paper, original sunlight soap and pre paint prep.

sanded the vehicle using gloves as its so much easier to feel high and low spots even the very tiny ones get picked up with ease

started in the front with the bonnet and proceeding back.

then it was onto priming.

i did make a mistake though and managed to get myself a run. not to sure if its clear in the picture but will have to gently sand it out.

thats all the prep work i have done thus far on the car. still have a long way to go but im enjoying the learning greatly and more importantly i enjoy working on my car. first time ever doing something like this and i must say that its not as hard as what i thought it would be. but because i want to do it proper it is taking alot longer than what i had envisioned. but none the less i shall crack on and will update you guys as i go further.

the next thing to do would be the roof, A pillar and C pillar.

in my next update will post pics of my materials and blocks and sandpaper etc just so that you guys know exactly what i using and how.

stay safe and stay blessed Fanatics.

 

[WyKiD]

Better you than me...j/k:=):

You look to be making some solid progress, nicely done. Keep at it sure you will reach your objectives...:coolShake:

 

[moranor@axis]

not nice finding the rust be sure to take care of it before paint it...

its alot of work hey can imagine doing a whole car lol

 

[prado]

Looking great! Careful, proper sanding and aiming for a nice flat surface makes the final colour much easier to wetsand to a showcar finish.

Enjoy every minute of your project and the experience!