Hello. I am new and own 2 1991 eagle talons, both of them need new paint. Body shops are saying upwards for 3k, and I cant really afford anywhere near that much. I been trying to so some research and want to try myself. I know prep work is the key, and I planned on spending a long time on that. But my issue is when it comes to the compressor. I work at a hardware store, and our only compressor that seems big enough is a 60gal that cost 500$. Most of the HVLP guns we sell operate in the 8+ cfm range. We do have one gun that operates at 4.4-6.6 CFM at 15-35 psi, which seems low to me, and we also sell a compressor that works at 4.5 at 90psi and 6.0 and 40 psi. So If I am not mistaking that compressor will work (it has a 20 gal capacity) I will be painting the car in sections. So each bumper, and fender will be separate. The hood wont be painted due to it being CF, the trunk is covered by a wing and is black anyway, and the roof of the car is black. So the biggest portion that will be painted it the doors and rear panel. I am not looking for a nice show car finish, just something better than the orange peel and flaking that was caused by the previous bad paint job. My only other option would be to rent a compressor at 50$ a day, and I was unsure if you can paint a car in a day, due to if I need it any longer than that I should just buy one. Any info is appreciated.

There is a lot to consider before investing in everything you need to paint a car.
Will this be a one time thing or do you plan on continuing to paint cars in the future?
Do you have a shop/garage where you can accomplish this work?
How much are you willing to spend? Assuming the $3k price was for one car you would spend $6k having them painted so what is your realistic budget for getting set up to paint them yourself?

I like being a DIY and learning. I know a big air compressor would make it a lot easier, but I work only part time and most my money goes to bills/ school. I been looking locally for used compressors as well. I do have a garage were I live. The compressor I was looking at is 190$ new. I have seen 60 gal ones locally go for between 200-300 used. I know paint ect is going to cost a couple hundred. I want to try and stay under 1k for everything. As for my future I do would plan on painting other cars that come my way. I still have younger brothers who want to get into building cars, and my moms BF want to repaint his car as well down the line. All are very small cars

here is a up close pic.
I would just sand the body and get it clear coated. but I am afraid of chipping and it ruining over all. The bumper as you can see in the other pic is the worst.

one way to save some cash is to do all the prepwork and then take it to a shop for them to shoot the paint.
but that takes away from the satisfaction of doin it all yourself. I would highly recommend focusing on purchasing an air compressor with enough capacity to run a good quality gun. please stay away from the harbor freight cheapo for anything other that primer. yup...it looks Purdy. yup, there people sayin they got great results from it, but ill put my finishline 3 or tekna up against it any day. and both of them will outlive the HF guns.
then ya need descent moisture removal for the air compressor,too. plus air hoses, a regulator at the gun and wiring in the compressor.

but if ya want ot get it done, you can do the bodywork/prepwork yerself and take it to a shop to have them shoot the paint. im sure you can find a shop that will shoot it for you and some will even shoot the product you bring.
look into kirker paint. they have been around a long time. theyre paint products are reasonably priced and good quality.

supplies( including sandpaper, body filer, rags, lacquer thinner to clean the guns, wax and grease remover, tack cloths, spreaders for filler, more sandpaper, paint strainers,mixing cups,electricity to run everything,etc) for a quality paint job aint cheap. that's just a fact that has to be accepted.

I just want it to be as cost effective as possible. How would it be if I just sand down the paint there, have maybe another layer sprayed over it, and then cleared? From what I understand orange peel can just be sanded down

To do everything for $1000 CORRECTLY is going to be just about impossible. Don't take this the wrong way.
Sure, you can get a 20-33 gallon cheapo compressor, my beloved HF Purple Gun (joking!), a $20 DA sander and a few other goodies for less than $1000 and paint your car. Not much less, but a little less. There are a lot of things you might not think of that add up quickly.

The problem is: quality of tools and chances of failure or mistake goes up dramatically.

Let me clarify. When you have an air compressor that doesn't keep up with your tools, paint gun, etc., you have a water problem. The compressor will be constantly working which builds water in the lines, condensation. It will also run out of air when using a DA sander or paint gun for any length of time and you will have to wait for it to catch up. The tank runs low and the pump tries to catch up. If it runs out of air in the middle of spraying, it can cause runs or sputtering across the panel. A 60 - 80 gallon compressor with adequate plumbing and filters/traps will not have these issues.

Cheap tools wear out quickly or break easily. They have very little resale value. Good quality tools last a long time and keep their resale value. A $20 HF sander might last 1 or 2 years of normal use, if that. A National Detroit sander can last 20 - 30 years in the right hands. Same with paint guns and other autobody tools.

Before I started painting my own cars, my dad and I did all the bodywork and primer before sending them to MAACO or Earl Scheib to be painted. We did this with at least 20 - 30 cars. Yes, they might not have the best reputation due to the cheap quickie jobs they have done in the past. If you do all of the prep work (correctly) and supply the paint/clear, it is on them to shoot it correctly. Some shops won't allow you to do this anymore, but its worth a shot to call around. After-all, the guys working at these shops shoot paint all day, so you have a good chance at a decent paint job. Ask to see finished vehicles before making a commitment.

So, I am working on just the frame of a 1950 chevy pickup. After sandblasting to the bare metal, I spent the following to get it finished...

1) Epoxy Primer.. A little less than a gallon, but since you cant buy 'a little less than a gallon' 1 Gallon at $380 with the proper reducer.

2) Urethane High Build Primer.. same story as above, so $280 complete with the proper reducer.

3) Epoxy Sealer.. same thing.. $260 complete

4) Single stage Urethane topcoat $320 complete. In your case with base/clear, more than that.

Now, having spent about $1200 plus on paint, let alone the sandpaper rolls, a gallon of Rage Gold, a quart of polyester glaze, hardeners, etc. I have to ask you.. do you REALLY want to roll the dice on your compressor, paint gun, etc?

My answer to that question was no, and to just get started and to protect the above investment so I didn't have to worry about anything other than my lack of talent, which is CLEARLY enough to send anyone to the funny farm, I also did the following...

1) TWO 60 gallon compressors ($1000) in tandem delivering the CFM needed with enough of a security window to run...

2) TWO devilbiss guns. A Finishline 4 master kit with 1.4, 1.5, 1.8, and 2.2 fluid tips. and a Tekna Copper 7E7 gun for the topcoat. Total: $750

3) One QC3 Devilbiss Dessicant water trap system with prefilter and a questionable, but useful line system to ensure proper water trapping out of the compressor. $200

4) One Jenny 24 inch Explosion Proof Ventilation Fan that evacuates all of the crud that can land on your precious paint job if you don't do something about it.. $800

That is for the frame. Not the rear end, front end, radiator bracket, cab, fenders, hood, doors, bed, etc, etc, etc.

Hope this helps, but Im thinking get some more estimates and pay the price unless you plan on doing this more than just once.

I just went through this tooling up process, if you manage to get everything for $1000 you`ll be lucky for one, and then...the learning curve...will probably cost you more than that. There`s a good reason body shops get $50 an hour and up, because it take skill to get it right. I painted an old dented up door last night just to try and learn to spray, it looks horrible fyi. I actually got orange peel, runs, and solvent pop all on the same door, oh and dry spray of course. And did I mention I used a 1.3 tip...it was metallic paint, none of the metallic came out, its solid silver, had I have used a 1.4 tip..... I could go on and on....

This is my story, you are gonna need more patience than money.