I'm in a bit of sticky situation and thought I'd ask everyone here for some advice.

I recently hit a mattress box spring on the highway and it busted up my bumper pretty good. I've got it taped together at this point, there are two major cracks going across it and couple of the bolt tabs broke off. I got a quote for the repair and it came up to around $1100, that's to replace the bumper and also a couple of covers (wheel well and a couple of other plastic covers that came off). I'm waiting for a second quote but it'll likely be around the same since the fella there said I'll need a new bumper too.

I figured maybe I'll do it myself as money is fairly tight -- we're in the middle of planning a wedding. I get to acquire equipment that I can use in the future, save some money, and learn a new skill. The bumper itself is fairly cheap at only $130. I could get a second hand air compressor online.

I've got a few questions I'm hoping the experts here can help answer.

1) Is the Devilbiss Startingline kit no good? It seems a some people are saying it's a crappy gun. Will this gun suit my needs if all I want to do is respray a bumper and in the future spray other small parts?

2) I can get my hands on a Devilbiss JGA 570-10 new for $150, would this be a better option compared to the $130 Startingline that comes with two guns and a few tips?

3) If neither of those are good, what would you recommend? The FinishLine 4 FLG-670 is affordable and within my budget, is this the best option of the three?

4) Is a Speedaire 5 hp 10.1 cfm @ 90 compressor enough for the spray guns mentioned above? I'm not sure how many gallons it is but judging from the picture it's probably ~15-20 gallons at most. It's a 230V compressor so I'm guessing it'll plug into the power outlet for the clothes dryer.

The JGA 570-10 requires 9-12 CFM for the 1.0 mm tip and 19-22 CFM for a 1.2 mm tip so I'm guessing the Speedair isn't enough for this particular gun.

The FinishLine 4 FLG-670 requires 13 CFM, the Speedair should be able to push that amount at 40 PSI.

5) Am I in way over my head?! I like to get fairly hands on with this but this will likely be one of the bigger DIY projects I take on.

I'm not in a hurry to get the project done so I'm spending lots of time doing my research.

xmai77 wrote:

4) Is a Speedaire 5 hp 10.1 cfm @ 90 compressor enough for the spray guns mentioned above? I'm not sure how many gallons it is but judging from the picture it's probably ~15-20 gallons at most. It's a 230V compressor so I'm guessing it'll plug into the power outlet for the clothes dryer.

The FinishLine 4 FLG-670 requires 13 CFM, the Speedair should be able to push that amount at 40 PSI.
.

The 40 PSI rating is a useless number that's never obtained.
The compressor pump never pumps against a tank that's 40 PSI,
the pump always operates against what's in the tank, usually 90 PSI
or higher, so the replacement CFM is the lower number, 10.1 CFM
If your tank pressure is even higher, which is normal, then the compressor make-up
air is even lower than that figure.
It doesn't matter what the output PSI is set on.

Any of those guns can give you a decent finish,
I have a FLG-4 and it does a great job.
If you want a high end gun for a short time consider
buying a used one off Ebay then selling it again after you're done.
For just a bumper, that compressor will probably work fine.
More than 1 panel at a time, you'll probably run out of air.

The starting line kit is great for what it is, " a starting kit" I started with it and it made me plenty of money to upgrade shortly after, the finishline is a little better if it's in ur budget and u stick with it it's def worth it, I kno Chris sells guns on here in the storefront, and I don't mean to stear u away from here, but but another option is for u with a small compressor is the Eastwood concours gun, it only takes 4 cfm at 29psi I believe so it's good for home/small compressors. Def replace the bumper and look around on here to find the steps to prep the plastic and u should be good to go

Unless you really want to do this job yourself, I suggest you buy the replacement bumper cover and get someone to paint it for you.

Truth is you will be closing in on the $1100 price much quicker than you think.

'68 Coronet R/T wrote:Unless you really want to do this job yourself, I suggest you buy the replacement bumper cover and get someone to paint it for you.

Truth is you will be closing in on the $1100 price much quicker than you think.

Yea? :S

The bumper will run be about $200, $300 for a used air compressor, and $200 for the gun. That's running about $700, plus maybe $100-150 for the primer/paint/clear coat? It's definitely getting close to the estimates I got, but now I've got equipment that I can use for future projects . Do those estimates seem reasonable to you?

I would never discourage anyone from getting set up to pursue this as a hobby or business however if you were just buying all this to save $$$ then I needed to point out it would be cheaper to pay someone.

Experience has taught me that you will end up replacing most everything you are buying now with better equipment later on if you continue this "hobby." Nothing more frustrating than waiting for a compressor to "catch up" so your tool/spray gun/sander, etc. will work properly.

I got the Kobalt 60 gallon 220V comp from lowes. Used a 10% coupon from the post office moving kit. Got it for like $450, and its got plenty of air to paint cars and run a DA sander. I drain it before spraying and use disposable air filters at the gun, cost about $2 and last awhile. Works for me.

I recommend the Warwick 904H HVLP gun, set me back $120 and it works great with low overspray.