AutoBody101.com

Hey everyone ,

So I have a couple questions regarding compressor / gun matching.
Let me say this first, I know barely nothing about car painting techniques, I build engines and cars in general but im really new to auto body.

Alright, so I have an old 84 Toyota im in the process of swapping an engine into it. The body is straight but id like to respray it, its badly faded and peeling. I want to shoot it in my garage (26'x19') with a gun a friend gave me with a couple of needles (Lemmer A935) and my compressor (Porter Cable 20Gal 6.2 SCFM@40psi / 5.3 @90psi)

I did a little research and Lemmer recommends 7cfm @ 60psi. So obviously my compressor is Under the flow requirement. Also I heard 20gal is a little short for a car, I could always expand that with an aux 10gal tank giving 30gal total.

Thing is, I really dont want to invest 600$+ into a new compressor just to paint a car, and I just want a coat of paint, Im really not expecting a show car, if I could get a finish close to a recent factory finish (slight orange peel, not perfectly smooth) Id be totally fine with that. Id shoot a single stage paint to keep the process simple.

So are my goals realistic or should I abandon the project ?
I thought of shooting the car panel by panel to limit compressor usage, could that help?

Thank you for your insights !

Its a little more than just a gun and a compressor.

If you just want your car sprayed and your not really interested in the hobby then just pay someone to paint it. You could do some of the prep yourself but find someone first.

Primers, Sealers, Basecoat/Clearcoat or Single Stage paints add up FAST. Then there's the sandpaper, cleaners, air filters for the compressor....

Oh you're right it will add up fast, but I really want to do it myself, I have a huge respect for the talent in the hobby. But I want to be realistic with my goals and start somewhere, it'll be my first paintjob and I want to do the best I can with what I have. I rather have a non-perfect paintjob that will hone my skill as a painter rather than have someone else do it. I dont want to botch the job I just want to know if its doable to start with what I have to just sharpen my skill as an amateur painter. I always wanted to paint a car and I have the perfect car to try out, its not a collectible, the body is straight and the paint is completely cooked.

I kind of made the same move from mechanical to paint and body.
There is good information on the Info Center page.
Start with this article I wrote to help newcomers to the realm of auto body and paint.
https://www.autobody101.com/content/art ... ould-know/

I started out with a small compressor like that, I used a
Astro conventional gun, a Bink's copy, it worked fine.
I could spray at a lower pressure with that gun and it did very well.
I painted several cars before investing in better equipment.
You don't have to use HVLP to paint.
Remember, it uses a lot less air at a lower pressure and you can get away
with that with a conventional gun. I sprayed at 35 PSI.

https://www.ntxtools.com/network-tool-w ... KiEALw_wcB

'68 Coronet R/T wrote:I kind of made the same move from mechanical to paint and body.
There is good information on the Info Center page.
Start with this article I wrote to help newcomers to the realm of auto body and paint.
https://www.autobody101.com/content/art ... ould-know/

Okay that is exactly what I was looking for , great article. I already have about 90% of the stuff you listed so I'll do a list and buy the rest when I can. Thanks for all the great info , much apreciated. My garage is a little tight but ill make it work, anyway for my first project I just want to shoot the exterior the oem color, all the door jambs and Under the Hood is still in good shape.

As for the gun suggestion from the other reply it seems really nice but im wondering if I could experiment with my Lemmer and compressor I already have, I also have a good water trap but I need new air lines dedicated for my gun.

Thank you all for the replies , Im still wondering though, could I try HVLP on my setup even though im <1cfm Under the spec of the gun ? just curious, If not I'll look into a conventionnal gun to replace what I have.

warracer wrote:Oh you're right it will add up fast, but I really want to do it myself... I rather have a non-perfect paintjob that will hone my skill as a painter rather than have someone else do it. I dont want to botch the job I just want to know if its doable to start with what I have to just sharpen my skill as an amateur painter. I always wanted to paint a car and I have the perfect car to try out, its not a collectible, the body is straight and the paint is completely cooked.

Well then! that is different and you are certainly at the right place.

Perfect attitude, trust me, you can always sand it off and start over.

Start with what you have and do some test panels like your hood.

And feel free to ask any questions, these guys on this forum have YEARS of experience - post photos, make notes of what steps you are taking including weather conditions, materials, prep materials etc.

Most of all congratulations, welcome and plan on being addicted!

Too small of a compressor
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