My budget garage paint job, (Lots of pics!) Options

[ImportChick95]

Hi.
I just wanted to share some pictures of my celica and hopefully inspire some of you people with a budget.
My celica was painted in the garage with all bodywork and paint done by me. The whole paint job cost me $600. I never took classes for any of this stuff so I'm confident anyone can do it.

I bought this car 9 months ago for $1800. The body wasn't in the greatest shape.. but I saw potential in the poor thing and thus, became determined to bring back her beauty (on a budget).

The first thing I tackled was the rust. Aside from surface rust, the body and frame was actually very clean. Everything was intact. I grinded everything off and sealed with por15. The driver side door had a small rust hole on the bottom left corner. It bothered me so much that I replaced the whole driver side door with a rust-free one. Yes, I know, I'm super picky!

Original door with rust hole.


Close up of rust.


New door.



My life-saver-- por15. I love this stuff... well, except when it gets on my hands, then I hate it. (my room is messy)


Sanded down.



Base coat. Sorry, no pic of her in primer. I was too busy to snap a picture.



Cleared, wetsanded, and buffed. Car is super dirty at this point.






Everything put back on her.. by this time, it was dark outside.


I tried to take some better pictures today but it rained and was super cloudy. This was the best I could do.



I love the color. It's an OEM toyota supra color called anthracite. Here's a tiny collage I made on the color.


For a budget garage paint job, I think the car turned out great. I gleam with pride everytime I see it. I'm going to paint the trims this weekend as well as put on some rims.

I don't plan to work on anymore cars until next year. My '96 winter warrior corolla is next up in line. I think java black will be perfect for it. ...hmm, maybe jada green? Oh well, I have a whole year to think about it.

PS- I wanna thank my dad for his badass welding skills.

[ImportChick95]

Thanks everyone!!! -- I really appreciate your comments!

808celica-- Yep, the clear is on. I did about 3 layers of base & a good 4-5 layers of clear.

Rayme-- Thanks. I did primer, base, clear.. then wetsand the clear & buff.

joe_p3t-- How about new paint for your JDM tails? .. you buy the paint, of course

Celiracer18-- Yep, basecoat clearcoat. None of that crappy single stage stuff. Paint code is 1A1.

NgoFcuk-- Por15 works great. You can paint it directly over rust.. however, I prefer to sand/grind down the rust first & use metal prep before I lay down por15. Make sure you wear gloves when handling that stuff. They are very tough to remove once dry. That supra is NA with a fully rebuilt engine and all. Don't know how much power it makes but my dad curently dailys it.

97Celica-- You're right, $600 isn't really a budget. You can get your car painted for less or buy paint for a lot cheaper.. however, I went with the SLIGHTLY HIGHER end stuff. Clear (one gallon) cost me $180 alone. ..and my $600 includes sandpaper, body filler, buffing pads, & compound. Plus, the experience was well worth it. No regrets here at all. --- I did my civic the same way. It cost me $450 totalled to paint that. (pic in profile)

I took some more pictures today. She's a bit dirty because I left her in the rain last night. I will be painting the trims this weekend.