My 1984 Jeep DJ-5M is a work vehicle not meant for car shows. I drive it to deliver the mail in Rock Creek, Ohio and encounter dirt, mud, gravel, potholes, snow, and water covering the roads. So, if you are wondering why I am even talking about hand painting a car, you now know the reason. However, there is another reason.
I spoke with two body shops in the area about prepping and painting the car. One quoted me $3000 for just the prep work while another was significantly less at $500. Final paint work could have been done at MAACO for $300 for a basic enamel paint job. But the closest MAACO is in Akron which is about an hour away from Painesville. So, at the best it would cost $800 plus tax to paint a vehicle which would eventually be chipped and looking like I hand painted it anyway. Make sense?
My paint project was started without any instructions. But if I had taken the time to investigate how to do it, I may have found instructions like this. In that article, the painter mixed 50% Rustoleum paint with 50% mineral spirits to make a very thin paint. He then applied several coats of paint until it looked pretty good. I am not as concerned with the final outcome but his process seemed to have turned out pretty good for a backyard job. Look at the article for more insight as to how he did it.
