After many months of prep, I finally painted my coupe over the weekend. My skills were not always the best when it came to bodywork. A lot of things had to be redone multiple times, but in the end, I couldn't be much happier with the way things turned out. I worked with solid colors mainly because it is my first job and they would be more forgiving. I have to say I love the combo. I went with some vintage tones. The lighting in my garage doesn't really reflect the true colors. I bit off a lot to chew with the layout. Getting the clear on in 24 hours was a stretch because of it. The white was the first coat and I got the clear on about 28 hours after that coat.

Masking and Color:
It was the masking that took way longer than expected. A 4 color motif requires a lot more masking especially when you add the numbers. I ordered some painters masking vinyl form USCutters and took it to the print shop. After getting them the files they needed, they had it cut in about 4 minutes and applying the vinyl was pretty straight forward. The masking on the rear and the cove got a little complex and took a lot of thought to get it right. I used 3M fine line tape which did well except when it went over dips, many spots showed bleeding. If there was no way to sand it out an touchup sticks only spread the bleeding paint over my white so I had to remask and spray. There is probably a technique to prevent this from happening in the first place. The remask did the trick as I sprayed lightly the second time so it wouldn't bleed into the white.

Clear:
I had tried a test panel that didn't go well in terms of orange peel. I watched a bunch of videos and read threads and this time it laid down very well. It flowed out great with a smaller nozzle , closer to the car and a slower speed. I have good to excellent gloss. I see now what caused the orange peel that I did have. Mostly it was due to overspray. The last passes should always be on the main surfaces. All the edges and funny angles should happen first.

Ventilation:
2 box fans and an explosion-proof fan did a pretty good job. For a garage spray booth, it was acceptable. A downdraft booth would be much nicer, though. The garage was fully sealed with Visqueen and a filtered inlet at one end.

Next up is wet sanding and polishing. The surface is in good shape with minimal trash except for the obligatory gnat. I have no idea where these come from when everything is sealed. Something tells me they hang out at the entry point like a dog waiting to go outside. The second you open the door, they bumrush you. This area may require a spot in with color and more clear. Other than that, sanding should go ok, but I am nervous about cut and polish. I may have to call a pro for that. Maybe I will get it close and let them finish. Baby steps...

Thank you to Jeff Miller for answering my unending questions and thank you to Srobinsonx2 for his thread that was very thorough and helpful. It was a grueling couple of days and there were times it didn't feel like fun anymore. Breathing thru a respirator all day long, sweating in a painter's hooded coverall with the clock ticking can be exhausting and very stressful. I have the utmost respect for the guys that do custom paint work like this.

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