pikkashoe

After having my ssr gt3's painted by a body shop and not getting the quality outcome I wanted, I have decided to learn how to paint.

Anyone know where I can get the spray guns used by pro body shops and the compressor as well? Anybody have any website which I might be able to buy or find info on this.

Im looking to get a spray gun and compressor, I know where to get the paint.

Im going to start by learning on an old set of wheels i have and on my friends beater car.

wanabe

lotsa places out there... here is one:

http://www.ketone.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=...5bb3134a6d3a7d0

i wana hear about your experience with this!!

Ubetit

I don't want to discourage you but be prepared to spend a ton of money. You need a quality high flowing compressor that delivers dry air (air filters and decissant canisters attached to the lines or an AC system.) The new HVLP (high pressure, low volume) guns aren't cheap either.

http://members.tripod.com/~bobstory/faq.html

A quality body shop should be able to paint your wheels to perfection. Maybe you just came across a bad one?

darkknight1999

to get set up to properly paint your wheels... will cost you more than just buying new wheels

pikkashoe

Ok, well how much are we talking about here? Nothing too fancy, I am not looking for the top of the line set up with downdraft booths and the works.

Looking to just be able to do it myself, and maybe make some money as well.

Ubetit, thanks for the info, I took my wheels to what I thought was a reputable place, biggest HRE dealer in miami, wheels have gone back twice to be redone, appears the guy doing them is painting them next to a lint factory, because they always come back with minor imperfections and things in the gloss coat. At this point I cant even send them back because my tires on my car now are completely bald. So I will just have to live with them. You cant see the imperfections unless you are close to the wheels, but I dont feel they did a good a job as can be.

darkknight1999

If you want them perfect, you should find a body shop that works on high end cars, like Lambo's, Ferreri's, MB... and make sure they do the work in the booth. A good shop will have a nice downdraft heated booth... most shops will have a booth but a really nice booth can cost $200k so that's why I said to look at the high end car shop.

You can just call Ferreri of Miami or Lambo of Miami and ask them where they take there cars because your looking for quality work. They'll be more than happy to tell you.

pikkashoe

Yeah I know, I work for an insurance company and I now which shops are good. I just figured this guy would do them right since he does only rims and sends $10000 HRE's to get painted all the time. I initially was going to do what you said darkknight, but none of the body shops would touch the rims since they where 3 piece wheels and they did not know how to take them apart. So there is where the problem started. The place where I am getting my wheels done now, quoted me $100 a wheel to take them apart and put them back together, this along with paying $100 wheel at the high end shop to refinish them, started getting really expensive. The wheel shop, stated they would refinish them, take them apart and put them back together for $500. And to top if all off, they where only able to take 2 wheels apart, they could not take the fronts apart, so I ended up taking the fronts to another place to get them taken apart, another $200. And the best part, when I took the wheels back to get painted, the guy was unwilling to lower the price he originally quoted ($500). Eventually we worked out a deal, but after much arguing.

darkknight1999

Dang man that sucks...

You're about half way to new wheels at this point... Do you have any pictures of the dirt and junk in the paint? And by any chance did you pay with a CC?

Ubetit

Unfortunately wheel shops usually can't afford the equipment the body shops have. I've seen the paint equipment of our local wheel shop and I tell you i'd never get my wheels painted there. They showed me a wheel they were proud of and i could tell where the repair was before I bent over. The paint also had clear coat bubbles. This was a Lambo wheel and i would have been pissed.

It is unfortunate those wheels are so hard to take apart. Good luck.

pikkashoe

At this point, im still about $500 below the price of what new wheels would of cost, not to mention I cant even find them available (already thought of this!).

I have not paid yet, and I plan on paying with Amex, if they come back really bad, I might just take the wheels and contest the charges and see if Amex can refund some if not all my money. I have already given the vendor 3 chances to remedy the problem.

Worse part is I recently found a reputable place that I can trust that can take the wheels apart for $50 a piece. If I would of known this, I would of sent my wheels to the high end shop for refinishing, or better yet powder coating!

Ubetit, the wheel shop is subleting the work out to someone. But who ever is doing it is not properly set up to be painting. Appears these wheels are really tought to take apart, where as HRE's and I-forge are very simple, this is my understanding after going thru this whole ordeal. I went to 5 different places that where recommended to me to have them taken apart, 3 said they could not do them, one is the place I have them at now being refinished, and the other place wanted $130 a wheel, and they also wanted to charge me to take the tires off!

The first time i got my wheels back, they had massive clear coat runs, I could clearly see where the prior dmg was as well, I went crazy and told the guy to send them to get painted at a place that doesn't use a roller to paint!!!

Second time same thing, massive clear coat runs, dust, dirt and lint in the paint, and just an over all crappy job.

Lets see what happens the third time around.