Cost of Materials to Spray a Car

[JamieA]

I am aware that the answer is probably "how long is a piece of string?", but..

I am rebuilding an Austin 7 Ruby saloon and once the shell is ready, I am considering spraying it myself. However, I have no realistic idea how much the materials are likely cost. I can take a stab at the paint itself, but I always underestimate costs on any project, especially when it comes to the incidentals.

Leaving aside the cost of a compressor, spray gun and face mask, can anyone give a realistic idea of the cost of paint, thinners, tack rags, polishes and other materials to spray a complete Austin 7 Ruby, inside and out, including all of the panels?

Thank you.

James.

 

[steveo3002]

best have a look on ebay ?

are you going epoxy -2k top coat or something else? budget brands or top brands as theres a big difference

wont want alot for a small car like that

 

[steveo3002]

2ltr hb epoxy with thinners £70..might want double that if its rough

2k direct gloss kit 1ltr £30 prob need at least 3x - thats a cheap basic colour kit off ebay can easily pay triple that if wanting nice brand /certain colours

tack rags -£5

masking tape £3 a roll , prob want 6x

sandpaper /abrasives £100 maybe more its not cheap

gun wash 10ltr £25 -30

decent polishes £25 or each , need a coarse and milder one

 

[charlysays]

Filters for mask are about £30-£40 for abek1p3 and are consumable. You should be alright with one set of filters for the respray and other smelly work assuming adequate ventilation. Don't use isocyanate 2k without airfed RPE.
Disposable gloves for when spraying and general paint stuff. £10 approx.
Some chemical gloves for cleaning out your spray gun etc, Screwfix do some good ones cheap, £15 ish.
A few pairs of disposable hooded overalls or just an old hoodie.
You want a get up which, when combined with gloves and full face respirator, will protect your whole body.

Abrasives are a fairly significant expense.
You'll probably need 25-50 of each grit of mirka autonet 125 or 150mm depending on your DA sander pad size.

At a push you can cut back on the range of grits and do something like 80 grit (for rough finishing of filler or stripping paint), 180, 320, 600, 800.
Autonet are about £15 for 25 discs or £25 for 50 discs so you're looking at £60 minimum on abrasives (if skipping 800 grit).
Variety of sanding blocks including various flexible foam ones is useful, £20 approx.
This will get you to gun finish.
A Basic set up to get you beyond gun finish would be 1500grit to deal with dust nibs (not sure on price but under £15 probs) and a farecla g360 kit including pads (£45 approx).
For runs, a mirka shark tooth is really useful, probs about £15.

The better the gun finish the less flatting and abrasives you'll need so I'd always push towards runs than loads of orange peel.

 

[steveo3002]

will sir need any filler

 

[JamieA]

Thank you for the replies, which are really helpful. The difficulty that I was finding is that I have no idea what quantities of the products I would need. The details here will help me to estimate a price more accurately.

James

 

[steveo3002]

if money isnt super tight then i would try and buy a couple of liters too much for future touch ups saves alot of hassle if its from the same tin and 100% match

 

[Smallfry]

I am aware that the answer is probably "how long is a piece of string?", but..

I am rebuilding an Austin 7 Ruby saloon and once the shell is ready, I am considering spraying it myself. However, I have no realistic idea how much the materials are likely cost. I can take a stab at the paint itself, but I always underestimate costs on any project, especially when it comes to the incidentals.

Leaving aside the cost of a compressor, spray gun and face mask, can anyone give a realistic idea of the cost of paint, thinners, tack rags, polishes and other materials to spray a complete Austin 7 Ruby, inside and out, including all of the panels?

Thank you.

James.

Chassis and engine as well ? Is it alloy panels on a wooden frame ? Are you going to two tone it ?

I think they were originally brush painted, by guys who could paint.

 

[Greeves246]

Chassis and engine as well ? Is it alloy panels on a wooden frame ? Are you going to two tone it ?

I think they were originally brush painted, by guys who could paint.

Worked at a coachbuilders in the early 60s, Tekaloid coach enamel, oil based so brush marks flowed out unlike current water based stuff. Varnished after, beautiful gloss, always done after normal hours so no dust disturbance.

 

[bert]

Epoxy primer kit £130
Fantastic filler £30
Sanding discs £15 a box
Wet and dry paper £10
Paint £45 a liter, I buy 6l to do a beetle
Hardner 2.5l £50
Thinners 5l tin £50
Degreaser 5l £25
Cloths £15
Masking tape £30 a box
Masking paper
Static sheet

There is more I use but can't think of it all at the moment

 

[Jack Pattenden]

You can save a little bit on respirator filters at least as A1P3 will be fine. Going for ~£15 when I checked recently.

Jack

 

[Smallfry]

Worked at a coachbuilders in the early 60s, Tekaloid coach enamel, oil based so brush marks flowed out unlike current water based stuff. Varnished after, beautiful gloss, always done after normal hours so no dust disturbance.

Tekaloid. Thats the one. I remember old George, the panel wizard, with whom I did some of my apprenticeship telling me about it. He had a lot of long bristled brushes he used to use.

For the OP, I reckon to allow £500

 

[Morris]

2k paint has been mentioned but for an old vehicle like this it looks wrong to me. It's too glossy and "plastic" looking. Old stuff used enamel or cellulose which polish up but just looks like old paint should and acquired a patina from polishing.

 

[MetalMonkey]

It's worth asking - how good are you at spraying cars?

If you don't have much or any experience, then you need to factor in that you may be spraying it, or parts of it, several times over....
Things go wrong and it takes a lot of practice to get a good finish - and if you make a mistake (and everybody does) then most of the time the only way to rectify it is to sand it back down and respray.

All of which means a lot more expenditure in materials. A seasoned professional will be able to accurately estimate what they need and apply it with minimal wastage.
But if you are starting off what you need to worry about is your technique and doing the best possible job, and it costs whatever it costs - that's an added pressure you can't be worrying about - you'll have enough on your plate.

Initially you will need to be practicing a lot, possible on spare/scrap panels if you have them, before moving on to the vehicle and hopefully tackling the smaller/easier/separate parts before launching into spraying the whole shell.

Double your budget for materials and time, and you’ll probably still be underestimating.
Not wishing to be pessimistic or put you off, but it can be a difficult skill to acquire, so go in with your eyes open.

 

[charlysays]

You can save a little bit on respirator filters at least as A1P3 will be fine. Going for ~£15 when I checked recently.

Jack

I made a mistake in my post, I meant abek2p3!
Good to know a1p3 are that cheap!
When I did mine I used a2p3 as whilst it's a big shed, I deliberately had only low level ventilation to avoid too much dust coming in so I struck a balance between overspray landing on the paint Vs dust landing on the paint.
I guess it depends what he's spraying. 1k with good ventilation, a1p3 be fine but non isocyanate 2k products should use a2p3 unless decent ventilation.

 

[Jack Pattenden]

I made a mistake in my post, I meant abek2p3!
Good to know a1p3 are that cheap!
When I did mine I used a2p3 as whilst it's a big shed, I deliberately had only low level ventilation to avoid too much dust coming in so I struck a balance between overspray landing on the paint Vs dust landing on the paint.
I guess it depends what he's spraying. 1k with good ventilation, a1p3 be fine but non isocyanate 2k products should use a2p3 unless decent ventilation.

I also made a mistake - it's an even better deal! pro2000 ABEK2P3 40mm filters on uksafetyproducts.com for £15.50 inc. VAT. Not bad at all.

A few proprietary A1P3 masks and filters going on thesafetysupplycompany.co.uk for even less too. Nice to see that preserving your health has become a bit more affordable!

 

[steveo3002]

dont skimp on cheapo tape or abrasives , cheap stuff will make your life suck- always use a name brand on those