914 Bodywork, ...Zero Expereince... Options

[RangerRhett]

I have never done bodywork/paint on a car before.


I have a few dings in my '74LE (very minor) and I am dying to get it looking as good as I can for next summer. Since I have no experince, should I try/not try to learn how to paint/fix dents on my own?

On one hand, I would feel better doing the job myself. On the other hand, I don't want to screw it up worse than it already is... (it isn't that bad)...

A) In your opinion, Should I?
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/cool.gif) How do I learn how to paint stuff?

[J P Stein]

There are a couple ways to go....both of which are messy (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)
Do you want to go to bare metal or respray over the old stuff?
Both require some sanding tools...."some" ,heh...

I went to bare metal....thru 4-6 coats depending on where I was. Aircraft stripper is what I used....try to keep it out of lap joints. Build your booth and take off everything that can be removed....hoods, chrome, doors.....the whole works. If that idea doesn't scare ya, we'll go on.

Start in with the stripper in one corner or end and work your way out.....try to keep the stuff outta any seams. If there are only one or two color coats, it'll scrape off with a putty knife.
Wipe off the excess glop with rags & water, then dry.

Here is a thread from when I was doing mine. Read it & see if that's the way you wanna go. I think I said somewhere in here what my feelings were on it.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread....light=J+P+Stein