painting advice needed, original 914-6, doing metalic paint, can it be done? Options

[highways]

So I have a few questions... I'm restoring a 914-6 and want to cross all the "t's" and dot all the "i's". The body is stripped down to bear metal and bodywork is all straight. I want to do the spray job myself- and I'm totally confident in being able to do a good single coat job. But the original factory color on this 6 was a metalic color. Now I doubt that the exact paint type is still available (this was in the early days of metalic paint schemes) but I'm sure there's a modern three coat metalic color that's as close as it's ever going to be. So here are my questions:

1. Just how much more difficult is it to do a three coat metalic paint job compared to a normal paint job?

2. Is it possible for an skilled ametuer with a bit of practice (say on lots of large scrap sheet metal) to build enough proficiency for the project? If that ametuer can already do a good normal paint job...

3. The body will be painted inside and out... trunks, door jams, under bumpers, everywhere. Like I said ther car is pure bare metal currently. My concern is some of the smaller tighter radius concave and convex areas. How difficult is it to sufficiently paint these smaller radius areas like they did at the factory without drips and overspray?

4. How much is obsessive wet-sanding a determining factor in the final result of metalic jobs? I'm great at wet sanding- just concerned that professionally it's not part of the final process for metalic, or is it? Currently I understand that the skill with which the final clear coat is applied is the determining, and final quality of 'shine' factor.

5. How is the second coat (the metalic flake coat) applied evenly? Does it require special spray guns?

6. I'm going to build my own spray booth... do I need to consider special ventilation to prevent dried over spray from re-settling on the applied coat- creating roughness? Or can the booth be sealed and overspray in the air not be a concern to the car. (Me, the spray gun operator plans on wearing a full suit with compressed air pumped in to create a 'positive pressure' suit for respratory safety). Also- the booth will have to be electrical spark free (no light switches, cell phones, ect.) because I understand they can become explosive- filled with paint fumes. Is that scary fact alone a need for industrial type ventilation? Is it legal? Is static electricity a danger and how is it handled? I could imagine a synthetic paint suit making some static... hmmm.

7. Where can I find detailed information/DVD courses on do it yourself 3 coat metalic painting?

8. Are all three coats done in immediate succession, while paint is tacky or wet, or does the time frame not matter?

9. Am I insane for even considering doing this metalic 3 coat myself? I just can't afford a $5000 paint job... and I do trust myself to do a great non-metalic job... but I want to keep this car 100% original right down to the paint code number. I figure practice, and go for it! Talk me out of it, or forever hold your peace.

10. Considering that the car is completely bare metal- I'm curious about the possibility of doing exstensive POR-15(?) rust prevention painting pre everything else. Maybe even so far as essentially making the entire primer coat a POR-15 coat (914-6 timecapsule for the next 100 years!). Is this insane? A good or bad idea? I don't have experience using POR...

11. Any other advice, criticisms or dire warnings? Thanks in advance!

[914-8]

I'm currently doing a single stage job. Using DuPont ChromaOne. I've painted a car and other stuff in the past.

Current paints seem a bit harder to work with than in the past. Harder to get the balance between it "flowing" and running. Seems like a fine line. Didn't have that problem in the past.

One thing to consider is trying to make friends with a good body shop. Most of the labor in a job is prep work. If you do ALL the prep work and deliver the car to them "ready to spray" you might be surprised at how little it can cost.

I know someone who has a high end paint shop - I wouldn't call him a close friend by any stretch, but he has done work for me in the past and I've referred biz to him. To give an idea on costs, I sent a friend with an '80's 535 to him for a complete repaint. My friend was going to disassemble most of the trim, but not do any paint prep. work. The cost would have been $8,000.

I am undecided as to whether I am going to do the paint work on my 914 myself. I asked him how much for labor if I deliver the car "ready to spray," and he said $400 to $500. At that cost, it may not make sense for me to undergo the significant hassle and mess of a DIY garage job. Spraying primer is one thing, spraying the final color coat is something else.

The thing about paint is that anyone with enough patience, the right environment, and enough time and money can learn it, and can get a great job. The worse thing that can happen is that you go wrong at a stage and redo it. The biggest problem for a DIY, IMO, is having the right facility. It's tough doing it in your garage, the amount of overspray, fumes, and the "toxic cloud" from modern paints is surprisingly high. A DIY job in a garage will always require a significant colorsand and polish (not a big deal). Modern paints generally seem to be a lot slower drying than what I've used in the past. ChromaOne, for example, takes 2 hours before it is "dust free." That's a long time to be sitting around wet in a less than perfectly clean environment.

Here's how I conclude: If you want to do it as a learning experience and are going to enjoy the process, go for it. If you are only doing it to save money, seriously consider doing all the prep work and finding someone to do the final spray at a reasonable cost.