Just got back...
from Adam's funeral in Cape Coral Florida, and it was rough thing to get through, but also very memorable and uplifting. More on that in the days ahead...
Jonathan, I was fortunate in that my (then light titanium color ) paint was in top condition, no dings, dents, scratches or delamination at all, so I merely scuffed the existing factory paint , used an acrylic sealer, then the basecoat/ clearcoat. Just about everything came off the car (Sorry for you guys that have heard all this umpteenth time) including the GFX , hood and trunklid. If you have severe delamination, flaking, crazing or such, stripping it may be the best approach.
You'll find that properly scuffed OEM paint that was in good shape is a very good base for new paint, and you'll get a great bond if prepped properly. Dawn wash, degrease with Prep-Sol , then A tinted (to match whichever color you're painting the car ) acrylic sealer will ensure no bad karma , be it bleeding, chemical reactions, between the oem paint and the new, and you're ready
to spray.
Total material cost back in 1997 when I did it; $350
Bear in mind, that was with an old siphon- feed Sharpe spray gun and some of you may know those old guns spray more paint into the air than they do on the car, so you waste a lot. The color change of course adds quite a bit more to the equation also. If you had a modern HVLP spray gun, and painted the car the same color, you could probably cut that material cost in half.
Yes, we all want to think what we have is "best" but, as happy as I am with my DuPont paint, and I'm tickled silly, it's simply wrong for me to say it 's better than those other brands. A friend has a high-end body shop that specializes in BMW, Ferraris, Lexus etc. and they used to use Glasurit, but have switched over to PPG. In fact, my car's rear bumper was replaced and painted by them last year after I was rear -ended, and they used PPG paint on it. It simply looks as glossy as the rest of the car-no difference. Lexus repair facilities specify BASF paint, and it too looks killer, so just buy a top name and you'll have what you want. Remember; YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR when it comes to paint, and all these paints are pricey. When the supplier tells you a quart of X brand costs $70 but he can sell you the equivalent in a non-familiar name brand for $35...well..the difference is often visible, in clarity, durability, and elastomeric abilities...
My only advice; If you've never painted a car before, think long and hard about it . Some things are best left to the pros. Just find one that uses a top brand paint, and you'll SHINE. hehe
Cheers.