Preparing for Paint: Questions

[Strawman]

With the recent S52 swap now running great, I plan to work with a friend to repaint my '96 Calypsorot 318ti, since he has access to a paint booth and is an experienced body/paint guy. I have already purchased BASF/LIMCO Supreme Plus for the base color and Nason SelectClear for the clearcoat. I still need to purchase primer/sealer that will work with these paint materials. I'll do most of the simple/grunt prep work -- things like D/A sanding the rest of the clearcoat off, and removing parts that should be painted off the car (roundels, replacement front fenders, mirrors, front bumper, side skirts, etc.).

Unfortunately, the car will live outdoors, since my WRX-engined Porsche 914 wins the garage space... so I'm not expecting a show-car -- just something I won't be embarrassed to drive. As shown in the attached picture, the car is pretty bad now, with a dented front passenger fender and the clearcoat failing pretty much everywhere due to a previous poor paint job.

My question has to do with what trim should be removed/replaced and what could be removed/reinstalled:

For sure, I will remove and replace the outer door window weatherstrip, since mine is already butchered. These are part numbers 5121898053 left side and 5121898053 right side, and they cost ~$40 each. I will also replace the gasket at the base of the rear hatch window (51318146233 for ~$25), since that one is butchered, too.

Should I also remove the roof frame gaskets that are located above the doors? I suppose it would be best so that the paint gets in there/sticks best. These are the following part numbers :

1. forward left 51718233801 around $45
2. forward right 51718233802 around $45
3. rear left 51718202855 around $10
4. rear right 51718202855 around $10

I will also remove and paint the side mirrors, front bumper/dam and the twisty side skirts that are left over from the '98 M3 sedan that I bought for the S52 engine (and steering wheel, dash cluster, front hubs/brakes, etc.). Do I need to remove the side skirt gaskets to properly paint the skirts, and if so do I need to buy two new gaskets (51712234044 for ~$50 each)?

To be really anal retentive, should I remove the side rear windows so that the new paint can get in there? While this is apart, it would be the best time to replace the rear side window rubbers, which only come with new windows (51368242601 and 51368242602 for ~$150 each) because the rubber is split on both sides. And to be REALLY anal, should I remove the windows from the doors and replace the window guides (51328146247 and 51328146248 for ~$50 each), or will I see the tape line all the time and be pissed that I cut corners?

Replacing all of these gaskets/seals really adds up quickly -- like $650 for everything listed above. What have you guys who have resprayed your car replaced, and what did you merely tape/mask?

Geoff

[Strawman]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I already purchased new door handle surrounds/gaskets. They were only $14 each...

[cjfinan]

This is what I did for my repaint with the same color:
1) Remove Front/rear bumpers
2) remove all glass except windshield & hatch
3) Remove all weather stripping
4) Remove fuel door
5) Remove sunroof panel and seal
6) Remove both mirrors, washer jets, plastic cowls, front rear light assemblies, antennae, side markers, front splash guards, jack hole plugs.
7) Doors and hood were removed and painted separately to minimize tape lines
8) The more that is removed, the better the job, masking is easier and less change dirt will be blown out of hiding spot while your spraying.
90% of the job is prep work. When doing a complete car, you need to move at a good pace so you don't end up with dry spray when shooting from the other side. This is another good reason to disassemble further, as it breaks the job up into smaller pieces.
See the attached pictures

[Strawman]

Thanks, that is exactly what I was looking for! I went to a nearby Pick-n-Pull to see how the weatherstrip and rear windows come off (I bought the rear windows since the rubber/plastic was in better shape than mine -- half-off day!). Did you paint yours in your garage? And did you go with two-stage?

[cjfinan]

No problem. I blocked original paint down to primer and sprayed two coats of SPI epoxy primer - filled chips with glazing filler - blocked entire body flat and sealed with reduced SPI epoxy primer. Two coats of SPI Black Base and three coats of SPI Universal Clear. Doors and hood were on car until sealer,base and clear on body. I wanted to remove the hatch, but It is heavy and would have been a pain, so I left it on. Car was sprayed in two car garage with dual 8" high velocity fans from Harbor Freight. A booth would be better, but you would most likely need to get in and quickly and rushing the job can be a recipe for problems. You will also need a full body tyvec suit, gloves and preferably full face respirator or supplied air mask. The clear coat contains iso's, so proper protection is a must. Check out SPI's user group as an excellent source of paint/body information.

[cjfinan]

Yes I painted in garage and went with base/clear. A good quality single stage would work as well.


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