Flat to gloss transformation
 

Hey everyone. I know I dont post much here, i mostly read stuff. I thought id share this in case anyone wanted to do it themselves. Any beginner can do this but it requires a lot of labor.

I originally started with a flat black using Rustoleum protective enamel. I did about 1.5 - 2 coats on the entire car which was $30 in spray paint. I really liked it and it was a cheap solution to covering up the old scratched up paint. I thought of gloss but spent a lot of money on trial an error and all I got were fish eyes blushing etc. Flat is just plain easier to paint with for some reason. After about a month I missed my gloss and came up with a way to get it gloss for virtually nothing. $10 in fine grit sand paper (1000, 2000, and 3000 grit) and $10 in wax. In total $50...I just finished it today and it took me about 4 days and man does my shoulder hurt!

I did a panel at a time (eg front quarter, door, bumper, etc.) using 1000 grit first to smooth out the flat, then 2000 to remove those scratches and finally 3000 to get it smooth enough to shine. Then to get rid of the dull from the 3000 I polished it. I had to do some parts a couple times with 3000. Its the most important stage for getting it really shiny.

It turned out to be a really cool graphite color. You cant see it in the picture but its more of a pearlescent finish than a gloss...im very satisfied.

The first picture is what it looked like when I got it from the previous owner minus the rims. They kept the rims. The owner prior was a member here Adam. The second picture is what it looked like flat and then various pictures as I went through the process.

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/...5773354210.jpg

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_1758.jpg

Making progress:

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_1774.jpg

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_1783.jpg

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_1791.jpg

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_1814.jpg

And the finished product:

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_1824.jpg

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_1829.jpg

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_1827.jpg

Some other things to note, since ive had the car (8 months now) i replaced the front bumper, blacked out the tail lights, side markers and front blinkers, removed the damaged RS kit minus the spoiler, removed the aftermarket and stock trim. To me it was very tacky and ricey before, now its more elegant, smooth, simple...much more my style.

That is a ton of work wow. The end result looks great tho. Nice job Any chance of a high res close up on a panel?

Sure thing

that looks awesome now dude

Might wanna have someone clear it so it stays shiney. Good for you to be inventive about it.

A lot of hard work looks good

hell, the spray bomb would look better then my current paint job, looks awesome now!

and i like that you took off those damn ground effects!!!!!

Thanks everyone! And im glad someone agrees with me on the ground effects "ilovepizza". I always thought it looked too ricey, now it looks more like a muscle car. On top of that it didnt match up to the front.

I don't mind the RS kit but filling all the holes is why I haven't taken mine off. LMAO

http://i.imgur.com/BR8pPl.jpg

It does look good dont get me wrong, i like seeing it on OTHER camaros haha. I did keep the spoiler. I filled the holes with those plastic snaps, the thingies for panels. You can get away with it because your car is black youll barely notice them. You could even go as far as spraying them gloss black to match better. can you notice mine in the picture?

Now that you pointed it out, yes, I didn't even notice till you said something LOL

I think I can see them but barely in this photo

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/...8/IMG_1829.jpg

I agree, lay some clear coat down on top of that, cuz I have a feeling that over time, it will fade back to flat sooner than you might think.

Lot work nice job !!!

Flat is flat because of the texture. The way the light hits it. A smooth surface appears glossy because the light shines evenly over the surface. The smoother the surface the shinier it is. Try looking at some objects around your house with varying textures and notice how they differ in glossiness. The reason a clear coat makes a surface so shiny, is it fills in those microscopic bumps and creates a flat surface. So as long as the paint stays smooth my car will stay shiny. Of course the wax will wear and it wont be as shiny as it is now, but still glossy.

This is also why wax works so well, it not only removes some light scratches via buffing, but it leaves a very thin layer of wax. The last stage of buffing I did removed the final scratches. Thats how the process goes, you create larger scratches to cut through the rough surface, then work your way up to remove the scratches of the previous grit all the way up to 3000. 3000 grit leaves almost invisible individual lines, the buffing removes these final lines creating a perfect (or close to) perfectly flat surface.

Also my surface is smoother than your average gloss paint. The clear coat sprayed over still isnt perfectly flat from the factory. My paint is so smooth you slide off of it if you try to lean on it haha. It literally feels like a pearl when you run your hand over it, you can see yourself in it like a mirror. Its hard to capture just how shiny it really is.

You have paint ontop of the factory clear. That paint will not stay smooth and gloss unless it has a hard clear on it as paint is soft.

Well fortunatly if that does happen down the road its only 3.50 for a can of the same paint and i already have plenty of sand paper and polish to touch up :D Also i painted on a sanded surface. Im pretty sure i took the clear off and a light layer of the original paint. Not sure if that makes a difference. Here is a closer picture at a high res.

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/...le88/photo.jpg

I bet if you rattle can some clear on it I could wet sand and buff the shit out of it and make it look good. Did it to my buddies spoiler on his mustang. He rattle can some clear on it and I was a little worried about sanding it at first but once I did and buffed it you couldn't tell.

I was worried a while back when i was just painting my bumper. At the time it didnt make sense to me to sand it, i thought id leave permanent scratches in it. But after research and doing it myself, if done properly you can make it shine like nothing youve ever seen.

I know I've been doing detail work and sanding and buffing for a long time

Nice, good to know. Ill have to come to you for advice :) Im still pretty new at this.