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.
Making progress:
And the finished product:
