351mustang

i was wondering if anyone has painted a car in there driveway..not in there garage..but actually outside?? i know a booth is the best way to go..and next step down is a garage..but if u have neither that are accessible next step down is your driveway lol...but i was wondering if anyone has done this and how good was it when completed?

psyviperx

unless your able to construct a tent or othet temporary structure that you can positivly pressurize to keep dust out then i wouldnt suggest it. Auto paint stays sticky for a pretty god time after its shot so it will collect alot of dust thats suspended in the air.

i have an idea that may/may not work. (works in theory)

Get one of those walled tent automotive covers, toss in a window unit that draws outside air add a filter or 2 onne inside and one outside for best results (the cheap fiberglass filters are rated to capture 40% of airborne debis pleated cloth filters are rated to capture 60% (i think)) you would also want an exhaust fan that pulls air out of the tent to evac fumes. The difficult part is that you want to pull more air in than you exhaust. that way when you open the door outside air doesnt come rushing in.

You wont reliably be able to control temperature or humidity in this booth (both of which effect the drying process wich will effect the final color) so you will have to shoot at similar times of day with similar weather conditions.

If i havnt thought of anything let me know painters. If you have any questions let me know.

briansgonnawin

psyviper seems to have nailed it right on.

Its fine to do a driveway paint job if you are redoing a fender or something, just make sure you can keep dust away.

I really wouldnt recommened doing the whole car though. ITs going to be a real headache setting it up and painting. In a booth you can set the Temp, it has the exhaust system that pulls all the dust down and creates a very small consitent movememnt of air. a mobile tent, its going to change temp dramatically probably. its going to be most likely really humid inthere. you will need to set up a system like viper mentioned with intake filters and exahust. but thats if you want to go all out. IF there is any wind while you are painting and the walls cause a sudden movement its going to move air inside and Its going to mess you up if you are spraying.

You can do it, you could jsut even do it with something that will block the wind, but dont expect perfection because you are going to get dust in the paint/clear doig this outside, unless of course you go all out

but thats just my thoughts

corvetteguy

I used my driveway once to paint my 911.
I did have a tarp that I put for a roof, but the
sides were open. I had to move to outside as
I was spraying IMRON and the fumes, even with
air masks will kill you.
If the air is still and you are lucky enough to do
it at a time of day when the bugs are not there
it will come out 99%.

psyviperx

if you have a few friends that can swing hammers a better paintbooth can be constructed rather cheaply with some 2x4s, plastic sheeting, cheap insylation, and the same filters, window unit, and exhaust fan. then after you paint it could be torn down or converted into an airconditioned garage/workshop.

jmbkustoms

Paint in your driveway? No problem.You control how long it dries by the reducer you use. If you know your painting speed then you adjust your reducers accordingly. In other words paint will usually flash (dry for the next coat) in 15 to 20 minutes if you use the reducer for your outside temerature. Obviously you cant make it all the way around your car in that amount of time so you have to use a slower reducer to adjust to however long it takes to get around the car/truck you are painting. Even if you get some debris in it the first 3 or 4 steps are easy to fix. Primer, sealer, base coat, graphics even, but .......... then there is the clear. It attracts bugs, it is transparent, so you cannot have ANY debris in it. A little somthing on the last coat of clear you can sand out, but the previous ones have to be perfect.
Build the temporary booth, place a fan on the inlet side, then cut an exhaust port somewhere in it. Make sure you place the fan on the inlet side, you CANNOT use it on the exhaust side because then you need an explosion proof motor to avoid possible ignition of fumes and those are about 800 to 1000 bux. You will also need a lot of bright light, you can use clear plastic to let in sunlight and add extra lights where needed, but just be careful of the static electricity that develops as this will affect how that paint lays as well. Rig up an inlet filter before the fan, just use some ac filters, and you are ready to paint. You would be better off renting a local paint booth if you have one locally and saving yourself hours of work.
Good luck,
JmB