Have a perfectly good paint so I'm gonna paint it anyways...advice?

[Zoro]

This is my 1985 Eagle Wagon



It has a great paint job on it right now with a couple spots of rust coming thru but I'd like to change the color so that it doesn't look like quite the granny mobile. I'm thinking that I'd like to go to a metallic blue and paint the plastics black unless you guys can think of a better paint combo.

What advice do you guys have for a novice? How far does it need sanded down? What type of paint and how about an economical gun?

Last car I painted was a Cadillac out in a farm field in Amarillo, TX.

[rollguy]

To do a complete color change correctly, all the trim and removable parts need to come off. The guy I bought my sedan (http://forums.amceaglesden.com/index.php?topic=37254.0) from did it correctly, and the results are worth the effort.  Many times on paint jobs where the trim is just masked off, after a while moisture gets between the old and new paint and the new paint starts peeling.  It is hard to get the paint to stick up close to the trim.  Removing everything allows the paint to get under where the trim is, and leaves no entrance for moisture or dirt.  If you are using the same color, it is easier because the jambs and under side of  trunk (or hatch) and hood don't need painting.  Just my .02 though.....Rich

[Amc1320]

Im in the middle of a repainting project on the SX4 we are working on

there is a thread with pics in the Projects area

its the biggest and most difficult thing I have ever done to a car, I would rather change the drivetrain three times....

To do it right you need to remover everything, all the trim, moldings, everything

I also removed the doors and painted the jambs, as well as the hood

then a LOT of sanding, get it all roughed up good and smooth, down to 320 grit, then primer, then sand again, then primer again, finally wet sanding the primer!

Going to spray it hopefully this weekend, than begin putting it all back together

Use a lot of zip lock baggies and label everything

I have learned a lot, the biggest thing I have learned is why body shops charge so much, its a LOT of labor