Looking into doing my first paint job next year.

I'm in the middle of doing this now. Its slow and tedious work. My current job also includes body work along the way, so it may not get color until next year, but we'll see. I also have some prior experience working in a sign shop where we painted large overhead signs for gas stations, so it's not exactly my first time behind the gun. I hung cheap tarps from the garage ceiling and put a couple of box fans with filters on them to push air for my improvised spray booth.

Last winter was rust repair, straightening and sanding, prime and paint of engine bay. Took all winter to do repairs and prep and then I sprayed it in the spring. Turned out nice, IMO, and I'll continue with the rest of the car.

Is it expensive, somewhat but that is relative. $20k+ for a pro job plus body work buys a lot of supplies. With required panel replacement and straightening, a pro job on my car would probably touch $50k, so that's some serious coin for a fun but not a show car. My fresh air supply compressor and mask system alone was $2500 and that has been the single biggest expense, but as others have said, coating your lungs in urethane isn't something I want to experience. I had a selection of basic body tools, but I've picked up a few more specialized pieces through this process along with a decent entry level spray gun set.

Sure, its only one car, and maybe I'll end up dropping $10k into it, but that still money ahead compared to subbing it out. I have had my son help me along the way. As a result of that, we also did a repaint on the front half of his Jeep and got a near perfect match to the factory. We had a bit more orange peel in the clear, but some sanding and buffing fixed that. He has also painted a replacement front fascia for one of his friend's cars, so having the tools around is actually getting more use than I expected.