A budget guide to giving new life to an old bonnet, inspired by some of the truly terrifying home paintjobs here on boost.

Materials Required:

-2 sheets of the following:
800 grit W&D sandpaper
1200 grit W&D sandpaper
2000 grit W&D sandpaper
2500 grit W&D sandpaper
-Grey Primer
-Gloss Black Acrylic Automotive Paint
-Acrylic Clearcoat
-4 litres of general purpose thinners
-Big bottle of water
-Cutting compound
-180 grit and 320 grit orbital sandpaper
-Plastic body filler
-A few rags
-Rust dissolver
-Grease and Wax remover
-Tack Cloths
-Paint filters
-Airbrush paints *I get mine from www.airbrushmegastore.com (no sponsorship/ownership/personal contact)
-Paint Stripper

Tools Required:

-Spraygun with 1.0mm - 1.4mm fluid tip
-Air-compressor with regulator
-Airbrush with 0.5mm fluid tip
-Orbital Sander
-Detail sander
-Putty knife
-Sanding block
-Respirator
-Paint scraper
-Solvent-proof containers


Lets get started:

First take the bonnet off your car (usually 4 bolts, not hard to do) and remove any latches or attachments.
[attachmentid=600543]

Clean the bonnet and start to strip the paint from the top, follow the instructions on the paint stripper container.
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I discovered some poorly repaired damage on my bonnet and removed all the old filler.
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I proceed to sand the bonnet with 180 grit on my orbital sander, apply filler to damage (1 part hardener to 50 part filler, use a match and matchbox as reference) and when it sets I sand it down with 320 grit backed by a sanding block, then I go over the whole bonnet with 320 grit on my orbital sander.
[attachmentid=600547]
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Then I go over the whole top with Rust Dissolver and a rag.
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Next I clean the bonnet with Wax and grease remover, use one side of a rag to apply it and the other side to wipe it off.
Now primer is applied (mix 1 to 1 with general purpose thinners), spray at 40 psi with the spray pattern as wide as possible. No set pattern needs to be observed, just get about 4 coats of even coverage. Give about 10 minutes between each coat and don't bother straining primer.
[attachmentid=600552]

After the primer drys, I flip the bonnet over and do the same, using a detail sander in place of the orbital.
[attachmentid=600556]
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After the primer on the underside drys, I flip the bonnet over again and wet-sand with 800 grit and a sanding block. I use an old 4litre vinegar bottle filled with water and a splash of detergent for wet sanding.
Try and remove any scratches, dirt and other defects.
[attachmentid=600564]

After the wet-sanding is done, clean the surface with a dry rag and mix up your paint. I mix 2 parts thinners to 1 part paint, I also mix it in a handy marked solvent-proof container (Using a stainless steel bolt).
[attachmentid=600566]

Now I go over the surface with a tack cloth to get rid of any residue.
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Next, I pour the mixed paint through a paint strainer into my gun.
[attachmentid=600569]

So now to spraying, at 40psi, try and keep the gun about 15-20cm from the surface and spray in semi-overlapping lines. I work from one side to the middle and then change sides.
You will see here that there is some very dodgy streaking effects occuring, this is because of poor gun cleaning habits, no time to stop though as the bonnet can only be off the car for two days.
Your first coat should be very light to help adhesion. Give it 10-15 minutes "flashoff'' time between each coat.
[attachmentid=600571]

This is what you SHOULD do with your gun after use, soak it in thinners overnight and scrub it the next day.
[attachmentid=600572]

After about 5 thick coats. To make a coat thicker, move slower or pull the trigger harder.
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When the paint is dry, flip over the bonnet and repeat.
See how much more even the light coat is with a clean gun?
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Many thick coats later...
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When the underside is dry, flip the bonnet over again and wet-sand the top with 800 grit until all the "orange-peel'' effect is gone along with any defects in the paint.
[attachmentid=600578]

If you sand through on an edge, use a cheap airbrush and black paint to touchup before sanding again.
[attachmentid=600579]

Now you can clean the surface, tack cloth it and airbrush your design.
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Now tack cloth your bonnet again and mix up your clear (2 parts thinners, 1 part clear) remember to strain it and spray one light coat, give it 10-15 minutes before coming back and spraying 6 heavy coats with 10-15 minutes between each one.
[attachmentid=600582]

I let my clearcoat dry overnight, you should allow longer but I'm in a hurry.
Next I wet-sand with 1200 grit until all the ''orange-peel'' and defects are gone.
[attachmentid=600585]

Then 2000 grit to get rid of the scuff marks of 1200 grit.
Then 2500 grit to get rid of the scuff marks of 2000 grit...
Clean up all the residue with a damp clean cloth.
[attachmentid=600587]

Now apply cutting compound and polish the bonnet. I use a cheap orbital polisher and drag it back and forth across the bonnet in the same pattern as I spray.
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After about half an hour of polishing it should look like this.
[attachmentid=600590]

Get someone to help you refit the hood, don't want to chip that lovely paint...
[attachmentid=600591]

Detail and such...
[attachmentid=600592]
[attachmentid=600593]


Hope you enjoyed this guide.

Upcoming Mundi's Guides:
-Homemade obnoxious exhaust systems.

Other guides can be arranged by request.

Good free airbrush tutorials are available on www.airbrushtricks.com
I use Autoair paints, personal choice (No sponsorship). My favourite airbrush is an Iwata HP-CS.

thats pretty awsome.

Paint the rest of the car black now

Yes Sir!

nice guide man
will help me a lot lol

ps when u puttin that exhaust guide up

Good work man.

No worries, sing out it you get stuck or mess up (I've messed up enough to know how to save something from disaster).

Going to get a couple of cheap twin-tips and some 3inch mild-steel steampipe in the next two weeks, so the guide isn't too far away, and it'll be budget - real budget.



Thanks mate!

nice work mate, looks good

Cheers.





Don't forget guys, if you want a guide covering anything to do with airbrushing, ask. Be specific and I can write the guide quickly!

Wow. Some very very nice airbrushing. To be honest some of the stuff ive seen on show cars etc looks very amatuer. That however is a great job

You're making me blush....