Paint

First off...I HATE painting. Especially automotive painting. I just don't have the patience for all the prep work that is involved. With that being said, I dove into painting the new roll cage last night with much excitement.

Since the car was out of my hands for so long, and work has had me very busy lately, I haven't really worked on the car in months. This fact left me with quite an itch to scratch. Since the cage needed paint before anything else could happen to the car, this project was a no-brainer.

My first decision was color. I decided to stay with gloss black for now. I considered going to something like white or gray, but any major color change like that was going to require a repaint of the entire interior. Staying with black will allow me to get the job done much quicker and move my time and attention to more important aspects of getting the car ready.

My second decision was paint type. I chose Rustoleum Oil-Based Enamel. I've used this paint before and have been happy with its results and strength. It is also readily available at most hardware stores. This will make touchups very easy.

Finally, an application process had to be chosen. There are three main types here: brush/roller, rattle can, and spray gun. I settled on the brush/roller method because of its ease of use. Since both other methods produce plenty of clouding and overspray, extensive masking would have to be done and serious air handling issues would have to be dealt with. Manual application allows for a much cleaner process and hopefully a result that is just as good. Also, at less than $9/quart, the price is very attractive.

I spent a couple hours last night weaved in and around the cage painting all of the welded nodes and hard to reach places. With a little luck I should be able to finish the rest of the first coat on the cage tonight.