I have metalic silver 1993 Toyota Camry. After hitting a deer, I replaced the hood w/ a flat black aftermarket hood. Now I want to have the hood repainted to reasonably match the metalic silver color of the car. This car has 150,000 miles on it so I don’t want to spend a fortune for a high end paint job. What are the alternatives ? I live in NH. I had one guy quote me $500 to repaint the hood. Is this reasonable ? Can anyone recommend a less expensive alternative ?
Thanks,
Mark
MAACO is about it.
Unless the car is low mileage and has been garaged most of its life, don’t expect a perfect paint match.
A factory color coded, newly painted hood is going to stand out like a sore thumb next to a normal, weathered 15 year old paint.
That 500 may sound high but there’s a lot more to the process than simply shooting new paint over the hood; at least if it’s done properly. Paint, thinner, primer, hardener, sandpaper, fish-eye eliminator, etc. all adds up.
I agree that MAACO is about your only option. Paint work is expensive. Of course, you could always just cover the hood with duct tape.
I too thought “Maine” then “Duct Tape”. If not, this may work: I read witin the last month of a fellow who had a primered mid-70’s car (Camaro or something like that) who painted his car with Rustoleum paint. His “secret” was to thin the paint, apply, wetsand, and reapply up to ten or so coats. The photos looked good. He did all the work outside in his driveway. If you have the time and about $40, you could probably get it done on your own.
I would get a can of maroon spray paint, and carefully tape off the hood, and for $25 I would have the looks of a 70s musclecar. You can add stripes or decals to customize the looks. Just watch a few episodes of Pimp My Ride to get additional ideas. You will have the most unique Toyota on the bock. Agree that silver would be very difficult to match.
Sand it down by hand with 180 grit. Spray it with a similar colar or a matching one if you’re that particular. When that is done and dry, wipe off the dust and spray it with clear coat. It’s all done with spray cans from a parts store or X-mart and the clear coating will shine like you won’t believe. I did my mini-truck like that and got three hundred more dollars for it, for about $18.
First, remove the hood. You better finish with 220-280 grit…Then buy a large can of Duplicolor spray paint and with the hood on saw horses, shoot it. No, it won’t be perfect, but it will be pretty good. Use several light coats, especially the first two, to avoid runs. The last coat you can lay on a little heavier but don’t overdo it…
Here is a link to a how-to on the rustoleum paint job:
http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html
Haven’t tried it myself.
You’ll also need a clearcoat. Apply this liberally but carefully.
I painted an old Land Cruiser with an electric paint gun once . . . but you have to practice a bit first. Get yourself an old appliance box (fridge, stove) and a few cans of Dupli-color at the parts store . . buy one can at a time and try to match it that way. Then practice on the box while it lays on your hood, to match the angle you’ll actually be addressing, so you can see where the paint will “run”. Get yourself a roll of masking tape and some old newspapers and mask off the areas which would get oversprayed, and do it yourself. At the very worst you’ll have to have someone re-spray it, which is where you are now. Oh, sand it with a light grit of sandpaper, just to rough the finish up to accept the paint better. Try it! Good luck . . Rocketman