New to modifying cars

[Aetebet]

Hi all,

I own a 2001 Camry CE. I got it two years ago for $2500 and it is a wonderful car, never had a problem with it.

It's beginning to show it's age a little on the body and I'd like to start getting comfortable with modifying the car since it's old enough that I don't need to worry about making too many mistakes.

The first thing I'd like to do is repaint the grille and roof pillars. They're both black and the grille 's paint looks like it's been bleached from years in the sun and the roof pillar has some paint flecking off and rust forming. Neither are major cosmetic issues but I'd like to catch them now. How do I prep the pillar and grille for repainting? Also, is there a specific brand of spray paint I should use? I've got a friend who does posters and has all sorts of paints including high quality paint and so he was going to help out.

If anybody would like, I can post some pictures tomorrow of the car and the areas I'm going to be repainting!

Next up after this is sanding down the foggy headlights, then there's a body panel that was replaced a few years ago and the gloss/sealant is peeling.

Thanks everyone

Alex

[gr91]

yeah pictures are generally the BEST way to communicate through here ;] so pictures would be best, either way for modding, Its BEST to look in the DIY sticky thread its got ALOT of DIYs and Mods ;]
Camry FAQ ------> READ FIRST -----> Comprehensive List of Gen 3/4 INFO and DIY
there it goes, happy modding ;]

[Aetebet]

Thanks for the link I missed that one! Tomorrow I'll post some pictures and show exactly what I'm looking to paint.

[ONE_to_HATE]

first things' first.. DONT BE SCARED to break anything. LOL! i once paid a mechanic $65 to put in clear corners & blue light bulbs.. that was bad business, so i learned how to do it on my own.

[gr91]

Originally Posted by ONE_to_HATE

first things' first.. DONT BE SCARED to break anything. LOL! i once paid a mechanic $65 to put in clear corners & blue light bulbs.. that was bad business, so i learned how to do it on my own.

Damn straight! if anything, this car is THE MOST common car at the Junkyy ;] well in my junkyy anyway!
Its always best to do forum searches on here to save money and some time!

[xpeed]

Good luck with your project! I know I did a lot of work myself to my car which reminds me, I'm going to repaint my side mirrors soon to black. The last owner did a crappy job. So crappy even a five year old could of done a better job blindfolded.

[Aetebet]

Originally Posted by ONE_to_HATE

first things' first.. DONT BE SCARED to break anything. LOL! i once paid a mechanic $65 to put in clear corners & blue light bulbs.. that was bad business, so i learned how to do it on my own.

This will definitely be a completely DIY job, if I can do it myself there's no reason to spend the extra money for somebody else to have all the fun. Also the car in your sig looks amazing!

Originally Posted by gr91

Damn straight! if anything, this car is THE MOST common car at the Junkyy ;] well in my junkyy anyway!
Its always best to do forum searches on here to save money and some time!

Yeah I'm hoping that if anything does go wrong at least parts are easy to find and hopefully not an outrageous price.

Anyways here's some pics I took today!



This shows some of the damage on the roof pillars, small scratches and weathering have taken their toll so I'd like to repaint it. Does anybody have tips on prepping i.e. sanding and the sort of paint to use? Don't mind the peeling tinting... that's on the to do list...


The next few shots show what's happened to the grille, I'd like to paint it along with the roof pillars. I saw the guide on how to remove Gen3 grilles, is Gen4 the same or similar?






This panel was replaced before I got the car after it got into a fender bender. The sealant/gloss is coming off, any suggestions? It looks terrible when dirt gets stuck under the peeling gloss.


Yeah that was a turn taken too tight... I'll be getting new caps when I have the money and see something I like




My brother opened the door on a utility pole twice and left that grey smear, a wax job at the carwash didn't get it off but one of these days I'll get out the ToyoGuard and a rag and hopefully clean it up.


The side mirrors are looking kind of nasty, probably need to be repainted. White or black? I'm undecided


I'm looking at getting a few things starting with this chrome grille cover, is this one a decent price? I come from the world of high performance computers but my car knowledge is sadly lacking

http://www..com/sku/Toyota/Camry/Replacement/Grille_Assembly/2001/CE/4_Cyl_2-dot-2L/TY4007.html?intcmpid=Product+Listings+Best+Seller

Thanks for helping guys!

[gr91]

AZ painted those side pillars, he left them on the car, masked everything off and sanded and painted I REALLY hate to do this to you, but out of all his pages its there somewhere. lol
AZ's '96 Camry Wagon Build-Up Thread

on the other hand its not bad in body though, and the grille you could take it off and paint flat black or gloss white, maybe even do gunmetal, unfortunately im not much of a paint artist, i usually sand down, then spray with rattle can sandable primer then sand very lightly, then use a tack cloth then spray with I USUALLY use rim paint for black/ gunmetal, engine enamel for white, AND as for GLOSS black i use rustoleum paint thats supposed to be for smoking the lights, that one goes on super thick though.
well anyway i say you should use some type of flat black on the pillars. as for your rims, I LIKE EM ;] i'd just sand and do gunmetal color or white or something ;] but thats me. good luck!

EDIT I SERIOUSLY THOUGHT THOSE WERE RIMS >.< I HATE HUBCAPS, Im rollin on steelies with no caps :P

[Aetebet]

Originally Posted by gr91

AZ painted those side pillars, he left them on the car, masked everything off and sanded and painted I REALLY hate to do this to you, but out of all his pages its there somewhere. lol
AZ's '96 Camry Wagon Build-Up Thread

on the other hand its not bad in body though, and the grille you could take it off and paint flat black or gloss white, maybe even do gunmetal, unfortunately im not much of a paint artist, i usually sand down, then spray with rattle can sandable primer then sand very lightly, then use a tack cloth then spray with I USUALLY use rim paint for black/ gunmetal, engine enamel for white, AND as for GLOSS black i use rustoleum paint thats supposed to be for smoking the lights, that one goes on super thick though.
well anyway i say you should use some type of flat black on the pillars. as for your rims, I LIKE EM ;] i'd just sand and do gunmetal color or white or something ;] but thats me. good luck!

EDIT I SERIOUSLY THOUGHT THOSE WERE RIMS >.< I HATE HUBCAPS, Im rollin on steelies with no caps :P

Ah found it! It's a few pages back but I think I've got the idea of how to do this...

That thread said use 1200 grit sand paper and I found how to remove the grille so I'll paint both the pillars and grille a nice thick matte black.

Heh heh sneaky hubcaps thinking they're rims. I'm undecided on rims v. hubcaps. I'd like to get some cheap OEM hubcaps but also I'd like to try out rims. Maybe when the next paycheck rolls in I'll invest in some nice rims

[xpeed]

Why paint the pillars? Get the vinyls or plastic covers like I've done one mine. It's not too thick and looks flushed. 5 min job at most.

Before/After pic


Finished job.

[Aetebet]

Where can you find pillar covers? I did a quick Google and nothing really popped up for it. Also, do they come off easily? I'd like to make sure it's a more permanent fix which is why I'm leaning towards painting.

[xpeed]

^ They're held by 3M adhesive on the back. It's holding up pretty well. You need a lot of strength or screwdriver to take them off if you want to. Check ebay. They have them on sale. From chrome to carbon fiber imitation. Some even sell real carbon fiber but that's rare to find now.

[Aetebet]

So I began my work on this car by repainting the grille! A fairly simple and harmless job, I think it turned out quite well. Now times for pics

Took it out and sanded it down. Taking out the grille was quite a job until I realised I needed to push down on the back side of the bumper and it slid out.



Taped up and ready for priming



Primed with 4 coats of Rustoleum Auto Primer



Hung up to dry and paint the back side



Four more layers of Rustoleum Grill paint and enamel. Yes that's grill not grille. It's made to stand up to high temperatures without taking damage and I read on a truck forum that it's very useful for car grilles too and won't chip easily if debris hits it.



Just like new!



Tomorrow depending on what time I have I may look into painting the roof pillars, probably with something nicer than grille paint though. Next week's project is clearing up the lights and possibly painting some side mirrors. If anyone has tips or ideas for my little restoration project that'd be great!

P.S. does anybody have any thoughts on bumper repaints? Mine is chipped and looking pretty mangy.

[Jonate]

I wish I would have seen this thread earlier, I would have told you how to take off the grille... LOL, It was hard for me the first time too, pushing down the bumper was the last thing we think about.

Its commin along nicely! I would recommend doing the headlight restoration, it takes about 20 minutes and you get squishy clear lights.

Good luck on the build!
BTW: what part of Georgia you from?

[Aetebet]

Originally Posted by Jonate

I wish I would have seen this thread earlier, I would have told you how to take off the grille... LOL, It was hard for me the first time too, pushing down the bumper was the last thing we think about.

Its commin along nicely! I would recommend doing the headlight restoration, it takes about 20 minutes and you get squishy clear lights.

Good luck on the build!
BTW: what part of Georgia you from?

Yeah I got stumped after the bolts were out and I couldn't get the clips out and one thread said "push down on the bumper and push the grille at the same time" so I pushed the front of the bumper for 15 minutes and got nowhere then I finally reached inside to feel for a clip and push that down by accident and it started to slide out! It really is one of the less obvious things to try lol...

I think headlight restoration is definitely in order. Although the sticky I read said 1 hour per step with several steps... what sort of sanding did you do?

Thanks!

Oh and I'm up in Alpharetta, just north of Atlanta off of 400. I made a trip to Augusta over the summer and it was hot as anything down there! Although I've been told that spring and fall are very nice.