"And this is exactly why I taught myself bodywork and paint, bought a massive compressor and quality spray gun. Made many mistakes, but figured it out."
Dave,
Thanks for posting that. I did the same thing when I restored my '36 Chevy pickup in the early 1970s. I was very reluctant to try doing my own body work (no bondo) and painting because it seemed way beyond what I could learn. The dad of one of my buddies was a very experienced body man and painter and I'll remember his words as long as I live: "You won't learn any younger".
I contacted the manufacturers of air spray equipment and paint products for information and they very generously sent me lots of literature on how to use their products effectively. Starting the priming and painting process on small stuff like taillight buckets, headlight buckets and wheels I worked my way up to big body panels.
The restoration was complete in time for the 1976 VCCA National Meet in Colorado Springs. My wife and I drove to Colorado Springs from Southern California camping along the way in a tent, 1400 miles each way, and competed against the trailer queens delivered to the meet in enclosed trailers and won Class T-2 (1929-36 commercial vehicles). So the take-away from this is that a motivated amateur can do at least as well, and often better than the "professionals".
The old saying "If you want something done right, do it yourself" probably still applies and probably always will. In the 40+ years since the job was completed I've found FootStomper's statement to be true: "You'd be better off to learn to paint it yourself, so when asked "who painted that?" you can tell them you did it in your own backyard and they'll be impressed (despite any blemishes)." Even after owning my '36 since 1965 it's still nice to look at what was accomplished in a residential home garage with simple, inexpensive tools.
My suggestion to bartamos is "Go for it". If you get stuck on something people will gladly step up to help you.
