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first and most importantly, you're going to need a CLEAN & DRY AIR SUPPLY. If the air supply has shit in it, no matter what you do, the paint is going to look like ass. Get a filter that removes any moisture and particles from the air before entering the line and it's a good idea to have a filter before the gun. Now, the most important step in painting the car is in the body prep. Take the time to make sure the body is absolutely perfect. When I was doing my car, I had to take all the paint off the car (it was repainted 4 times) down to the sheetmetal to get it right...
it started like this...
was brought to this...
and after MANY hours of meticulous block sanding... perfect, ready for paint...
 It's all about the prep. Here's something I HIGHLY recomend you do. Fabricate a long light fixture you can set up behind you. When you wet sand, it'll help you spot areas that need attention simply by how the reflection is distorted. Pearl paints are a major pain in the ass. You have to adhere to the mfg instructions to the letter AND you have to paint it in an oven. Since (i'm guessing) the paint is going to be a 2 stage (paint then clear) an oven is needed. Why? 1. when you spray the color, you dont want any particles sticking to the paint. 2. the clear coat is nasty shit. It kicks up a fog and is the heavier part of the process. If you dont dry it quickly in an oven, it WILL sag. Small areas wont sag, but you're not painting a small area. make sure you stick to 1 mfg of paint. PPG, house of color, dupont, etc... Don't mix and match. I used nothing but PPG. From the body filler to the clear coat to the thinners. It was a bit pricey in Greece, but it's worth it. Once all is said and done, you'll have the great task of COLOR SANDING. this is where you get 1000-1200+ grade sandpaper and sand the shinny new paint. All you're doing is flattening the clearcoat so when you polish it, it looks like wet glass. You have to be VERY CAREFUL during this since you can easily gouge the paint and end up with deep scratches. once all the paint has been sanded, you'll need a special buffing pad and compounds. 3M makes everything you'll need... from foam buffing pads to the compounds... it's a 3 stage process (heavy cut--removes the sanding marks, machine buff--polishes, and a hand glaze)
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