| I obtained my 91Z 3 years ago and it really needed a paint job then. It has been used as a daily driver until the beginning of this year. The hatch and passenger t-top had started to rust, and the passenger door had a major dent and needed a new skin. The top surfaces were very faded and the paint was cracking in some areas. I obtained a door and t-top from the classifieds here and located a good hatch from a NA in a local junkyard several months back. Time was the only thing lacking to get my Z looking pristine again. In June of this year, I was told that I was being let go from my job of 14 years, so after taking 3 weeks of vacation in Fla and Co., the dismantling began. I have done several paint jobs before, but I am far from being a pro. This would be paint job number 8. The door was first to be replaced. Transferring the door went easy enough, but I soon realized that a 96 door is very different from my old 91. All the seatbelt mounts were missing. I had to cut out the mounts on the old door and weld them into the 96 door. The latch assy. also had a different wiring harness, so the latch had to be replaced as well.
Seatbelt mounts from old door removed
 
The hatch was next. Since the NA hatch had no spoiler and mine was probably due to start rotting, I decided to go wingless. (weight savings) I also saved more weight by removing the rear wiper assy and not installing the hatch weight. The hole was shaved. I'm not sure what to do about the washer nozzle hole, but the nozzle has been left there. The t-top was next which involved total dissassembly to swap our the metal piece and replace the moulding. Both bumpers were left on, but most other pieces were removed.
Shaved and wingless hatch
 The chrome on my nose panel was a mess, so that will be filled in for the smooth look.
Chrome removed and ready to be filled
 I constructed a booth in my garage using 1x2 lumber and clear plastic sheeting, and lots of duct tape and staples. 2 box fans blew in filtered air (thru a/c air filters duct taped to the fans) to the booth and another fan served as the exhaust. The booth always had positive pressure which also minimized the dust. Other than being hotter than hell in there, 98 degrees when I painted, my cheap booth served its purpose well. No dust or bugs ended up on the paint. I used a Harbor Freight hvlp gun to spray the car.
Budget booth
 I already had enough clear and primer laying around to paint the car, so I only needed to purchase 2 quarts of Aztec Red @$106/quart and some reducer. 1 coat of sealer, 2 coats of paint and 3 coats of clear and were applied. After the car was painted, I waited a week before colorsanding. This removes all the orange peel and gets the paint flat again. It took about a week and all my fingerprints on my right hand. Started with 1500 and finished with 2000. It was then buffed to bring out the final shine. All the moulding was replaced with new parts, new windshield washer nozzles and hose kit, new antenna mast, 3rd light assy for hatch, and new door handles were installed. My handles were starting to remove paint, so repainting them would be useless. I purchased the non-lighted models and swapped out the light assembly.
Almost ready to paint
Before colorsanding
Done!!
 
Heater core installation is next and start looking for a job. Not looking forward to either.
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Yet another Z has been painted (long) - 
04:57:02 10/21/07
