The first step was to pull the car in the garage, put it up on jack stands which make it much easier to paint, and clean it off. I used AcryliClean, which will take off the wax before any sanding or painting embeds that wax into the car. After cleaning came disassembly, where I removed everything I could (tail lights, marker lights, license plate, etc.). Thorough disassembly reduces masking & potential masking mistakes. With that, the car is ready for the bodywork.

For the bodywork, it is best to start by "bumping" the low spots up or the high spots down (for instance, the where someone closes the trunk on something, as was the case with my car) with a hammer & dolly. Using a body hammer on the high side & a dolly on the back, it is best to start at the edges working toward the center, gently moving the panel in the correct direction. If you can't get to the spot using a hammer & dolly, you can either use pry bars from the back side, or even drill a hole & use a slide hammer. These may be radical steps for some, but it may be the only way to avoid slathering 1/4" of filler into the area, which will only later crack and fall out. Besides, drilled holes can easily be filled via welding it closed (my preferred method, as it reduces the chance of rust entering) or by filling it with plastic filler later. Work all the areas until they're either perfect, or slightly low, which will allow filling.

With the body sheetmetal bumped out, the next step is to fill. Working with plastic filler (aka Bondo) is a process of repetitively applying filler to low spots, sanding it off, and repeating until the panel is straight. In my case, I used an old window (the BMW 2002 driver's side quarter window, which I won't be needing) to mix the filler on. With a spreader, I mixed the hardener in per the manufacturer's directions, working it such that a minimum of air bubbles are captured. Once mixed, I applied to the low areas of the car, spreading evenly, and trying to feather off at the edges. Once it has hardened, the best method of taking off is with an in-line sander, which is like a long board that sands in one plane. It rapidly removes material, bringing it closer to flat. You have to keep this moving, otherwise it will dig in, and the panel won't be straight. Once metal shows through, it's either straight (if no low spots are left -- you can use a guide coat of different color primer to tell), or it needs another coat of filler. Note that it's common to get air bubbles in the filler, which show up as "pin holes" in the final product. You'll want to fill those with filler, as primer is not likely to fill it properly. Repeat for each area of the body that needs help.

As stated previously, masking is made much easier if you've removed all the trim that you don't want overspray on. For me, the job of masking was made tougher in that I needed to expose part of the interior of the car (roll bar) without getting overspray all over. Note that you will absolutely need to mask off the holes left from removing tail lights (for instance), because overspray will end up all over the trunk if you don't. While I didn't remove the piece of rubber on the noes of the car where it meets the hood, I did mask it off. Carefully mask off all other trim as well. Save yourself a lot of headaches and use quality 3m masking tape. The best technique for masking is to mask the trim using a regular width masking tape, then tape down masking paper in the second pass. Once the paper is down, make sure it's taped down well enough to prevent overspray from coming underneath.

With the body roughed out and masked off, you'll want to go over it with progressively finer sanding paper, up to about 320 or 360 grit before painting. I go over the car with this finer paper on a DA to feather out any scratches (remember: you don't use the edge of the DA sander when you feather, especially on flat panels) or rock chips. I then lay down a layer of primer, and re-sand it. If you need to, you can lay down a contrasting dusting of primer (some people use spray cans of laquer for this) as a "guide coat", showing more explicitly where the low spots are. Make sure that no 80-grit gouges remain, or they'll show through the final coat. Also, make certain you're not leaving any bare metal. With that, you're ready for final prep, then paint.

A few words about paint. Painting can be hazardous. You cannot use a paper particle filter and expect it to filter out the stuff that is bad for your body. For laquers and enamels, you can use an activated charcoal filter, which can be obtained from a local body shop supply. Note that these have limited lifespans, and you must either replace the filter or the whole mask within a specified timeframe to keep it effective. For urethanes, you'll need a fresh air supply mask because charcoal filters aren't effective at filtering out isocyanates. See http://www.asosh.org/Programmes/SORDSA/Isocyanates.htm for more information.

You've likely already selected your paint at this point. However, if you're reading this article before you do so, you may want to consider doing what I did -- buying paint over the 'net. I bought acrylic catylized enamel from a company called "paint for cars" http://www.paintforcars.com/, which had very aggressive pricing. I found the product to be of good quality, shooting just fine and having a decent finish. We'll have to see how long it lasts. I will say that if you're on the west coast, you'll probably need to order 2 weeks in advance; shipping seems to be slow, with my first shipment taking from Sunday ordering to Thursday being shipped out. My clearcoat order is still outstanding, even after ordering nearly 2 weeks ago.

Assuming the car is straight, it's time for final paint prep. Since I was painting in the garage, I rigged up plastic sheeting all around the car. While this reduces overspray, the primary purpose is to reduce the amount of dust & junk that gets into the paint. Another trick that can reduce this is to wet down the floor, but you need to be careful not to get water on the paint. For getting the car ready, blow it off gently with clean compressed air, wipe it down with a lint-free rag with reducer/thinner, and finally wipe the car down with a tack cloth. The intent is to remove all dust and contaminants from the car that will either cause the paint to not lay properly, or embed themselves into the paint. Assuming the masking is still in tact, you're ready to paint.

Painting seems to be more of an art than a science. Make sure you're familiar with the instructions that come with the gun, and I certainly suggest practicing with the paint on something other than the car. Settings for air pressure incoming to the gun, cleanliness of the air, consistent pressure, fan, ambient temperature, and other items are all more or less under your control, and can drastically affect the paint result. After mixing my paint, straining it into the cup, and adjusting the fan, I applied two lighter "tack" coats to the car, followed with 1 coverage coat. For the most part, I'm happy with the result, but feel I could have let the paint flow out better in a few areas. This can be corrected once the paint is cured by wet sanding & buffing, which I have yet to do. While it may seem like I glossed over the painting process itself, it really does only take a fraction of the time that prep does. I may come back at a later date and revise this text to include more detail.

I really wished I had had the clear at this time. I would have prefered to apply it while the car was still masked. However, I had forgotten to order it, so I'll turn that to my advantage. I will wetsand the car with 800 grit or finer to get out any dust or texture, remask, then clear the car. This should result in a better finish than one that is cleared right after the paint, but it is a pain -- especially considering that the weather has turned bad, and I may not get another 65 degree day for painting for some time.

In summary, you can paint your car in the garage. It takes some tools, a lot of patience, and the desire to just go do it. I painted the Miata with good results, and expect I'll improve it at a later date with the clearcoat.