Hello all. While I'm not new to this forum, I don't know if I've ever posted a new thread. You all seem very kind and helpful to one another, and for that reason, I'm moving over from another forum, because I've grown tired of the attitudes of some of the "pro's" on the "other" forum. Having said that, here are my questions:

I'm about to the prep & paint stage on my fiberglass '32 coupe, and I'm trying to decide how much of that I should do myself. Keep in mind that the last car I built was in the early '80's, so Urethane is all new for me.

When I hear about $10-$20K to have a pro do my work, my knees begin to buckle. Oh, don't get me wrong. I know you PRO'S earn every penny of it. I think I just can't psychologically accept those #'s, plus I'm just hard-headed and want to do whatever is reasonable. I do have an 18'x25' garage which is freshly insulated and dry-walled, which is very clean and has loads fluorescent lighting, and which is separate from my shop. I have a 60 gallon compressor which outs out about 14.8 CF @ 90 psi. And, I have an old siphon fed gun for primer, along with two new HVLP guns from Harbor Freight, one of which is the newer, lower pressure model. I have a new AOS Professional respirator, head socks, and body suits. I've sprayed a fair amount of lacquer and acrylic enamel in the distant past. I was considering using the shop I referred to above to spray the car in, but have been warned that this may not be the smartest thing to do, and that if I insist on painting this myself, that I should at least use a booth. I thought of using 2-3 box fans, directed outward, below the garage door to vent the fumes out, and building filters for the entry door for incoming air. I've been warned that one spark from a fan motor could spell disaster. So, I don't know what to do. Should I prep, prime and wet sand everything, and pay someone to spray it all in a booth? Given what I read about quick flash times, should I just paint it in the garage, but leave the garage door open? In any case, I plan on having the frame powder coated, so that's not an issue.

Your advice is very valuable and will be appreciated. I don't want to spend more than I have to, but I don't want to be a fool either. Thanks guys