Happy New Year! I've always wrenched with no power tools in my garage. Just never really could seem to budget a good sized air compressor. But now I'm going to be painting my '55 Mercury this summer and am wondering this.... Is a 60 gallon compressor enough to paint a car of this size? Any input greatly appreciated - thanks! Greaser Bob
Should be plenty for painting, I assume your using a hvlp gun. With the pressure they run (under 45 psi) you shouldn't have any problems.... ...
Tank size doesn't have nearly as much to do with it as CFM.... Anyways, buy the most compressor you can afford, or you'll regret it later.
The tank size, although important, is secondary to the rating of the compressor. Choose your gun, and see how much CFM it takes to paint. Also use 3/8" hoses and hi-flow fittings.
You will need at least 14.5 CFM to paint a compleat car that is all together , and at 14.5 the compressor will run pretty hot trying to keep up !!!
HVLP guns don't use as much pressure as a conventional gun, but they do use a LOT of air. You need to determine the CFM requirement of the gun you're planning on using and buy the compressor accordingly.
A couple of other things, make sure it it a true 5 hp motor rated for compressor duty. Walk away from a 3450 rpm motor. Find a compressor with a 1745-50rpm. This will keep the pump rpm’s down,=less heat. If you are in it for the long haul, check the compressor valves, discs are better than reeds. pump on this beast turns 450rpm. It is quiet and doesn’t build much heat.
I bought a 2 cylinder Quincy compressor in 1967. I still have it, and it's on it's second 5 hp electric motor, but the compressor head is untouched. I have painted over a hundred cars with it, and used lots of air tools.
Metallic or solid color? If solid painting panel by panel gives you and the compressor a chance to rest.
A good HVLP or LVLP gun is definite and a 60 should do the job. You're not going to be at 14-15 cfm all the time so the rig has time to recover it's volume. With the tips given I'd strongly recommend a superior filter/dryer system feeding the gun-one that mounts on the compressor rig, not a teeny thing on the gun itself. Building up a good system isn't cheap by any means, and expensive for just one car. I think I've about broken even on mine with 5 cars painted. Do your research on paint systems.
I also have a Quincy 325 2-stage compressor, built in 1966. Cast iron, pressure lubricated, 19 CFM with a 60 gal. tank. Have painted cars (before there was such a thing as HVLP), run a blast cabinet & pressure pot sandblaster, & most every type of air tool. Bought it out a of shop in Chicago that was closing. Had to swap the 3-phase motor for a single-phase motor. When that was done, I had a Quincy tech come over to check it out. He gave it a clean bill of health & told me it would probably outlast me as long as I maintained it properly! Buy the best one you can afford. I second the above comments concerning the 1750 rpm motor & disc valves.
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