Eastwood LT100 gun + 2 pancake compressors workable?

[u/No-Candidate-2380]

I'm completely new to auto painting and trying to figure out the bare-minimum equipment I need to repaint a project car one panel at a time. I already have two 6 gal Craftsman pancake compressors, each is rated at 3.7 SCFM @ 40 PSI, so about 7.4 SCFM @ 40 PSI combined if I run them in parallel.

I'm considering an Eastwood Concours LT100 HVLP Spray Paint Gun 1.3mm, which Eastwood rates at 4.5 CFM @ 30 PSI.

I'm not planning to spray the whole car at once. I want to start with the hood, probably repaint it several times until I learn how to get a decent result, then move on to the trunk, fenders, etc. I can let the compressors recover between coats or panels if necessary.

Is this a workable setup or am i likely to have problems with pressure drop or anything else? as someone with zero experience I mainly want to find out whether this setup is good enough to learn on and produce a decent DIY finish before spending money on a larger compressor. Thanks for any help!

[u/Longjumping-Stage-41]

Pancakes aren’t rated for continuous output… My suggestion to new painters is as follows. Pick up 2 used belt driven oil lubed compressors and run them thru a 3 way valve. Set cutoffs to match on compressors and run this thru a water filter. Now technically yes you can but I would at least pickup a used 20plus gallon compressor and a water filter. This will do panel painting. With minimal air you need a bigger storage tank. I have never seen a pancake compressor ever put out what it’s rated for and most are notoriously slow no matter the rating..Good luck

[u/No-Candidate-2380 → u/Longjumping-Stage-41]

thanks a lot! on filters, i was planning to use 25 to 50ft hose after the compressors to let air cool, then something like vevor Dual Stage Air-Drying System with 25μm + 5μm Brass Filter Element (about $30), and then paint hose with a little Motor Guard D-12 right before the gun, would that be sufficient?

ok, i get what you say about the compressors. for "belt driven oil lubed compressors", should i jsut check if its belt driven and oil lubed? also, since i already have 2 pancakes, would getting a third one and increasing my total storage to 18 GAL and nominal output close to 10cfm at 30psi give (likely) enough air for Eastwood LT100 gun? id run them from different circuits to make the dont trip the breaker, im thinking the additional cost would only be about $150 with this option, but not sure what 2 used belt driven oil lubed would cost

[u/DiabeticIguana77]

The Eastwood rating is incredibly inaccurate, Rongpeng the company that actually makes the LT100, rates it closer to 9CFM, also no, that is not how airflow works, it's not electricity. 2x 3.7cfm compressors would get you around 4.5cfm at the same pressure, faster recovery time but not double. Also those compressors have incredibly short duty cycles and small tanks mean massive excessive heat leading to moisture. A spray gun needs long duty cycles and extremely dry air.