[MDPotter]

I've painted 4 whole vehicles and a few individual parts, so I am an expert by no means but can give you some insight from my perspective as a hobbyist. It looks like you've already made up your mind to do it yourself and that's great! Spraying single stage white paint is not that hard, just practice on a scrap panel or cardboard to get your technique down. Everything knomadd said is true and I'll add/emphasize a few things:

1. Bodywork is like 95% sanding. You will spend about 5% of your time spreading bondo, spraying primer, or spraying your finish coat. It's a process of using filler to do the mass of the work, followed by a finishing glaze, followed by a primer/surfacer, followed by sealer and paint. Like knomadd said, sand, sand, sand, sand, reapply, sand, sand, and sand some more. You will also learn how to apply, sand, and "feel" the panel with your hand. Your filler should feather out nicely around the edges which tells you that you don't have any hard edges and that it is adhering to the substrate. When "feeling" the panel, I lay my hand flat on the panel and move parallel with my fingers and that helps me feel the highs and lows.

2. The foundation of the paint job is your metal substrate. The best prep is sandblasting, but it's not the only option. The epoxy primer I use requires 80 grit scratches from a DA sander or roughly 180 grit over existing finishes.

3. In all scenarios, cleanliness is important. Always use W&G remover prior to applying any coating. I don't over sandblasted surfaces as they are too rough and will just grab whatever rag you are using. Besides, sandblasting leaves the surface clean but it should be blown off with compressed air before spraying.

4. White is a good choice as it is more forgiving than most colors.

5. Watch for pinholes. I find pinholes in my filler all the time. I don't know if I'm not mixing it right or applying it right, but the best way to find them is to use compressed air to blow off the surface and then wipe with W&G remover. I use dolphin glaze to fill them.

6. PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE. It will probably take you twice or three times as long as you think. And when something isn't going right and you get frustrated, it's best to walk away and come back to it later or the next day.

7. Be careful with heat. Sheet metal gets all screwed up when too much heat is introduced. Tack welds scattered are important on flat areas of sheet metal and letting them cool. You can run into the same issue when using a stud gun pulling dents. Too much heat and the sheet metal will collapse or oil can and fixing that is difficult for a novice like me.