Have any of you guys done a diy paint job. My wife and I both were talking and we don't want to spend thousands of dollars having our truck repainted just so that my neices and nephews would see horns come out of my head when they scratch it on an accident. thats joke but really i don't want to freak out if it gets scratched. I heard go with rustoleoum roll on or dupli color paint shop system. figured i would ask my kentucky friends if any of you guys have done it.

 

I know what you mean when you say you dont want to freak out over scrathes. I havnt done it but a friend of mine recently painted his truck with tractor paint from tractor supply. He said its holding up to scratches extreamly well. He does a lot of off roading. He was told to try this from another friend because he said the tractor paint is made to be more durable because of the haesh conditions tractors are subject to. It seems to make scence but iI dont know how true that stament really is. Good luck on the new paint and post pics when its finished. Keep trucken and rock on

 

I myself paint my tractors and this year I painted my grain cart and one of the grain trucks. The Valspar paint from TSC is indeed pretty good.. it is an Alkyd Enamel, so if your truck sits in the sun 24/7 then it will begin to fade a little over time. If it's gonna sit in the shade or in a garage while at home, you will not have that issue for quite some time. The reason the paint doesn't scratch easily is likely because he added a hardener to the paint. The hardener is essential, but it is also what will kill your lungs. You have two options, and the first I don't recommend but have done. Either paint outside (WITH a quality 3M respirator, NOT a dust mask with a nosepiece..) OR.. invest in a supplied air system that provides clean air in any environment. A decent system is about $400, that's the downside. A no-brainer for me because I use mine at least twice yearly, but I did probably a half-dozen paint jobs in the open with a plain respirator. You will taste it the next day, and that means it's in your lungs as well. Not fun.

Believe it or not, Harbor Freight sells $20 paint guns that work as well as anything you're going to buy at a body supplier that's under $100. I myself have had no luck getting good results with the top-tank HVLP guns, I prefer the suction-draw bottom canisters. Them being so inexpensive allows me to keep several on hand, and if I'm using more than one color, I don't have to stop and clean a gun and swap, I just swap guns to the next color and clean them all when finished. I forgot the recipe for the paint-thinner-hardener per gunful of paint, but it's easy to google those things or get in touch with me and I can dig it up. The valspar primer is good to lay down first and it won't take much. If you're going with a white or other light color, I recommend the gray primer, for darker colors you can use the red oxide for easier blending. To really get a good shine, you'll have to lay down a couple or few coats of clear, which I have not done before because I need the hardener to be my top layer on my farm equipment due to tree limbs and such. You can get better results buying PPG paints, but you will spend at LEAST four times the money, and for a first job, you'd likely waste your money, no offense. Like I said, I've done many jobs, and still can't get the nerve to buy quality paint for fear the job will turn out poorly. Every paint shoots different. Make sure if you do this, to get an old washing machine or something to put a coat or two on to practice your passes and set your nozzle how you like it. Sorry so long winded, trying to share my limited experience!

 

Sorry its late but thanks for your info.