Ok so here is my dilema. I need to get my truck painted but i am not paying the $4000 i was quoted. It needs 2 new rear wheel wells, 2 front lower bed panels, and 2 rear lower bed panels. The cab also has some pitted rust, not rotted through, that will need to be filled in. Then it needs to be preped for paint and painted red. I am not doing clear coat. Is this something that somebody with no expierience should tackle. I own a welding business so welding in the panels is no problem. It is the bondo i have no expierience with. I have all the tools to do the job. Let me know what you guys think.

 

With something like an orbital sander and a straight line sander Bondo is easy but very, very time consuming. Also need to treat any surface rust with a good rust primer after sanding down.

 

Dont i need a dual action sander. And also what is the process for prepping for paint. Do i just sand everything down.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...for-paint.html Have a read through this thread.

 

Thanks a lot that really helped me. So what im planning on doing is replacing all the panels that need to be replaced and getting everything straight and flat. Then i am going to sand everything down and then primer. I was wondering if i have to sand everything down to bare metal or just scuff it up. Do i do just one coat of primer? I know these are really beginner questions but i am a beginner. I really appreciate all the help. If this is wrong please tell me.

 

You do not have to sand sound paint down to bare metal. If the paint is still shiny just rub down until "flat" to give new paint a key. If the old paint has lost its shine then rub down to remove the oxidized top layer, again to give new paint a key. Something like 400 grit paper is good for this.
Anywhere there is surface rust has to be taken down to bare metal and the paint surrounding the area "feather edged".
Once all the prep work is done the whole thing is sprayed with primer and rubbed down again. Any imperfections can usually now be seen and fixed and re-primed.
Once you are satisfied you can then hit it with a few coats of color.
Choice of primer is important. I used to hit bare metal areas with an etching primer before priming everything with a hi-build primer but paints in general have moved on since I worked at it.

 

when i did my '66 mustang, i used urethane paint so i didnt have to prime it. i did all the bodywork and bondo is easy. just slather it on and then sand it down to where its flush with the metal. and then go over the whole body with at least 320 grit dry. make sure its all smooth and everything has been sanded. it should go from being shiny to dull. clean it thoroughly with a rag and water and one of those sticky cloth things. do it like 3 times. trust me youll want to. then spray it!

cost me about 400 dollars in paint and a week of my time. you could get it done quicker if you have more hours to burn in the days. just a warning though. it is november. winter is here. its a bad season to paint if you dont have an enclosed garage or paint booth.

and when youre done dont take it out until its fully done. a slug walked right in the middle of my paintjob during the night ...all i had was one of those big temporary building things. wasnt enclosed though.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. Just one more question, can i sand the existing paint down with a da sander or should i do it by hand?

 

by hand would be the best way to do it. lengthy, but the results dont lie