Been using google and lesser known (by me..because I'm not a painter) "paint" sites to try an figure out what I need, but after getting just a little overwhelmed thought I'd get some opinions here....

My goal is a weekend driver that looks/acts like a work truck. I want it to be a solid reliable work truck. So I have stripped it down to frame... am in the process of cleaning things up and putting it all back together.

I'm tired of trying to approximate compressor sprayed durability with expensive rattle cans. I needed to upgrade my compressor for another purpose and decided to try and get one that I could start to paint with. It is a home depot special (33 Gallon, 6.8 SCFM at 40 psi, 165 max psi, 1.7 HP).

I am well aware this is nowhere close to what a professional painter would use. I am simply hoping I can get better than spray bomb results on the following:
- Frame (something like eastwood chassis black)
- Firewall / Inner fenders (more chassis black)
- Under fenders (thinking about some sort of bedliner type product)
- cab floor (lizard skin, bedliner, or something like that)
- MAYBE satin clear coat on exterior (one fender/part at a time)

So I planned to start throwing up a makeshift paint booth in my garage (basically hanging plastic sheeting, cheap harbor freight/Home Depot HVLP sprayer, a respirator, and a cheap fan to ventilate out an opened window..... So here's where I get overwhelmed...

Google tells me my plan might be lacking several things like.... running 20+ feet of copper pipe to help cool the air from my compressor, multiple stages of water/oil extraction (anywhere from $100 to thousands of $.

My question... Do I really need all of this additional stuff, complexity to beat spray bombs on the types of jobs I describe above? I would really appreciate some budget options to accomplish what I need just to get started. I don't want to skimp, but the tally on this extensive "winter" project is starting to get out of hand!

Thanks for any help you can offer!

 

Regarding water separation, for the past 40+ years I've just used a 3/8" ID nylon coiled air hose straight from the tank, submerged in a 35 gal. steel drum with a brick on top of it. Then it goes into a water separator/filter. The coil hose cools the moisture in the air and makes it easier for the separator to do its job. Even in S. Florida (grew up in Ft. Lauderdale) I never had a water issue. A better way would be to install some sort of cooling between the compressor output before it goes into the tank but I never worked up my ambition to that level. ;-)

 

You can paint all of those items easily without breaking the bank, I did it when I was younger and had less tools. Get a cheap siphon feed harbor freight gun, couple rolls of hose, and a 20 gallon compressor with a water separator on the outlet. Run a 25 foot hose from the compressor in a loop to let the air slow down and get the water out, run that into a water separator / regulator package. Rubber hose is not the best for getting water out but it will help. Run another hose from the water separator / regulator package to the gun. Practice on some junk panels to get the air pressure and gun settings right and you will be off and running. Me and my friends used to paint whole cars outside in the yard with a long air hose to reach the car.
It isnt hard, just takes practice, and is so much nicer than spray cans.
Tractor supply enamel with hardener works great on frames and other parts and is about $50 a gallon with the hardener and naptha to reduce it.
Just do it.

Here are some pics of the paint work from truck #2, all tractor supply enamel with hardener. The inside of the cab in truck #2 painted with my own color mix of Ford blue and black and upol raptor bed liner on the floor.

 

My skills are just beyond the finger paint level. With that known, you can decide on using my inputs. The HF gravity feed sprayers are workable for simple paints, like single stage enamel. My basic paint job gets undeserving compliments after a quick cleaning and stands up to work use.

Clear coat finishes are not easy to apply, cause much finish sanding, and were well beyond my meager abilities. Good luck with the project.

 

Dave, thanks!. Truck looks great. They had an in-line filter at HD for about $25, I'm guessing that might be what you suggested for the outlet of the tank? For the filter/regulator you suggested after the coiled hose.... do you have any recommendations for that? I'm seeing them all over the map. I'll have to pry pretty hard to get one of the more expensive (several hundred $) versions.

Thanks!

 

Thanks, DW. Do you use anything to dry/filter your air? I have nothing right now.

 

Thanks CBeav, I just may have to see if I can track down a steel drum to give that a try... I'm sure I can make my HOA real happy with me be storing it out in front of my house between uses

 

I have used the small plastic disposable filters right at the gun for whatever the larger cheap separators don't catch. Use them on my plasma cutter too.

 

A few ideas for you to toss around.

Consider a quality used gun or shop eBay/craigslist for a quality gun. I bought a deilibis gun for $15 last year, looked bad, covered in paint, cleaned up nicely. Even with a gasket kit you are under $75. My main gun is a Finishline 3 it came with three tips for under $150.

I built a air condenser from an aluminum Air Conditioner condenser coil from a mid 80s ford pickup. Cost was about $20 for the compression fittings and copper lines. Several plans are available on line.

I did not cheap out on the water and oil seperator. I bought one on line for about $175. And I use a disposable in line oil trap. The hose I use inbetween my gun and filter is dedicated so it doesn't get contaminated.

Some body shops will rent their booths out for a reasonable fee. I've gone the garage route and it can be a problem. I painted this car outside in a carport last year with good results. I just read you live in an HOA area, are the neighbors close? Oooooooh your whole neighborhood will know when you are shooting paint.

Buy the BEST respirator and test the fit. The cheap paper masks are ok for sanding.

 

Match the paint gun to the quality of material you are using and you'll get a satisfactory result. For utility work like frames and floors a purple Harbor Freight gravity feed gun works fine. Don't buy the very cheapest models they sell. You can look at the adjustment ***** and tell the difference. The decent ones are still only about $30 on sale which is almost always. The siphon feed touch up/ jamb gun they sell also works very well. I've worn out several of them the past 20 years. I treat these guns as semi-disposable and buy a new one every couple years. Just don't try to fool yourself into thinking all paint guns are the same. Expensive guns ($300-$1000) atomize paint FAR better. They are necessary for base/clear work unless you like fixing paint problems which is hard work and wastes material. I have the Devilbiss Finishline 3 gun mentioned in this thread as well. It will lay down simple finish coats nicely, but still not a great base/clearcoat gun in the opinion of most. For what you are describing it would probably be the best gun you would need for this project. It would lay down a coat of satin clear well enough to get you by. Get the HF gun and start practicing. You'll quickly learn its capabilities and be out little money.

 

I used to work in body shop industry many years ago and have painted quite a few vehicles using better quality equipment both in a professional spray booth and in a residential garage.

Everything that has been posted is very helpful so I won't add anything to what has bee posted. One aspect of painting hasn't been typed about. Safety.

If you're spraying paint number one is a good respirator. They're getting hard to find, at least at the local big box or hardware store. There are many different types for different protection. You have to make sure you get one for painting. Remember the hardener added to a paint is basically super glue, you don't want that getting into your lungs. I know the feeling, not being able to breath and coughing up blood isn't fun.

Second is ventilation. First big NO-NO in my book is never-every spray anything in an attached garage. No matter how good you think you have the garaged sealed off from the house there is always a good chance all those nasty chemicals are going to seep through cracks and could make anyone in the house sick. Also, you'll be working with some really flammable chemicals and by making them into a mist they become even more volatile. It would be bad enough if you had a problem and burned down your garage but it would be worse to involve your home. Also, you mentioned making a makeshift spray booth using a box fan to help ventilate it. Be very careful, you'll be having a extremely explosive mist passing through an electric motor that can produce sparks.

This being said I've done some stupid things while painting and didn't have any problems. Like the time I painted a car in my parents garage in the middle of winter using a kerosene torpedo heater to heat the garage. Warmed the garage up, turned off the heater, sprayed a coat of paint, opened the overhead door, let the mist out, shut the door, turn the heater back on and repeat 3-4 times.

I also don't like painting in pieces. I like getting all of the body work done, making sure everything fits, making sure all the body work is straight and then edging all of the panels (painting the areas that are bolted together) bolting parts on and then spraying the outer panels. It's the way I do it. Less likely chance of scratching parts and having to repaint them.

Just keep all this in mind.

 

^^^ Amen, brother! And not just burning down the house safety. Always wear a mask. And not just when painting. Sanding, grinding etc. is just as bad. Silicosis is a pretty crummy way to live/die. I wouldn't use those 20 for $1 masks for anything but mowing the yard. They're better than nothing but not by much. When you paint you'll want to step up to a proper chemical mask, modern paints have cyanides and all sorts of other fun stuff in them.


A 35 gallon drum is about 18" across and about 42" tall (guessing.) Most places that grease cars will probably give you one or more just to get rid of them.

I've never gone too crazy on separator/filters. Usually just a cheap Campbell Hausfeld separator (Wally World, ~ $20) after the submerged hose (I've always figured they all pretty much work the same.) Inline mini filter at the gun inlet catches anything that might be in the hose (rubber crumbs, etc.) Maybe I've been lucky but I've never had any issues.

I sold MAC tools for four years and sold/used a lot of guns. Sata guns are very nice but personally, not painting more than I do, I would never spend the money for one other than clear coat. HF guns are great for utility and even basic color coats. For frames I use the standard pot setup (not HVLP), it has a larger tip for heavier paints and less screwing around mixing up a quart, or less, at a time. Inside the cab I prefer a small jamb/detail gun. More mixing but easier to maneuver in close quarters. For color and clear coats you're going to get a ton of passionate replies, I'd rather not get into that fray. I'm no pro, I'm just tossing out what works for me.

My best advice is practice, practice, practice. Don't get in a hurry, even when just spraying the frame. Get used to how to manipulate your grip, position and angle. Painting a frame will give you plenty of opportunity for that. Don't get in a hurry (I may say that a couple more times.) Everybody gets psyched and wants to see the finished product in the first coat. First coat is basically just a dusting. It makes a good sticky base for the next coat plus if something happens it's not a huge pita to stop and correct. Second coat is just enough paint to be one color. Third coat is wet. Some guys will just do a single color coat then clear but I'm too old school I guess, that just seems a bit too $19.95 for me.

Talk to the guys behind the counter when you buy your paint. They're trained, they do it every day. They hear what's working and what isn't. They'll tell you what reducer to use for the current temp and humidity and the type of gun you're using. They'll also make recommendations of what catalyst to use and remind you of things you may have forgotten to pick up while you're there. Probably a good idea to stop in now and talk to them, tell them what you're doing and build a rapport. Then when you're ready to spray you'll not be trying to make decisions on the spot. Don't buy a bunch of materials until you're ready for them. Who needs $500 worth of paint sitting around for a couple years? Even masking tape has a shelf life, it gets old, dries up, hard to peel off the roll, leaks along the edges, etc.

 

Another thing I tell people who want to paint is don't worry, don't think about it too much. When you're spraying and you're worrying about runs that's when you will get runs in the paint. I'm more concerned about coverage. I don't want thin spots. I will spray 3-4 thin coats rather than 2-3 heavy coats. I like thinning paint a little more than some, I was told to do this years ago because the paint will lay flatter and dry a little faster between coats.

You also have to find out how to spray the specific paint. When I first started the shop I worked in sprayed acrylic enamel. We sprayed it in thin coats, kind of on the dry side because the paint took a long to flash between coats and if you sprayed it a little dry it had time to level out. I later started spraying acrylic urethane which I found it was best to spray on pretty much the way you wanted it to look when it dried because the flash time was much less. I spray acrylic urethanes wet.

 

Good information and advice, everyone. A lot to consider. Thank you!