I have an old 78 ford 4wd I bought just to play with off road.Besides the upper bed side above the wheels the body is in o.k. condition.The truck is in black primer.I want something with more gloss.I am not going to put alot of money in this truck.So what spray paint would be the best to use?Rustoleum,ace hardware no rust.or what?What is the cheapest and most durable spray paint?Or I thought about rolling bed liner on it.I have a couple gallons sitting around.


Thanks,
Tim

 

I sprayed my entire truck. I used rustoleum. One thing I would do different is to not clearcoat it. Spray can clear dries too fast, and leaves grainy spots. The regular rustoleum paint is slow dry, so it was fine. You can look at pictures in my gallery.

 

about how much does it cost to paint a single cab long bed, and what kind of prep work does it require? i wanna paint it the nice bright ford Blue after i replace the body panels.

 

I guess that depends on your definition of prep. If knocking the bugs off first is it, then it is about free. I took each piece to bare metal first, and then put on 3 coats primer, 3 paint, and 2 clear. It cost me about $150-$200. I can't remember exactly, but it would have been cheaper to buy a cheap gun for $50 and a $15 gallon of tractor paint

 

I did an old RX7 for about $30. don't skimp on paint there's a couple brands that suck.


I just rattled a set of wheels for my bronco (gallery) and they look very nice.

If done correctly it'll look near pro

 

how many cans do yall think it will take? it sounds like a lot better deal than going to Maco and having them screw it up for a lot more, and i dont have the money for a Professional bodyshop paint yet.

 

Ace hardware industrial paint is essentially rustoleum industrial paint without the price tag. You save a dollar a quart typically.

Most of that paint, while good quality paint, does not have UV inhibitors built in, so know that over time, it will fade due to sunlight exposure. How fast depends on your climate, the number of coats, and whether your truck sees any "indoor" garage time which I imagine it doesn't.

however, you can mix a UV inhibitor at a ratio of 8:1 (8 parts paint, 1 part inhibitor). The inhibitor I bought was a generic, autobody inhibitor so unfortunately I cannot give you the brand. It was about $30 or so (for almost a quart). That's enough to mix with eight quarts of rustoleum or ace hardware paint.

This type of paint is not going to give you the same finish as automotive paint - it's much thicker and doesn't produce a shine the same way. But it's still good paint and there is something to be said for "not shiny like glass but it's the same color!" type of paint job.

 

Bought a gallon of Tremclad, a Black N Decker electric paint sprayer, did the Crew Cab with a half gallon, thinned 20%. Check my gallery results were pretty good.

 

How many cans of rustoleum do you think it will take?I think the results will be what im looking for

thanks for all the replys

 

Given that I did about 8 layers total, I think mine took about 40-50 cans. If you only spray the paint, and just enough to color the truck, probably 20 or so.

Bouts, love your ride! That is the way I SHOULD have painted mine. Would have saved a bundle.

 

I would buy a $20 Wal-Mart spray gun and go to your local automotive paint supplier and ask for industrial enamel. We sell one for $65 a gallon WITH the hardener and its a better quality industrial. I've had a couple customers paint their 4x4's with it and it looks great. Plus, its gasoline resistant, glossy, and its catalyzed industrial enamel so its pretty much rock hard when it is cured. Good for the branches.

 

figure out the price, if like said 20 cans of spray paint, maybe run say near 3 bucks a piece. The poster said that was bare minimum, and rattle can paint is typically really thin. So lets say thats $60. For around 100 bucks you can get a gallon of cheaper line of automotive urethane single stage with a hardener. An acrylic enamel probably cheaper The hardener will make it much more durable (you said you are going off road didn't you?), and will be a lot better gloss then the spray bomb paint, last a lot longer. I think I would look for a spray gun and compressor to use, but thats just me. Also what kind of problems might that spray bomb paint cause later when you did decide to get it painted with automotive paint, suppose you could just sand it all off.

 

That's where I am at now. I thought it would be cheaper to spray it, but in the end, it would have been cheaper to buy a gallon of rustoleum, thinner, and a cheap gun. As far as spray durability, I have painted stuff that has lasted for years. There is a truck here that I used to own that is running rims that I painted 7 years ago. Still look good, too. The secret is prep. Regardless of paint, prep is the key to a good job. I have pics in my gallery of my truck, and in the "others" gallery is a set of rims I did with rustoleum hammered paint. It is tougher, but a little weird to used compared to regular spray.

 

Hey Bouts I have a few questions? You said you thinned it 20%. Does that mean you used 4 parts paint 1 part thinner. What is tremclad? Did you have to mix in hardener? The electric paint gun sounds like a good idea for a cheaper paint job. Mine doesn't have to look perfect. Thanks

Jason
77 f100

 

I have been giving it some thought and I might as well just jet some cheat auto paint.Just in case I want to do it right and make the body flawless later on down the road.It would be hell to sand off tractor paint or rustoleum wouldnt it?How much paint would it take?My truck is a shortbed.I have 3/4 a gallon of maroon paint.It is the color of the maroon 85-86 thunderbirds.Would that be enough?


thanks