In my opinion, for your application, rolling or spraying is perfect. These are cheap jobs, and it sounds like you don't want to pay too much attention to your truck, so why put a lot into something you don't want to mess with?

77 and I are trying to make cheap presentable, and while it can be done, it seems these paint jobs are more suited to the low buck or rat rod look.

 

Well here is my thoughts... I initially was going to prep the truck and then take it to Maaco and have it sprayed close to the factory color.

Pic here ---> http://s99.photobucket.com/albums/l3...ThePickup2.jpg

Pic of daily driver here ---> http://s99.photobucket.com/albums/l3...heMagnum10.jpg

But after thinking about it, I know you get what you pay for. What I didn't want was to have to pay the $500-$1000 for a cheap Maaco job and then have to worry about longevity or appearance of the paint job. I would rather invest (at this point) my money in engine components and suspension work than a paint job I won't be happy with. So for me I think either spray cans or rolling for a flat black or od green (or camo) would work.

 

btoohey--if you go the roll-on route be sure I would probably take a few hours and read over the discussion of it on moparts.com. I think there's a link or two on rollyourcar.com to the threads on that site. There may be a proven type of sandable primer that works well under the rustoleum. I didn't prep mine specifically for rustoleum but was under the impression that the method would work well over paint or metal so all I did was scuff the surface and clean it prior to painting. I don't have a problem with the primer I used (yet) just offering the possibility that someone has taken the time to test different primers to see which works best. And if you've not started your body work yet then that would be handy to know.

Even as long as it is taking me to do it, I am still pleased with how little I have invested in it. I would have been VERY unhappy spending $1000 or more to get it sprayed then realizing I had not done a good job getting all the dents and dings out (and believe me, I spent a lot of time trying just haven't acquired all the skills yet). You don't realize how many you have until you get a good shiny coat of paint on it. Good luck whatever you decide to do. I'll keep posting my progress here.

One note: I wish I could have taken off a week of work to do this because it could have been done much quicker. As it is, I have to work only a few hours here and there and I usually have a few kids and a dog orbiting around me. But that's how this whole project has been. Boy I'll be glad to be done so I can get the seat redone, put in carpet, linex the bed, put on new shocks, recover the dash, etc, etc, etc.

 

Having worked in Auto Body shops in the past for 15yrs and now playing with these boats.

It's pretty hard to beat Awlgrip 545 primer. It is a primer/surfacer and is a true epoxy primer.

It beats the heck out of buying something like PPG DP epoxy and then having to buy PPG K-36 to do all your blocking on.

Understand this is not a budget primer and it's aprox $200 for a 1gal kit. [That's 2gal]

 

I've read the Moparts.com threads about the roll-on paint and followed Exit1965's car as he went from red to off-white. I was intrigued but never had a vehicle to try it on until now.

As I've never done body repair I will be starting there. Even if I chose the roll on or spray can camo, I would rather have a clean slate to work with.

Once I get started (with whatever avenue I choose) I will post pics and updates about it.

Thanks for the info 77 and Ted.

Toohey

 

I used rustoleum auto primer over bare metal for mine. It dries faster than the red (which seems to never REALLY dry) and is compatible with their stops rust paint.

If you are going with a similar color, I would say roll it on. It will save you money and overspray heartache. If you do a complete color change, ie doorjams, firewall, etc, then I would say spray that stuff and save your $$ by rolling the outside.

All I can say is good luck. I hate body work. If it were me, I wouldn't mess with the truck. It looked pretty good in the picture.

 

It does look ok, but from 5 feet away. There is some rust on both doors under the molding both which have put holes in the door. The clear coat on the hood and on the roof is peeling off and there is slight rust on the front piece of medal under the grill.

Thats the only reason I was looking to get it painted because I know I have to sand most of the truck down and replace the doors.

I don't know, I guess we'll see what happens.

Thanks for the advice.

 

Is the purpose of all the spray can and roll on stuff to save cost? We've got paint for 65 bucks a gallon with the catalyst. And you can spray it on with a harbor freight gun for about 30 bucks. I'm not trying to knock the spray can or roll on stuff, but the reason all that stuff fails so soon is because either it doesn't have a hardener/catalyst or it doesn't have enough film build from being spray can applied. Also, that Awlgrip is an epoxy primer meant for bare metal or as a sealer and is not meant to be sanded. It is almost exactly the same product as DP by PPG. And you can buy the old DP in PPG's industrial line now, they renamed it EPX 900 and its catalyst is EPX901. The 2 gallon kit is only 90 bucks.

 

Negative! Awlgrip 545 is a Epoxy Primer/ Surfacer. It is meant to be sanded and Must be sanded.

It is nothing like sanding or rather trying to sand PPG DP primer.

It sands like PPG K-36.

 

> how inexpensive it is to roll Rustoleum enamel paint on a car

About $50 for a BII. I tape everything (remove things too). Then prime everything (one can), then spray paint everything (six cans). Then once that dries, hand paint (not roller) everything. That takes one quart for $8. Foam brush works best.

I suppose I could wet sand between coats etc etc.

I just put too many scratches and dents in it to worry about making it perfect. Looks good from 10 feet though.

Almost finished



vehicle was blue from the factory. I decided to use Gloss White. I had 1/2 done with dark hunter green and my wife said she really didn't want to drive a camo vehicle. So, we compromised. White body, trim and such red and blue so we have a red, white, and blue truck. :-)

 

I'm on coat #8 right now. When I get the bed finished I'll take some more pictures. Of course it really doesn't look much better than coat six, except that I'm finally getting coverage over the areas I had to go back and fix. I think I'll wet sand it with progressively finer sandpaper and see if I can get the finish I'm looking for without going with another coat.

My hood still needs some work so it'll be a while before I'm completely finished. For those following along--it shouldn't take as long as it's taking me to do this. I only get a few hours here and there to work on it. I'll post again after I take some pictures.

 

77Red,

Thanks for sharing your successes and challenges while using this technique. I know I am learning a lot from your hard work. Keep sharing updates and pics.
Karl

 

No problem. I just hate it's taking this long. But I've been working on it off and on going on 2 years so what's a few weeks, huh? Not like I have to rely on it to get to work (fortunately). I'll post occasionally to let everyone know how it's going. Like I said, I only get to work on it a little at a time. If I had gotten it a little more straight before I started painting I'd be finished by now. Only so much you can see in a dull primer finish, though.

 

Sounds like you are attacking it the same way I did. Not a daily driver, not much time. They are lots of fun to work on, though.

 

I got impatient while wet sanding and decided that buffing with rubbing and polishing compound was good enough and I'll live with the remaining orange peel. So I've done one side and it looks pretty good (except for the orange peel). I'll tackle the other side later in the week, then snap some pics and finish the hood. I still need another coat of paint or two on the hood so I'm still a ways away from being finished. I just wanted to get the sides finished so I'd be excited about it again.

For what I'm using it for and for what little I've got in the paint job, I'm pleased with it. But the perfectionist in me realizes that I'll probably take the time to spray it next time. Of course, my kids will be older, I'll have more vacation time from work, etc...so I'll in theory have more time to work on it.