I am going to be starting work on the rust and paint on my '81 soon and then repaint it in primer black for the time being.

Anyone have any pics of their trucks in primer? Gray, black, whatever, doesn't matter, I just want to see what's out there. I kind of like the old-school hot rod look of a primered vehicle.

And a question for anyone out there who's familiar with paint...is there a way you can clear-coat primer so it doesn't break down from weather? If it'd look decent I would actually rather go that way and save the thousands it'd cost to get a professional paint job.

Thanks in advance

 

I know I have some pics, but it's only parts of the truck, not the whole thing assembled.

For your clear-coat question, the proper way to do it is to use a two-stage paint. Get the color preferred (whether it be black or gray), then use a flat clear. That will give you the best protection from the elements. Plain primer will only repel water for so long, then soak it up like a sponge. Any paint shop should be able to add the additive to flatten the clear for you. After all, all paints start out as gloss, then flattening agents are added for the proper sheen.

 

Here is a picture I found on our fourm.

 

Kirby,
This may work for you and only cost you about 250 bucks. I have seen many you tube videos and think it will work for those of us with no garage or paint booths. It can be pressure washed at the car wash and holds up for about a year or more. It can also be easily touched up. You also do not have to sand your truck to use it. It is basically a spray on wrap.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/h4NUjVh3zTA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGd...ipyourcar.com/ This is the link to the website and other pictures of satin black autos.




I painted a truck satin black years ago. I was told that it could not be painted a gloss color unless all the satin paint was removed before gloss paint.

The satin paint also broke down and needed touchup after close to a year.

 

my truck for now, havent decided what color to paint it.

 

That Plastic Dip is pretty cool.

 

I've seen a truck painted with bed liner. Looked pretty cool.

 

Id like to see how that Plastic Dip works first hand, but im not so sure about the reliablity over time.

I know its only supposed to last a year. It looks good though!

 

I can see uses for the plasti dip. If you take it for what it is. If you have a couple of friends that would do theirs, you could cut your cost down to about 100 bucks to do your truck. The color choices do not look bad either. One video shows the guy pressure washing the car after being sprayed. It still is not a replacement for a good paint job, but it could be good while you save to get a paint job.

 

Something else you can look up is vinyl wrapping. Alot of people have caught on this trend. A nice thing about this, if you don't like it you can remove the vinyl wrap and go back to your paint job that was there from the get go, you just would be out like $300.

 

I have one thing to say about flat black trucks, is done RIGHT, they look ok, however, most people who do flat black jobs, are teenagers, and do it with a can!


Witch is what happened to my '89 F150. Truck was originally red on red, looked beautifull, original paint was still in good shape, but the idiot who had it, wanted it black.

So it goes and sprays with flat black, and CLEAR coats it! Well not guess what? 80% of the clear coat has fallen off in the first 4 months of it being parked outside, and now even the black paint is falling off! Not well sanded.

But when I first got the truck, didn't look half bad, being flat black with a clear coat.



Heres what it looks like right now. Notice how bad the paint looks on the cab, that's all clear coat peeling and lifting off, the box is me that painted it primer black, just to match the rest as I bought truck boxless.



And heres what it looked like when I first put it on the road 2 years ago.

 

uhh.. did that used to have an extended cab? or an eight foot bed?

 

It's a reg cab long bed frame.

bought it without a box, and had a spare short bed laying around, so I threw it on.

 

You know those projects that aren't little but aren't huge and take a long time to get around too? Well that's the gap in Johns truck. lol

Not that I've ever taken a really long time to get around to something but John's a busy guy (probably) I don't really have an excuse.

 

I've had plans to fill that gap with a custom made chrome diamond plate tool box since i made this truck. But diamond plate isn't free, and I got a few to many projects on the go. lol


And this thing really needs paint before anything else.