I know a lot of people on here mention how they want to have the black primer look of days past on their truck. Over a year ago I painted one of my fenders with rustoleum satin black to cover a spot that appeared to start rusting. All I did was scuff the original paint remove rust and paint then wet sanded the paint until it was smooth. It is still there and looking as it did when I painted it. Satin black isn't flat dull but it is no way glossy looks just right if you ask me as far as achieveing the look. I did this as a temporary type thing but it turned out great. There is probably a primer I could have used but it does say on it no need for primer but I don't think they thought I was gonna paint my truck with it either. One thing, I was qurious one day and wondered if I could wax it. Don't, I did a small area and it turned white and stayed that way. Don't take my word for it get a can and spray a piece of clean scrap metal and see if it is for you.

 

you can get a great primer look with ppg 171 and 172

171 is bare metal base coat
172 is the primer it comes in three colors ,black, gray, and white, it has a satin or low sheen to it .

I painted my car with the stuff and it looked great with the primer so i left it that way been that way since '98

 

I changed the box on my truck and to have it all one colour I decided to paint it flat black. The full frame off bodywork is to come but the retro rod look is great in the interm.
I first shot it in base coat/clear coat and killed the clear to make it flat. It worked but you need a very long time for it to dry before handling or you end up with white scuff and finger marks. I shot it again in enamel and killed it the same as if you were painting a jeep topper. You can look in my gallery for the results. I love it and you never have to wax it, just give it a wash. I shot some gloss flames just to see the effect and it worked out well also. Good luck.
John

 

When you say "killed the clear" what do you mean? Just didn't use it? Because I'd love to paint my Bronco top and don't want it to be shiny. I'm handy with paint, for what it's worth. Did the truck in my gallery by myself... just want to complete it by painting the top dark blue to look like factory.

 

I will admit when I wrote the first post I didn't necessarily like the primer look however I am a new man thanks to 77460ford. I like it, what i really like is the glossy flames against the flat black, the fact that the truck appears as smooth as a babies a** doesn't hurt either.

77460ford,
Could you be a little more specific as to how you did this paint job I am sure it makes sense to you because you did it however I am not getting it.


For what it is worth the main issue with the primer look is that all primers aren't water proof thus no protection. However, truckin did a short article on this and recommended dupont dp50lf (gray) or dp90lf (black) these are epoxy non sanding primer so they are very protective.

Side note what does non sanding epoxy primer mean, do you have to shoot it right the first time? I know nothing about painting

 

Reading back my post i can see it left more questions than answers. The body was different colours so the entire truck was sanded down, primed and the first time was shot with black base and clear coat. I don't know the name of the agent used to dull the clear coat but its mixed in and shot with the result being a flat black. This gives you a paint that will stand up but look like black primer. We did have a problem with white scuff marks from handling and fingerprints here and their, it seemed to take a long time to dry. My friend with the shop offered to shoot it again but this time with an enamel that was again killed (a body and paint person will know the proper name, my friend is away right now) and shoot (after again a quick sand). The same way a jeep top gets that flat black paint look.
I love the look of the truck, mind you you park on the street at night and the truck almost disappears. Hope that helps.
John

 

Yep it helps a lot! Thanks very much!

 

77460ford,

Do you have web address for that ram air box you have?

ThaT FRIGGIN AWESOME

 

Hi Blackrhino,

I got the air box from www.ramairbox.com. It's a 5" and I have the flat base plate, you good access to the carb and still have a little room between the lid and hood. The tubing is aluminum drier ducting, it's cheap & looks good and gives a smooth surface for airflow. I welded 5" light schedule pipe to either side of the rad for inlets (stronger than the tin but personal choice). Good luck.
Regards
John