Notices
1948 - 1956 F1, F100 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Fat Fendered and Classic Ford Trucks

How much paint....

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Aug 4, 2019 | 02:13 PM
  #1  
JTB321's Avatar
JTB321
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
10 Year Member
Liked
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 306
Likes: 20
From: Greeneville TN
How much paint....

Getting closer to paint time. Wondering from those who have completed the truck painting how many quarts of base coat did you use? I’m going to be using Omni base in Deep Impact Blue metallic and thinking 6 quarts should give me 3 good solid base coats. Full truck, bed, cab, fenders and running boards. Any ideas?

Thanks John
 
Reply
Old Aug 4, 2019 | 08:22 PM
  #2  
jniolon's Avatar
jniolon
old and in the way
25 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jul 1997
Posts: 5,924
Likes: 1,052
From: Lovely Hueytown Alabama
Club FTE Gold Member
that's a hard question... depends on paint and painter... Mine was a '53 with solid yellow over a white sealer... full tilt front end (in /out) cab, bed, running boards, inner fenders on rear and tailgate... don't know number of coats but it was 3 gallons of color with enough left over to cover the bottom of the third can...barely. Then the clear. there is a LOT of metal under paint on these old trucks ....YMMV

 
Reply
Old Aug 4, 2019 | 11:43 PM
  #3  
CharlieLed's Avatar
CharlieLed
Lead Driver
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,094
Likes: 654
From: Brentwood, TN
Club FTE Gold Member
Anytime that you are shooting metallic you should plan on more paint to give full coverage. I would also look into House of Kolor KD3000 primer sealer...work out the mix you need to match the finish color and use that as a base, you will get a lot better coverage that way and the KD3000 will hold out any bleed throughs.
As for John's truck...yellow is the worst for coverage. It will drive you crazy, just when you think that you have sprayed enough coats you will find light areas. If you do that again John try a coat of KD3003 first, you will use a lot less yellow base after it. I love yellow but hated to spray it until I found tinted base.
 
Reply
Old Aug 4, 2019 | 11:56 PM
  #4  
CharlieLed's Avatar
CharlieLed
Lead Driver
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,094
Likes: 654
From: Brentwood, TN
Club FTE Gold Member
I just roughed out by panel how much paint I use and it worked out to 332 ounces out of the gun. 6 quarts of unreduced paint will end up making 9 quarts in the gun...that's only 288 ounces. That's about a quart shy of my estimate. If I was taking on this job I would buy 2 gallons and make sure that I had enough to do the job AND have some left over to reshoot a panel or two that may have suffered some unforeseen mishap.
 
Reply
Old Aug 5, 2019 | 05:17 AM
  #5  
52 Merc's Avatar
52 Merc
Hotshot
15 Year Member
Liked
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 3
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 16,190
Likes: 4,798
From: Burbank, WA
The only thing I would add to the above advice is, before buying 2 gallons of paint, is to get a small amount (pint or half pint if available) of paint as a sample and try out how it covers on a panel. It's been my experience the few times I used Omni paint is the coverage is horrible compared to other brands, and you may need more than if you stepped up to better paint. Just my 2c.
 
Reply
Old Aug 5, 2019 | 07:06 AM
  #6  
FortyNiner's Avatar
FortyNiner
Logistics Pro
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 4,995
Likes: 422
From: u-rah-rah Wisconsin
For driver vehicles, I've used a lesser paint on the underside of fenders. Any farm equipment seller has a version.
 
Reply
Old Aug 5, 2019 | 08:40 PM
  #7  
JTB321's Avatar
JTB321
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
10 Year Member
Liked
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 306
Likes: 20
From: Greeneville TN
Thanks for all the comments and advice. A bit of background. As for using Omni paint, I have already done the inner fenders (over black sealer) and I am happy with the quality of cover and finish once the clear coat is on.





So, I’m getting from the replies that two gallons of base which should give me about 3 gallons of sprayable should give me the cover I want.

I’ll let you know when I’m done!!

Cheers, John
 
Reply
Old Aug 6, 2019 | 08:52 AM
  #8  
DR Smith's Avatar
DR Smith
Fleet Mechanic
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,532
Likes: 29
From: northeast Ga
Has anyone figured out what it cost to paint your own truck , I mean from bare metal to finished work , including sand paper, filler,primer, top coats , polishing compound, the hole nine yards .
 
Reply
FTE Stories

Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

 Brett Foote
story-2

10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

 Brett Foote
story-4

10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-6

Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

 Brett Foote
story-9

Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

 Joe Kucinski
Old Aug 6, 2019 | 09:34 AM
  #9  
EBEAR's Avatar
EBEAR
Logistics Pro
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 3,653
Likes: 818
From: Swan River Valley M.B Can
Originally Posted by DR Smith
Has anyone figured out what it cost to paint your own truck , I mean from bare metal to finished work , including sand paper, filler,primer, top coats , polishing compound, the hole nine yards .
That will make you very sad lol . When given an estimate I've had customers over the years question the price of materials so I would give them a list of what was needed and and ask them to get them and I would take the materials off the list . No one ever came back with anything . Our current insurance rate is $72/hour with $6.71/hour materials for repair and $38.20/hour for paint
 
Reply
Old Aug 6, 2019 | 09:44 AM
  #10  
52 Merc's Avatar
52 Merc
Hotshot
15 Year Member
Liked
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 3
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 16,190
Likes: 4,798
From: Burbank, WA
Originally Posted by DR Smith
Has anyone figured out what it cost to paint your own truck , I mean from bare metal to finished work , including sand paper, filler,primer, top coats , polishing compound, the hole nine yards .
Since everyone's project is different, material costs can vary greatly from one job to another. For a true do it yourself in your garage job all by yourself, from the ground up like you describe, budget at least $5000. Don't forget masking paper, masking plastic and masking tape. Not just any masking tape, but automotive grade. The hardware store stuff won't stick with car paint solvents. It's about 4x the money, btw. Since you'll need to get it to bare metal, there's going to be some expense there, too, depending on your method.
 
Reply
Old Aug 6, 2019 | 04:45 PM
  #11  
DR Smith's Avatar
DR Smith
Fleet Mechanic
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,532
Likes: 29
From: northeast Ga
I have done it a number of times , but never figured out total . I always thought I would stop if I knew how much I had invested , Now every time I think about the time and $ to do another , I lose interest
 
Reply




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:27 AM.

story-0
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

Slideshow: Top 10 Fords at 2026 Ford Nationals

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 11:10:08


VIEW MORE
story-1
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

Based on years of owning multiple modern Ford products.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-09 10:53:36


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

SPONSORED: From muddy boots to rain-soaked cargo, these upgrades address some of the most common frustrations Ford truck owners face every day.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-06-08 18:50:34


VIEW MORE
story-3
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

Here's everything you need to know about every Ford engine available for the 2026 model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-05 12:58:01


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Ford trucks that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 09:51:16


VIEW MORE
story-5
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: the best gifts for dads & grads

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:58


VIEW MORE
story-6
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-03 11:38:36


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

Slideshow: 10 most expensive Ford trucks ever sold on Bring a Trailer.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:24:34


VIEW MORE
story-8
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

Here's everything that has changed for the latest model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-27 16:17:28


VIEW MORE
story-9
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

Slideshow: Top 10 Ford truck tragedies.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-18 19:34:33


VIEW MORE