sounds good to me. mines gona be black and harley orange when im done. inside and out.
i like the harley edition trucks but they would have looked better in 79

 

That will be a "COOL" looking truck Shane74!

I'm just glad that it is possible to apply both acrylic enamel and a few coats of Clear. That was my real concern. And if the pro's recommend it...or at least have done it without any problems...then that is good enough for me. That is was is so great about this thread...it lets the other's out there "VOICE" their opinions and experiences.

Thanks again...everyone! If you have anything to add...please do!

 

it sounded like a funny combo at first too most people. but they will like it when they see it i hope .
when its done it should look pretty cool .
im considering a pearl metalic clear coat over the intire truck to compleat the hole package

 

Hey Marc, I agree with you. Don't go into auto body for a living. If I knew how the shop owners were, I would not have. You have to buy all your own tools,and its a hazardous dirty profession and the kid down the street flipping burgers is making as much or more than you. I love the work, not the pay. My advice, and if I was doing it over again, to any youngsters considering the trade is to take schooling( shops won't help you get any) but get into a different trade which pays better. I was swapping engines and trannys and doing bodywork and painting for 6.00 an hour at one place. Then save your money up (You won't be able to do this working in a shop for someone else) and get your credit rating good. Then talk to score and look into business classes and do it on your own. I worked for a couple boat builders the pay was a little better and I could keep my tools at home, but still underpayed. I just quit my last job and am looking into other trades, tired of my brother making great money doing something he didn't go to school for, and myself with schooling making dittly squat. If I start making some money, I will try to do it on my own.

 

kenseth17,

I was just a one man body shop operation, working at home in a detached two bay garage - did it for about 10 yrs. (80's) As hard as it was then, it's even harder now with the additional complications and constantly changing new cars, and the complex and costly new paint systems. I found that I couldn't do it without investing in more and more equipment, and one man isn't enough to make it all pay for itself. Such is life - I'll quit crying. It IS interesting, satisfying work.

biz4two,

When I did my "double clear" jobs, when sanding the first clear coat, I didn't spend much time 1500 grit wet sanding it - just leveled off most of the orange peel. (about 3 hrs sanding time) I never unmasked and remasked between clears, or between the color and first clear for that matter, but it wouldn't hurt to do that - may cut down on the dirt specks. It's impossibe to keep every little dirt speck out, but the more carefull you are the better. (use tack rags at every interval, keep the floor watered down as you're spraying, do all your sweeping and cleaning the day before to give the air plenty of time to clear etc. etc. It is possibe to get a nice job without a spray booth if you use your imagination!

Another suggestion - go to any dept. store that sells kitchenware and get one or two quart size glass measuring cups. Measure the paint - hardeners - thinners out to the OUNCE according to the label. The stuff doesn't work like it's supposed to if not measured accurately. Same with the wait time between coats. If it says wait 5 minutes between coats, don't get impatient at the 4 or 4 1/2 minute mark. Wait longer if it's cooler than 70 degrees.

Not trying to be a know it all, just speaking from experience. Today's paint is too costly to waste!!

marc

 

Marc...I truly appreciate your insight and experience.

I remember you did an acrylic dupont enamel and CC on a couple of vehicles...how long ago did you do those vehicles? And how are they holding up?

I want my paint job with the proper care to last a very very long time.

Thanks again!

 

 

ANOTHER GOOD IDEA FOR SUPER CLEAN PAINT JOBS IS TO WET THE FLOOR BEFORE YOU START TO PAINT. NOT JUST PART OF IT BUT THE INTIRE AREA THE TRUCK IS IN. IT WILL KEEP ALL THE DUST DOWN. ALSO MAKE SURE THE TRUCK IS COMPLETELY DRY.

 

biz4two,

One of those jobs I did on my car in 1998 - still have it and it still looks good. I only drive it about 3000 miles a year, but it's never garaged. I used the Mar-hyde clear on it, and it's not yet shown any signs of failure in the usual areas (top & hood)

The other one was done last January on my 91 F-150 - one year ago - with the Nason clear. I would have used Mar-hyde again, but it's no longer available in my area. It still looks good of course, but I'm a little nervous about it. Nason was aquired by Dupont about 20 yrs. ago, and I don't expect them to allow a budget brand to outperform their top line products. But the jobber said it sells really well, so I thought I'd try it. My 91 is a work truck that I pieced together from 3 trucks - if the paint fails I'll evaluate how the mechanics are before I decide what to do with it. As soon as my computer guy gets over here, I'll put up the pics of it and my two other trucks in my gallery.

marc

 

Really, you can't get the marhyde clear. I bought some a year ago, I sure hope its still available. Do you use the multi-purpose in the purple can. I used it on my Cavalier and at a shop I worked at. The marhyde clear is pretty good, priced right too. You might want to see if toolsusa.com has it and if there is a hazardous materials charge if you want to use it in the future. They always use to carry the purple multi purpose clear, but I only see the hi image stuff listed on there site.

 

All really good idea's...Thanks!


Marc
Sure do look forward to your computer guy visiting you...really am interested in seeing the final results.

 

What should I expect to pay for the acrylic enamel? and a 2 CC top coats?

Oh ya, how much paint do I need to purchase (1 gal, 1 pt, etc.)?

The color scheme is: The lower half and roof '76 copper and the upper half '76 white. Plus 2 CC top coats.

Thanks!

 

Mar-Hyde clear is priced reasonable at www.smartshoppers.com in Kentucky and available

 

Thanks blueoval66, I'm an old guy used to driving to stores to get everything I need - I'll get used to all the usefullness of computers one of these days!

Biz4two - for the outside of the truck only, 2 qts of each color should be enough. If you're doing the doorjambs and the inside of the bed you'll probably need qt. no. 3 of the white. You might want to compare the cost of a whole gallon of white with the cost of 3 qts. - there won't be much difference. About 6 qts. of clear for two sprayings. (about 1 qt. for each pass around the truck - not incl. bed inside)

Cost - including thinners and hardeners, about $550 - $600. (just ballpark - I may be a little out of touch with prices and they may vary around the country)

marc

 

URL is not good...at least not for paint info???