Keith
Make sure that you trust your supply people fully and that they know what they're talking about. Then you can decide on the brand of paint that you want. A gallon of base should be enough to do the exterior of the truck but if you're doing the inside of the box and the door jambs and fenders....etc. you might want another half gallon. It sounds like you're gonna use a single stage paint and then clear it right? If that's the case then you're gonna want to let the color coat dry for a couple days before clearing. You will want to get the same amount of clear as color or to be safe maybe a little more. As far as flash times and recoat times, all paints are different, get a Tech Sheet from your supplier they should have a binder full of them to photocopy. If you're gonna sand and polish this thing it would be a good idea to put on 3 full coats (you can also do 4, just remember to make sure you have enough clear) this way you'll have enough product that you won't break through when sanding.

Good luck and take your time.
Chris
Alberta

 

I spray single stage metallic the same way is marc, but haven't done it for years. Spray one panel so it has shine then go to the next, then back up to the previous panel you sprayed and go over it holding the gun back farther and mist coating it and spraying in different angle patterns if necessary to even out the metallic, but with the panel being still fairly wet the panel won't look dry. Silver and light blues are usually the toughest to even out the metallic without looking blotchy or mottled. If your concerned about dirt in the paint, you will need a pretty clean place to paint it, because you won't be able to buff single stage metallic afterwards. I've used Omni ae before and it is about the same price as the Nason.

 

Single stage paints are for oil wells, engines, railroad bridges, Macco,and graffiti. With all the problems that will happen, why waste your time with a single stage.
Is the metallic going to mottle? Yes Can you sand out dirt? Not metallic
Can you match it for a repair? Only with a 3 stage blend,that looks like a color fade attempt. Can you pick that knat out that did the double winged backstroke down in the virgin wet paint on the hood? Nope let it dry sand repaint. Can I tape it off for the center color of my two tone paint job? Better make sure you wait longer than the can says or you'll cover that truck with tape tracks. Does it sag, run, tear, and drip easy? Only everywhere that gravity is in effect.

What does two stage paint help to remedy?
Metallics lay evenly with a properly applied drop coat.
Can tack off overspray,or bugs, lint, mystery particles whatever is on it between color coats.
The products are forgiving. Meaning you are going to make a couple of mistakes in the spraying, but the product is so forgiving that like even if you run the paint it nearly fixes itself as it dries.
Good for re-matching colors- some yellowing of the C.C. can happen after the 5 year mark.
Buff old clearcoat,and get good shine, solid or metallic.
30 minutes dry time to tape free for striping, two tones ect.
The clear coats are super high performance, they hold up 10 years now in UV tests.
Don't fear this stuff. Take the big leap into the Twenty-First century you'll be glad you did.

 

Well JD, you missed his original question. I agree with you that base/clear is a much better system. I only use single stage enamel in solid colors now and something that is to be done cheap. If you read his original question he said he uses it for rock crawling and he will be getting dents and scratches. He said cheap( $150 in materials), and single stage acrylic enamel is about the cheapest. Its not terrible paint. It will last a while and is fairly tough and chemical resistant if you use a hardener. Don't expect it to look good after 10 years like you will get with base, urethane clears of today. It does not compare to base/clear in looks or ease of use, which is why single stage enamels are not used a lot anymore except for cheap paint jobs.

 

Just thought I should do a follow up. I painted it with rustoleum hammerite and black rustoleum, probably $50 in materials can't wait to go scratch and dent it up

more pics on this thread

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=37597

 

Turned out great.. Looks like the silver hides the dents well. Did you have any problems with the HF gun? I saw the exact HVLP on sale yesterday and have been wanting a gravity feed....

BTW...That's quite a roll cage/rack. Has it shown any sheet metal stress at the points it goes through the roof? (I assume it goes through.) Bet that is one stout rack!