After spending about 25 hrs on bodywork, (just little stuff) on my '72, I finally got the paint on it. Had a beautiful Sat morn, (70 degrees, no wind) to do it in. Came out real nice, no orange peel, drips, sags, etc. Nice shine too, wouldn't spray anything without that catalyst additive. Will have to upgrade my gallery pic, as soon as some new chrome arrives in the big brown truck.

 

Congrats on the progress!

 

I painted my first vehicle about 12 yrs ago, didnt know squat about it, but had previous spray gun experience with my painting contractor uncle. Asked a lot of questions at the paint shop, and just jumped in with both feet. Always nice when somebody asks where you had it done, and you can tell them you did it yourself. I drove it for 2 weeks with just grey primer, and nobody saw me on the road, but now I see peeps turning their heads when I go by. Amazing what a little paint will do.

 

i'm 17 and looking at repainting my truck when i put new body pannels on it.

How much did it cost you to shoot it?

How many coats did you do?

I plan on doing it close to the end of the summer when i can drive another truck so i can fix this one up.

Has any one seen the 80's Light Canyon red new? My dad said it was a good color but i've never seen a truck in good shape with this color.

I plan on painting the fenders, hood, doors, and bedsides off the truck so i can prime the backside's and the structure under the sheet metal. and then painting the cab and roof on the truck.

This will be my first paint job on a vehicle. I plan on clearcoating it. I have seen on tv that they wet sand the paint before the clearcoat what does that do? Do i need to do it?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

DT

 

I don't know how much bait has into his paint job but can answer some of your questions. The cost of paint will depend on both color, some pigments and tints they use to mix a color are more expensive then other tints, whats in it, is it a solid, or a metallic, or have pearls or micas. They keep coming out with more and more stuff and the manufacturers are using more stuff that was once considered custom. There are cars that are factory three stage paints, the color shifting paints like ford used on a few tbirds for awhile, ect. Cost will also come down to choice of products and how much work you have to do. PPG,Dupont, and other top brands are close in price, but have higher lines and cheaper lines of paint. Also what type of paint, a single stage enamel that was used primarily on cars in the early 80's is going to be a lot cheaper then a top of the line basecoat/ urethane or polyurethane clearcoat. I am assuming you are talking about them wetsanding the basecoat prior to clearcoat. This would be done to smooth down the surface and knock out dust nibs ect in it. More basecoat has to be sprayed on before clearing if you do this, expecially if it is metallic or pearl ect. You don't have to sand the basecoat before you clear though. Some people will also let the clearcoat set up till it can be wetsanded and then spray on more clear after wetsanding. This is done often in custom painting and when using candys. You don't have to sand the clearcoat either. Typical job, the paint or primer on the car will be sanded to the final grit recommended for the paint you are using, Then may be sealed, the basecoat sprayed till everything is covered and then 2-3 coats of clearcoat sprayed on all without sanding in between, just wait the appropriate time between coats. Then the clear may be wetsanded the next day when dry with 1000-2000 grit paper and buffed out. This is done if you have any little imperfections like some dirt nibs or a small run, or to level the clear to look like glass if it has a bit of orange peel. The prep and bodywork, and the wetsanding and buffing make or break a paint job. Just remember that all paints are harmfull to your health, especially if catalyzed and have isocyanates in them- cyanide. Read up on what you are dealing with, always wear a respirator with good cartridges and filters, and air supplied respirator being recommended, have plenty of ventilation, and keep open flames and ignition sources away when spraying or working with flammable materials. Can't enjoy your ride if your 6 feet under ground.

 

Thanks for the tips. I plan on doing it either outside or in my garage with the doors open.

This valve cover was the first thing i painted for the looks.

I'm going with PPG because that's what was original on the truck.

I'm going to sandblast the whole truck and put a patch panel in the floor board where there is a rust hole about the size of a dime. It's the only rust on the truck.

Planning on 2-3 coats of a good primer sanded between each coat. If that's the right way to do it.

Then 2-3 coats of Base coat. Should I sand the base coat?

Then 2-3 coats of clear like you said.

This is my first road worthy truck i've owned and i plan on keeping it till i die. But not as a daily driver.

I have heard that you can get the primer tinted to your base coat color. Is this necesary for a good paint job.

I'm mainly wanting a good gloss and a deep shiney finish.

Thanks

DT

 

You put on as much primer as you need to get it straight and fill sanding scratches in bodywork areas. What I usually do if I have an area where bodywork is done, Block sand my bodyfiller, put on 1 coat of epoxy primer to seal the metal and then a few coats of urethane 2k filler primer, let it sit enough hours till it can be sanded. Spray a light guide coat over the primer and block with 180 grit and put on a little more urethane primer and guide coat and wetsand with 400 grit before basecoat. If it is straight bare metal you would only really need an epoxy primer, but I usually put on a few coats of urethane primer and guide coat. Epoxy primer doesn't usually sand well. If it is paint in good condition, you wouldn't need primer, but using a sealer is cheap insurance to prevent compatability problems. Check the tech sheet for the paint you choose for final sanding grit reccommended. You want fine enough for the basecoat or sealer to fill the scratches, but course enough that it will adhere well. Basecoat you put on as many coats as you need to acheive hiding, you cant see the primer or sealer through the basecoat color, all is covered and even. Usually takes 2-3 coats with the upperlines, but every once in awhile get a color that covers bad. The cheaper lines may take more coats as they seem to be more transparent. You can sand the basecoat if you need to to knock down dirt nibs or if you have to fix an area, but where you wetsand you have to spray more basecoat before clear. You don't have to sand the basecoat if it lays out good with no boo boos before clear, unless it sat past the time window given in the tech sheets before you sprayed clear on it. If it did you will have to sand and spray on more base before you clear. This time will be given in the tech sheets for the base, somewhere around 24 hrs if not a catalyzed base. Yes thier are tintable primers and they are used to help with faster coverage of the base. No you don't need them but try to pick a shade or color close to what you are spraying, or if you seal the whole car, a sealer close in color or shade. The yellow urethane primer can be a beotch to cover with a lot of colors. 2-3 coats of clear sounds good, 3 if you plan to wetsand and buff afterwards because you will be taking off some clear. If the whole thing is primed with 2k urethane primer then it might be a waste to use a sealer. Look for a primer close to the color you are spraying and skip the sealer before basecoat.

 

Thanks that is really helpfull!!

I'll probally use the old front fenders to experiment on so i can get the tecnique down.

When you buff is it the same as buffing after you wax? or is it a special compund that brings out the color?

Thanks

DT

 

17 covered it pretty good if you are doing the clear coat, etc. I just used a straight white with the catalyst, and Smoothie. When I drove it to work the first day, a few asked me how many coats of clear I had on it. I got to tell them "none". The truck looks good, but certainly not a "showtruck". I get lots of compliments, but when you use your truck for hauling, 4 wheeling, brush busting, you dont want to bang up that $1000 (or more) paint job. I have just under $200 in mine. I have a friend that spent $4000 to have his truck painted, and just after the warranty expired, it started checking and peeling. No thanks!

 

Kind of the same, but the buffers are more powerfull and have more speed, and compounds and glazes are used. The buffers can also burn through the paint if its is held in one spot too long or and edge is hit to hard. Edges can go through quick if your not carefull. Depends on how what it is wetsanded with on what you use. There are compounds which get out larger wetsanding scratches and glazes for finer scratches and finishing. Thier are also different pads to use on the buffer, wool pads for cutting, in foam pads in cutting and finishing. What you are basically doing is sanding out imperfections and leveling the clear with the wetsanding, and when you buff you are taking out scratches from wetsanding, and step down on coursness of pads and compounds used to put finer scratches to take out the larger scratches till you can't see them anymore. 3m and meguires both have a lot of different products to use. When you said bring out the color, you are probably thinking of an old single stage enamel paint which has no clear on top. The ultraviolet rays in the sun would cause them to oxidate over time, and buffing got rid of the oxidation and dull look and brought back the shine, but it usually didn't last real long.