Ok guys i have a 86 F-150 that iam going to paint. But this has to be really cheap it dont have to look the best in the world because the truck is mostly used for work around the farm. So looks dont matter to me. I have been thinking about brushing on the paint. Can anyone tell me anything about what you would have to do for a brush on paint job. There is a couple of really bad rust spots on the truck one above the wheel well and cab corners. Would there be alot of sanding to do? I dont have a air compresser to use to sand. Could anyone tell me a ballpark price on a paint job like.

Thanks alot guys
Southernguy101

 

Ok, a brush on paint job is gonna look bad, but if you want to do it, here's what I would do. Sand all the rust off, or at least use a rust converter and primer any bare metal. Don't use "real" auto paint (laquer-type), it will dry too fast and leave even more brush marks. I would use Sherwin-Williams industrial enamel and the red-oxide primer. You can thin the paint with regular paint thinner (mineral spirits) and thin it enough so it doesn't drip yet it doesn't dry too fast either. A 1:3 dilution should be about right. I would not attempt to do the whole truck at once, probably start from the top of the cab and work your way down, one panel at a time. Use a real hair (not nylon) paint brush, a 4" should be good and a smaller one for the small areas. I used to paint duraply plywood for signs and if you do it right, it almost looks like a sprayed on finish. Good luck!

 

also a roller improves the look a lot.

 

Industrial enamals are fine for painting automotive stuff, however they don't tend to have any UV resistant substances inside, so they fade quickly.

If you want it to last more than a year, go to an auto body supplier, a body shop, or buy online - a UV protectant. Most multi-part enamel automotive paints have this is a necessary ingrediant, and it works fine with rustoleum and krylon enamal paints.

 

Look in the paint section at your local farm/ranch store at the tractor paints. They are cheap compared to automotive, can be sprayed with any kind of gun, covers well and you can add some hardener if desired for a glossier finish. I did a horse trailer last year and it came out looking really nice for the minimal effort expended on it. Not a big choice of colors but sure can't beat the prices - $19 gallon.

 

The prep work would be the same, but I would look into spray paint. It will look a little better. I personally use rustoleum because they are relatively cheap and have a million colors. If you want truly cheap, get the cheapest spray paint available and go. No matter what, paint prep and rust prep are going to be the biggest thing.

 

You might consider using Marine enamal paint made for boats. It has good self leveling properties as well as UV proection and abrassion resistance. IT is not cheap paint but you can find house brands priced cheaper from large marine dealers like West Marine online.

Application with foam rollers and then tipped off with foam brushes leaves an excellent surface. It will have a thicker appeariance than automotive paint. Rolling not only speeds application but it helps you to get a thin even coat. Roll quickly and then follow imediately with long even strokes from a good quality foam brush. The good ones will have a wood handle and come in one, two, three and four inch sizes. The two inch will cost anywhere from 50 cents to 75 cents so you can throw them away when they get a little tired. You can also use convention boars brissel brushes but I find the foam ones leave a nicer finish.

Prep is the same as any painting method but don't forget to prep your work area by cleaning out the overhead area the day before and wetting down the floor lightly just before painting. After sanding, wipe down the truck with prepsal and after it is dry use a tack cloth lightly on it. I also lick to tack just ahead of where I am working as I go. Be sure not to open or close an overhead door over your work area untill the paint has reached a tac free state.

If you take your time with the prep and the taping and be carefull to keep a wet edge as you paint (painting natural divisions in the truck completely in one session will help) you should be able to get a decent paint job that is more than adiquit for your purposes. After all, some very large big dollar boats are painted this way.

Gene

 

I would try renting an airless house sprayer with a really fine tip. I sprayed a metallic green horse trailer this way and it came out awesome. MUST use the fine tip though. This setup works good because there's no need for a compressor. Also, I'd try going to an automotive paint store and getting an industrial paint. We've got a line called CPC (commercial performance coatings) that you can get a gallon of color with the catalyst for about $65. I would try to make sure whatever you get has some sort of hardener/catalyst additive. Otherwise it will not be very resistant to chemicals and won't last as long or have the gloss level. I've you've gotta brush I'd agree with both the marine paint idea and using a roller for at least your last coat.

 

gt,

One thing that you have to look out for with the rental airless rigs is nozzel wear. Those rigs usually get a lot of use and the nozzels tend to wear on the two sides first so you end up with a heavier spray out on the extreame edges of your patern. So be sure to ask about the age of the nozzel or buy your own to use with the rental equipment.

I have an HVLP turbine powered spray setup in my woodworking shop and I used it to spray a body repair I tryed my hand at once. It took a lot of trial and error because I was using a metalic paint and the use instructions that came with it gave specific spray pressures and distances for conventional spray equipment that don't translate to the HVLP directly. You may be able to rent a HVLP sprayer as well as the airless, I'm note sure though. My results were pretty good for a first time automotive effort especially considering I was spraying a metalic paint but I have a lot of expierience using it with other finishes.

Gene

 

The minimum equipment I would use is a $79 sears tire inflater and a HVLP gun from home depot for about $50.

A less than $150 investment is not bad for painting a vehicle respectably. While I have a real compressor now, I painted my old dodge truck with the above equipment and it worked fine. Perfect? No. Good enough? yes.

A friend of mine used a wagner electric sprayer to paint his race car a few months ago... $29 "out of box" special at home depot. I have to say, it came out pretty good all things considered. One big run in the back but that was easily sanded out.

He used cheap rustoleum paint since the car is raced, and banged up constantly. He likes to "rub" and "nudge".

 

Sorry, Gene's right about the tip. My dad used to paint houses and said the same thing. When I rented one they only came with bigger tips so I bought a new tip. The turbine setups work well too, but you're right on the PSI. Most pressures in the tech bulleteins read for conventional guns, and if they do read for HVLP its 8-10psi.....at the tip. But there's no inexpensive way to read tip PSI so you just have to go with what the gun says. Usually HVLP guns have an inlet PSI that the gun's valving turns down to 10PSI at the tip. Another thing to remember about HVLP guns is that its High Volume Low Pressure. A small nail gun compressor I have is 3hp with twin tanks, and it puts out 3cfm. The average HVLP gun requires 8-12 cfm. That tire inflator is going to be working its butt off to put out 1 cfm.

 

I'm pretty sure the Sherwin-Williams industrial enamel has some kind of UV protection. Signs my dad painted 10-15 yrs ago are still bright, without any noticable fading. The duraply usually rots before the paint gives out.