How much paint to order? type of paint? cheapest costwise?

[87ComancheLB]

I've decided to shoot the paint myself since I do own a 60 gallon 5hp compressor and an HVLP gun when I painted my cladding on my Avalanche. I may need to build me a spraying booth with large paper rolls or use drop cloth in my carport like boxing it in with some vents and fans.

 

I'm planning on painting it the same color BE Colorado Red so no spraying door jambs, bed etc, but planning on painting the camper shell also. I google how much some say 3 quarts up to 1~5 gallons? some are ready to spray at around $75 a quart and other requires mixing. Found some cheap at $103 a gallon any advise will be appreciated.

 

Thanks

[Eagle]

Back when I owned a full-size Cherokee, I replaced the front fenders and had patch panels cut into the rear quarters. The work was done by an out-of-work auto body man in a friend's garage. Rather than shoot individual parts and have a vehicle that looked like a patchwork quilt, he shot the whole lower body, from the bottom of the glass down. Didn't shoot any door posts, or the roof.

 

The job used almost an entire gallon of urethane. When he was finished, there was enough paint left to fill a small jar to set aside for touching up nicks.

 

With that as a frame of reference, I'd say to do a Comanche you will need at least 1-1/2 to 2 gallons. The one-part, ready to spray stuff sounds like the cheap enamel that Maaco uses. It'll look good for about a year, then it'll go flat on you and you'll wish you had never heard of it. Go with a two-part urethane paint. It has a decent gloss, and it'll hold the gloss forever.

[Akula69]

Back when I owned a full-size Cherokee, I replaced the front fenders and had patch panels cut into the rear quarters. The work was done by an out-of-work auto body man in a froend's garage. Rather than shoot individual parts and have a vehicle that looked like a patchwork quilt, he shot the whole lower body, from the bottom of the glass down. Didn't shoot any door posts, or the roof.

 

The job used almost an entire gallon of urethane. When he was finished, there was enough paint left to fill a small jar to set aside for touching up nicks.

 

With that as a frame of reference, I'd say to do a Comanche you will need at least 1-1/2 to 2 gallons. The one-part, ready to spray stuff sounds like the cheap enamel that Maaco uses. It'll look good for about a year, then it'll go flat on you and you'll wish you had never heard of it. Go with a two-part urethane paint. It has a decent gloss, and it'll hold the gloss forever.

 

 

:agree: But remember that the two stage stuff is kinda rough on your lungs, and inless you intend to punch out kids with 8 toes later in life you need a good mask.

 

****also**** you probably need to use a good epoxy sealer under the color coat to seal in the old paint (avoids all sorts of nasty problems later on) but be daymn sure you have the color coat mixed and waiting as you can only let the epoxy sealer 'flash' dry for about 15 minutes or the final finish will peel later (ask me how I know :headpop: )

[philbert001]

I sprayed my MJ in my garage, and used about 2 quarts basecoat, (After being reduced), and about 3 quarts of sprayable clearcoat. (Reduced and catalyzed) You will want to make sure you have more than that on hand, because I am a professional painter, therefor, I'm probably a bit more efficient than you, but I wouldn't think you'd need more than a gallon of sprayable basecoat. And that should leave you with a good quart leftover. I would say buy a gallon of cheap clear, and that will be plenty to spray the truck. (Usually mixed 4 parts clear, 1 part hardener, 1 part thinner, but will vary by what you buy.) The gallon of clear will come with a quart of hardener, and you will use the same reducer for your base and your clear.

 

So, my recommended shopping list is:

2 quarts basecoat (It will come mixed thick, and will need reduced 1:1, leaving you with a gallon sprayable)

1 gallon low temp urethane grade reducer (enough for your base and clear. low temp won't flow as much as high temp, but will resist runs better.)

1 gallon clear, and the included quart of hardener (If it's mixed 4:1:1, that'll give you 1.5 gallons sprayable.)

 

If you do it close to right, you'll have enough leftover base and clear to respray a few panels if you screw em up too bad.

As for price and brand, Most major brands have a cheaper off shoot brand. I like Martin Senior, (Sherwin Williams redheaded stepchild), but like I said, most brands have one. Go to your local paint suppliers, and just ask what their cheap brands are, and how much my little shopping list will cost ya.

 

Good luck, and take your time. you don't need to get color coverage in one coat. If you have questions as the time draws closer for paint, feel free to PM me!

[87ComancheLB]

Thanks for the replies, but do I need the expensive paint? I was going to buy online, but I guess I could check locally when I'm ready.

 

They have a 9 system painting here, which one do I go with?

 

http://www.carpaintonline.com/paints-byoem.php?PPGCode=3932&PNId=9223&OEMCode=BE

 

I was just going to order economical system?

 

http://www.carpaintonline.com/products.php?PPGCode=3932&PNId=9223&SPCId=13

[philbert001]

I would buy locally if possible. You may pay a little more than online, but you will get way better support if/when you need it. They will also be able to give you a lot more info on your choices of products. Allowing you to make a much better educated decision on what products to go with. If you buy online, and end up needing more of something, or another product to make it work right, you are S.O.L. for a week or so. :doh:

[mnkyboy]

You might just go down to Napa they sell Martin Senour. most Napas have a decent paint section and they are usually cheaper then the industrial paint stores.

 

for what your doing i don't think your gonna notice any difference between cheap and high end paint. I shot a Honda goldwing for a nieghbor about a year and a half ago with a cheap single stage industrial paint(TCM forklift yellow) and you can still see your reflection in it from accross the street.

 

Make sure your prep work is good, a poor paint job over good prep work can still look ok,a killer paint job on bad prep work can look like crap. i think alot of people get eager to shoot and throw on the paint before the body work and prep are where they should be.

 

Also make sure where you paint the truck is clean and away from dust and junk,wet paint is like a crap magnet. painting at home your most likely gonna get some dust or maybe a bug or two in the paint,but if you set up your spray area right you can reduce this.

 

 

here's the bike, i shot this after work one night.with a cheap single stage industrial equipment paint.

[87ComancheLB]

Thanks, Yes I'm taking my time no big hurry and making sure the prep is really good before shooting I heard to many stories of paint job washing off. My Comanche has absolutely no rust and would like to keep that way. I'm planning to use Por-15 on the underside of the panels lower section for added protection from rust.

That reminds me I need to repaint my 92 ZX11 also! Thanks I didn't think of Napa I will check them out locally also.

[mnkyboy]

ya just take your time and don't cut corners

 

I worked with a guy that wanted to paint his S-10 but didnt want to spend any money, he brought the truck in to the booth then went to the paint cabinet to see what he could scrounge. he found a gallon of epoxy primer but no activater/hardner for it, he asked me about it as i was leaving the shop for the day and i told him he needed to get the right stuff for it or it wouldnt dry correctly.

 

next day i came into work and his truck was sitting in the booth all primered,when i talked to him he told me he had called somewhere and the hardner for the epoxy paint was too expensive so he decided to use some hardener he found in the cabinet. It was paint hardener for the single stage enamel i was shooting :no:

 

he argued that it would work but it will take longer to dry :nuts: after 3 weeks he finally scraped it off and bought paint. :doh:

[philbert001]

imagine that. A deleted post!

[mnkyboy]

i saw your post then it was gone. i was wondering where it went

[Eagle]

Flaming the entire club membership is generally frowned upon.

 

Take a hint ...

[philbert001]

I wasn't flaming the club. I simply think that when a member has a question, It should be answered by the people who have professional knowledge to share as it pertains to the subject of the question. Not what just anyone who has, "Had work done", has to say. If everyone throws down their, ".02", how is the asker of the question to figure out who is shooting straight, and who is replying to hear themselves reply.

[Eagle]

I wasn't flaming the club. I simply think that when a member has a question, It should be answered by the people who have professional knowledge to share as it pertains to the subject of the question. Not what just anyone who has, "Had work done", has to say. If everyone throws down their, ".02", how is the asker of the question to figure out who is shooting straight, and who is replying to hear themselves reply.

Memo to self:

 

Do not reply to any questions by philbert001, because I am not a professional Jeep technician and therefore I am obviously unqualified to say anything about Jeeps.

 

Happy now?

 

 

Frankly, when you write "At last, someone else who isn't talking out their a$$ ..." -- that sounds a lot to me like someone who is flaming every member of the forum. Reality check -- there is no single answer to most questions, and just because someone's advice might be different from yours does not automatically mean he's talking out his a$$.

[comanchedude]

Frankly, when you write "At last, someone else who isn't talking out their a$$ ..." -- that sounds a lot to me like someone who is flaming every member of the forum. Reality check -- there is no single answer to most questions, and just because someone's advice might be different from yours does not automatically mean he's talking out his a$$.

 

X2

 

My 2cent

 

I bought paint kit here http://www.tcpglobal.com/restorationshop/ and i got the SINGLE STAGE URETHANE kit... local paint was almost 50% more for me so online was much better deal.

the base clear kit was to much money for my use as I wheel my Jeep a lot so didn't want to spend that much on paint that will get worn. now if your doing this for show or to restore and keep nice then go for the base clear. I don't paint for a living but have painted a few cars and trucks and the single stage looks good for years if you apply to a well prepared surface. I'm getting my Comanche ready to paint in the next week or two and will post picks when done . here is the tailgate I shot to get a look at the paint

[mnkyboy]

I havent bought much paint since i usually tell the parts dept what i want and it magically appears,but they seem to have decent prices.

 

i imagine single stage will be fine on a wheeler, thats what alot of heavy equipment companies use and it seems to hold up to abuse ok.

[navigator]

I've read before on here that the equipment paint you get from tractor supply companies usually hold up pretty well, especially for wheelers. I'm looking into painting mine as well.

 

I stopped at Tractor Supply Company last week, shopping for paint and most colors (limited color selection) were about $28 per gallon and the reducer(branded by the same co) was $8 per quart and I think they had some hardener for about $15.

 

I ended up getting a gallon of OD green ($22) and a quart of matte black ($9) as I want do do a kind of camo pattern.

 

Not to hijack the thread but i have some surface rust, i sanded down real good,to pretty much bare shiny metal and I painted over it with rattle can primer and after a couple weeks I can see the rust peeking back through again.

 

Is this because I needed to sand more or because I used cheap rattle can primer?

[mnkyboy]

it was probably the cheap primer,also if you shot it when it was cold out things like that can happen.

metal can sweat when heated and cooled so if you paint it cold it cold trap water under the new paint.

 

 

Be careful when you shoot the single stage equipment paint,if you don't over lap it right you will get dry spots,and if you need to go back over a spot you usually have to go over the entire thing.

 

I usually start out spraying real light to get started then turn up the material knob a little after i have a good base. after the entire thing is coated good i turn it up more to do the shine coat,this is tricky for some people. you want to walk the line between dry and runs,spray enough to get a good shine but not enough to run the paint,this is were the overlap is important becasue if the shine coat is all even with no dry spots it will look good.

 

I would practice on something so you can see the difference between wet and dry,ive tried to train people who just can't see the difference. paint something till it shines then let it sit a minute then shoot a random stripe on it you will see your new stripe will shine but the area all around it that was shiny will now look dry and hazy.

 

If you can get it down good you can make the equipment paint shine to the point people will think its clear coated.

[philbert001]

 

Not to hijack the thread but i have some surface rust, i sanded down real good,to pretty much bare shiny metal and I painted over it with rattle can primer and after a couple weeks I can see the rust peeking back through again.

 

Is this because I needed to sand more or because I used cheap rattle can primer?

Primer is porous. (It's not waterproof) especially the thin bodied rattle can stuff. I would topcoat any primer asap. (Even if it's just with a few coats of cheap rattle can color.) That will seal the primer, and give it some UV protection at the same time. (Primer isn't designed to hold up to sunlight for long either).

 

This is not my .02. These are facts.

[mnkyboy]

that is a good point,primers and fillers can absorb paint like a sponge so it would make sense for them to absorb water as well.

[navigator]

thanks guys, I was pretty sure I had sanded it good. It was just a few weeks ago so it was actually hot around here. I was going to slowly work on the rusty spots, prime those spots and then paint the whole thing. I guess I need to work on larger sections and then paint it. Then when I am done paint the whole thing with a coat or two.

 

I'm not terribly concerned with how the paint job looks (different shades), I just want it to be a consistent color (camo) and don't want it to rust. If the paint turns out good then that is a bonus.

[87ComancheLB]

You could add something to the bare metal before primer. I use metal ready which add a layer of zinc for added protection. The weather here in So, Calif is Hot! 80+ should I wait for cooler weather to shoot?

[mnkyboy]

You could add something to the bare metal before primer. I use metal ready which add a layer of zinc for added protection. The weather here in So, Calif is Hot! 80+ should I wait for cooler weather to shoot?

 

You should be ok,you might not have to reduce your paint as much though as its gonna be a little thinner due to the heat.

 

you also may want to go with a medium reducer.

[philbert001]

You could add something to the bare metal before primer. I use metal ready which add a layer of zinc for added protection. The weather here in So, Calif is Hot! 80+ should I wait for cooler weather to shoot?

 

You should be ok,you might not have to reduce your paint as much though as its gonna be a little thinner due to the heat.

 

you also may want to go with a medium reducer.

Well said. Most basecoats/topcoats can be over/under reduced 10%

[Eagle]

Not to hijack the thread but i have some surface rust, i sanded down real good,to pretty much bare shiny metal and I painted over it with rattle can primer and after a couple weeks I can see the rust peeking back through again.

 

Is this because I needed to sand more or because I used cheap rattle can primer?

Surface rust is rarely confined to the surface. Once it starts to make pits (even small pits), you can't get the rust out of the pits by sanding. You need to use a rust neutralizer (Naval Jelly, Ospho, muriatic acid ... something like that) to stop the rust process and convert watever you couldn't sand away into a stable base.

 

Second problem is that primer is for priming. It is porous, to allow the finish coat to get a "bite" Moisture vapor goes right through primer, so the rust starts right up again. You should paint right after you prime and, conversely, you shouldn't prime until you're ready to paint. Not if you're going to use the vehicle. If you can store it indoors, you can work one panel at a time and then prime each area as it's done ... but don't drive it around in primer.