Quick Paint Job options (1 Viewer)

[new45]

Hi all,

I'm rapidly running out of time with my build and the only step Im worried about is the painting. I am a total novice painter!

I'm not building a show pony, just a functional truck that doesn't stand out because it looks shabby.

The cab will be off next week and the plan is to only take it back to the first clean layer of paint with a DA sander, ie, only take each panel back to a smooth surface, not remove all the paint or go down to a specific point,

Now here is where I need advice.

The current plan is to do the underside of the cab and wheel arches with Etch primer and then epoxy kill rust (several coats, I really don't want under body rust!)

And as for the surface of the cab I would like to keep it simple, work up to 800 grit, then 3 coats of acrylic separated by 400 and then 800 sanding. No clear coat over the top, just keep it kind of flat.

Please dont recommend 2pac, Im not even considering it.
Any other advice appreciated.

 

[Mustangstolli]

Acrylic is easy to spray and anyone with a bit of practice can make it shiny off the gun. If you try too hard it runs - but is easy to sand back.

Hardest part is the prep work. If you are doing a paint job to prevent rust and look tidy your method is sound. I'd do 1 or 2 coats of primer putty then sand with 400, and if you're keen 800. Sand it with water (ie lightly running from the hose) and it'll slurry up and prevent deep scratches. You'll need to wait about 24-48hrs before sanding.
Follow up with 4 coats of colour. Then 800 grit wet sand after 24 hrs, then a couple of coats of clear for protection from bush pin striping.
I'd recommend the clear for protection and also something to buff - otherwise you will buff through the colour pretty quick on corners/edges.
I normally spray the edges/corners with a few coats before doing the full colour coats so as to make sure you get good coverage on corners.
If you're dead against clear coat, put some more coats of colour on it. Makes it easier to sand out runs or other blemishes without worrying about primer showing though.
It's pretty simple - just don't try to save money on the gun or pressure regulator. The supercheap guns are ok for the primer putty, but get a decent gravity fed gun for the colour.
Use the premium thinners for the colour and definitely for the clear (otherwise can turn out yellow).
Get prepsol or wax and grease remover and use it as if it was your best friend! Nothing worse than getting some contamination and a great paint job bubbling up after a day!
Be careful with overspray onto your enamel underside as it will react and bubble and peal.
Good luck - best advice is give it a go

 

[JohnnyC]

Quick paint job = rattle can or roller

Everything else takes time

 

[new45]

thanks mustangstolli,

I wasnt going to worry about spray putty? Im not looking for perfect just good enough, how essential is it? what will happen if I go straight to color?

I have a s***load of 800 grit pads for the DA so I will definitly do 800g.

Another question about the clear, Im trying to avoid it looking to 'shiney' like the original colors were pretty dull. will it fade without clear?

 

[cjgoode]

I would not do a straight color, I would epoxy prime it first, it acts as a primer and sealer, and with that old pain you really want the sealer part. If you have not gotten any paint yet, I would spray a single stage urethane on it. NASON has some good quality urethane paint for a very reasonable price.

 

[new45]

I really don't want anything really complicated (expensive / something I will stuff up the first time).

Thats why Im thinking acrylic.

But im now worried that it just wont last without the primer putty and clear coat.

 

[cjgoode]

I paid like $100 for 2 gallons of epoxy primer
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DG7HOL2/?tag=ihco-20

I paid about $200 for a gallon of Dupont NASON urethane paint and gallon of primer the for it and all the catalysts and a gallon of thinner, although technically they said the primer was not 100% necessary if I was laying down the epoxy primer.

I did a lot of review and research and the Dupont NASON urethane paint gets very high reviews for ease of spraying and cost. Single stage and suppose to be very durable.

I painted my jeep with acrylic, big mistake, but that was 7 years ago and I paid $120 for the pain, primer, sand paper everything needed but the gun. Well I will have to sand it all off and do it again.

 

[Mustangstolli]

Look; you can put colour straight on, but I wouldn't recommend it. with acrylic (as I understand) the thinners penetrate the existing paint and the two "stick" together. Primer has other components which help it stick. etch primer has a chemical in it to help bond with bare metal.
if you had a decent amount of paint on already (and you knew it was put on properly) then it'd be less risky to put colour straight on.

if your paint is worn and thin, with surface rust coming through, then it might be worth while etch priming it....

you will be surprised how quickly and easily you cover the panels with a spray gun - forget the timeframes and coverage you get with a spray can - they do not compare... the first time I used a spray gun I wished I had done it sooner - I had spent a good day sanding and using a spray can to do one quarter panel on an XY falcon - my mate came round with a spray gun and put 2 coats of primer down on the whole car within an hour....

I suggest primer putty because its thicker and builds up quickly - that way (since you want a quick paint job) light scratches and imperfections fill up and get covered over/blended easily without sanding. its also less prone to running, so you build up your confidence quicker. very easy to sand and get smooth if you wanted to as well.

4L should be plenty and I think its only $70 or so (haven't bought any for a while).

as for "shiny...

with acrylic the idea is lots of light coats with or without clear on top. you can get it looking matt (even with clear) but it'd be a rough surface (which is hard to keep clean). you can get it shiny off the gun by applying the last couple of passes wet - not so wet that it runs, but it actually looks shiny/wet rather than rough and dry (you can also add some retarder which stops the thinners evaporating as quickly and allowing your gun "passes" to blend before they dry and prevent tiger stripes). The idea to get a good shine; is 4 weeks or so after you paint it you wet sand with 1200 grit then buff. This smooths out all the rough surfaces and polishes them. (I know you don't want shine, but i'll give you a bit of a run down). This is why you need to put more coats on (or additional clear coats) because you remove them when you cut and polish.

All acrylic "dulls". normally the thinners keep coming out of the paint for about a month - so if you cut and polish before a month - you normally have to re-do it. Normally to keep the paint looking shiny you have to cut and polish once a year - that's why every one is going to 2pac - it goes off with a chemical reaction - and that's it. it is hard as F*$k and stays shiny.

back to you wanting a dull look - I'd suggest a clear coat, but get your clear coat from an auto paint store (not supercheap). They can mix in a compound which will make it "satin", rather than gloss. Being your first paint job, I reckon that you can use normal clear coat. after a month use 1200 grit to smooth it out (stops dirt from getting in the paint) using plenty of water. then cut and buff - but don't spend much time on it. after the 1200grit it looks totally flat/matt - if that's what you want - don't buff. buff a little bit and see if you like it and stop at that. once you see the shine you can get, I reckon you'll buff the crap out of it and have a nice shiny new toy within a year (or sooner if you go offroad) it'd be pretty dull again anyway!

 

[new45]

Thanks mate, thats now the plan,

If I use the (putty primer spray stuff) do I need to put etch primer over the top? or even underneath?

Thanks for all the help.

 

[Mustangstolli]

You wont need the etch primer on top of the spray putty. May need it underneath if the paint is very thin or bare metal. If it's only bare steel in a few places I wouldn't worry about it. Just make sure you sand any surface rust well and use plenty of prepsol.

 

[new45]

Thanks Mustang.

So the plan is to sand the panels all back to clean paint or metal if I have to. 80grit then 400grit

Clean everything with wax and greese remover

A couple of heavy coats of primer putty, followed by a wet 800grit sand.

4 light coats of acrylic paint, with the last one being a little 'wetter' but avoiding runs!

A coat of clear.

Then a month later cut and polish with 1200grit.

 

[Mustangstolli]

Sounds like a plan.
Let us know how it goes.

 

[Mustangstolli]

Just to clarify:
Anytime you think your paint looks like it's orange peel like (gets ripples like an orange's skin) you can wet sand with 800 grit to knock the orange peel off.
After a month you rub back with 1200 (wet) until the surface is smooth - you can tell what it will look like polished by running water over it quickly or wiping it with a wet cloth so the surface is wet. If you can see little dark spots (where your sanding doesn't reach yet) you won't get a "glassy appearance" but more like an orange peel appearance. Probably not an issue for a quick spray job on a 4x4.
Once the 1200 sand is done you use a cut and polish compound with a buffing machine (don't bother trying to do it by hand). The heat generated from the buffing machine and the grit in the Polish gives you the shine...

 

[Usernametaken]

Be careful spraying etch primer over other paint, it can make it bubble and peel.

 

[cjgoode]

And if you use an etch primer, make sure it 100% cures according to its directions. A little research says most paint jobs fail because of incorrect use of a self etch primer.

 

[alaska60]

Heres what I did on my 60 as well as my 40 too....

Rust fix and face lift in 10 days! < its a link to a rattle can job!

 

[alaska60]

Heres another rattle can job too

Rattle can a fj40 <its a link

 

[FJsnoozer]

Nothing you are talking about is quick.

Everything you listed took me longer than the complete reassembly of the truck from frame off status. I used a crossfire Napa Enamel over PPG "sealer" primer coat over PPG build primer, over rage skim coat over a sand blasted body that was PPG epoxy primed


It required no cut and buff to be shiny and very nice looking. I shot everything through a harbor freight gun without orange peel. I have one run on the exterior body under the tire carrier which was an accident when i laid down the sealer primer and was unwilling to wait for it to dry and sand/respray the panel and have another day setback.

I also built a paint booth. If I were doing it again, I would buy the greenhouse from Harbor freight when it goes on sale for 299 and rented a squirrel cage industrial fan for my evac system. You need a strong compressor and a good air filtering system as well as a moisture filtering system for your compressor.


Rattle can is by far the way to go if you want quick. I can do one hell of a rattle can job, in fact that was my original plan.

 

[Mustangstolli]

Enamel is different to acrylic so you will get good gloss from the gun.
You obviously did a full resto. On your rig and I'm sure it turned out top notch.
What we are talking about is difference between an acrylic spray can and acrylic paint out of a gun. All the rest (prep work and sanding, buffing etc is the same either way). And the prep work is what takes the time and makes it a quality job.
In Australia spray cans (either primer or colour) are about $15ea - multiply by approx 30 and you end up at $450.
Primer putty and colour are about $300 for 4 litres of both including thinners. Plenty to do a 40 series.
I can guarantee you can almost put 3 x the paint on a rig using a gun than a can - and it will go on thicker. Also much less likely to get trigger finger from using up 30 spray cans.
For price and speed - spray gun wins every time. Invest in a good compressor and you can use it for all sorts of things including pneumatic tools