Hey everyone, I need a little help on how to paint. Before you get totaly freaked on the truck I've got to let you know a couple of things. 1st off, I have very little invested in it and it is a ROCK SOLID truck mechanicaly wise and I use it for work. Second is that metal work is something I can do prety easily so replacing cab corners and rockers will not be a problem. I've also read most of the post in this painting forum and have snagged some great paint tips. My question is what do I do once I get everything cleaned and replaced that needs to be? How do I make sure that my paint will last me for the long hual? I hear prep is crucial and I don't want to mess it up. I'm confident with the gun but I don't spray paint for long term, I spray to mark parts for a crash test lab. My normal paint jobs only have to last untill we crash the car. I need to know how to prepare for a nice long lasting paint job. We're talking bare metel here. Thanks!

Oh yeah, the bed is going bye bye and being replaced with a steel flatbed so I'm only working on the cab and I'll be doing a 2-stage paint job in white. Thanks again.
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After all the metal work is done, get it indoors in a low humidity area. Make sure there is absolutely no rust. Rust is cancer, and it will ruin your paint. Take some surface prep sand discs and sand it all down to make sure theres no rust. After that, dont touch the damn thing with your bare hands, or anything moist. As soon as its all sand down, make sure there isnt any dust. Whipe it down with a chamis.

After that, spray and epoxy sealer. After the epoxy sealer has cured you can start mudding the whole car with body filler. If you sand through, grab your touch up gun and slap some epoxy primer on that bare metal.

Once all the bondo work is done, spray your primer. I suggest a high build primer, such as PPG's K36. Wet sand the primer, and spray another coat if neccesary.

After that, spray your base...then your clear, wetsand the clear with 2500 or so, then buff it out with rubbing compoung. The wetsanding can be tricky to get the technique down, so just watch what your doing.

Tip: Make sure you use the same type and brand throughout the process. I.E, PPG Acrylic Urethane base, use PPG Acrylic Urethane clear.

Fortunately around here theres a company that makes all the fenders and quarted panels for ford trucks all the way back from 1960's to early mid 90's. Its a great way to rejuvinate your truck and only requires primer and paint. The metal is already treated with a classic undercoat simular to the paint on green electrical boxes with the louvers. I found and entire set for my 66 f100 , front fenders , rear quarter panels and bumpers and it will only cost me 300 bucks. I suggest you look for a speacialty shop that will have authentic type replacement panels for that truck. I doupt youll need much , by the looks of your photo the truck has cancer around the wells , if thats the only areas that has rust it shouldnt cost you that much to replace 2 fenders and do a metal finish repair on the rest of the truck before painting it. Id estimate your project could cost around 200-400 bucks with 2 new fenders and all the metal finish repairs retreated metal and primer. If you were paying someone to do the whole thing for you paint included it could cost 2-10 times that. If you do it mostly yourself with paint included it shouldnt cost you more than 1500 at the most including repairs , metal finish , treating , paint prep , primer and painting. The most it costs you is time. Hey Mike , did that truck use sherwin williams paint from factory?
Any ways , remember if you want the job to last make sure the metal is treated , primed , even base coat and even clear coat. Make sure you use the same lineup of paint research how they painted those trucks back in the day and try to replicate that process and when its cured protect it with paint conditioners and sealants. :) Nice truck by the way.

Great input guys, thanks! I have to agree with you Markgase2000, I think sherwin touched it too.

Couple more questions if you guys don't mind. Are these surface prep disks a special thing or are they a specific grit? I have bad luck asking people at stores for parts with common names. They always give me something wrong so an idea of what it is would be great so I know if I'm taking the right stuff home.Once all the bondo work is done, spray your primer. I suggest a high build primer, such as PPG's K36. Wet sand the primer, and spray another coat if neccesary.Okay, so lets say I've got the epoxy sealer down and bondo work done, when I spray the primer do I just lay down one coat to start or do I lay down a couple? Also, what grit do you guys recomend for wet sanding primer?Make sure you use the same lineup of paint research how they painted those trucks back in the day and try to replicate that processIf the truck originally used a 1 stage paint, is there anything wrong with using a 2-stage? I'll probably be completely striping and reworking the parts I keep and buying new replacements for the rest.

EDIT: I forgot to ask one question. If I use the same paint, can I do the truck in sections? In other words, could I start with the hood to see how it will work out and to learn, then do the fenders, the doors, then the cab?

Once again, thanks a lot guys.

Great input guys, thanks! I have to agree with you Markgase2000, I think sherwin touched it too.

Couple more questions if you guys don't mind. Are these surface prep disks a special thing or are they a specific grit? I have bad luck asking people at stores for parts with common names. They always give me something wrong so an idea of what it is would be great so I know if I'm taking the right stuff home.Okay, so lets say I've got the epoxy sealer down and bondo work done, when I spray the primer do I just lay down one coat to start or do I lay down a couple? Also, what grit do you guys recomend for wet sanding primer? A few should do, and then use 600-2000.

If the truck originally used a 1 stage paint, is there anything wrong with using a 2-stage? I'll probably be completely striping and reworking the parts I keep and buying new replacements for the rest. Two stage is just fine, if not better.


EDIT: I forgot to ask one question. If I use the same paint, can I do the truck in sections? In other words, could I start with the hood to see how it will work out and to learn, then do the fenders, the doors, then the cab?

Once again, thanks a lot guys. Yes you can. Just make sure everything looks even.

Well I went down to my local PPG dealer and got an estimate for some materials. Does this look good or should I shop around a little more? I really don't care about $20-$30 but if it's $50+ off I might want to go somewhere else.

Sorry Dial-ups
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You are one lucky son of a gun. That stuff is actually a bit under MSRP where I go.


I didnt see the K36. Normally costs me $80 for a quote, so the 2K Surfacer looks like a good price. Make sure its highbuild.

''Quote:Make sure you use the same lineup of paint research how they painted those trucks back in the day and try to replicate that process''

''If the truck originally used a 1 stage paint, is there anything wrong with using a 2-stage? I'll probably be completely striping and reworking the parts I keep and buying new replacements for the rest.''
It depends on authenticity. If you are restoring it the way it was originally then 2 stage would ruin it. 99/100 people wouldnt have a clue though so I think it doesnt matter. Mike is an awesome metal fabricator and an avid painter we had several discussions about metal finish and painting and hes really on the ball. Mike your project's and suggestions and I will go out and say it " your expert advice" is an asset to this auto forum coimmunity your getting me out of my classic car restoration faze and into the newer metal finishes and paints. I had an arguement with a guy about the acyrlic uerethane and I wasnt convinced that it was that great but after discussing it with you I realized I was just being stubborn and the guy I argued with was right. Im gonna try these new things and experiment there uses. Any suggestions for metal prep , what kind of undercoating would you use before applying PPG's primer and acyrlic uerathanes? How could I buy ppg in the same color as my car , I dont think I could buy it pre mixed since acyrlic uerathanes turn solid when mixed up for painting even when sealed in a air tight container. Do they send it with the reducer seperate or what? Thanks Mike :)

''Quote:Make sure you use the same lineup of paint research how they painted those trucks back in the day and try to replicate that process''

''If the truck originally used a 1 stage paint, is there anything wrong with using a 2-stage? I'll probably be completely striping and reworking the parts I keep and buying new replacements for the rest.''
It depends on authenticity. If you are restoring it the way it was originally then 2 stage would ruin it. 99/100 people wouldnt have a clue though so I think it doesnt matter. Mike is an awesome metal fabricator and an avid painter we had several discussions about metal finish and painting and hes really on the ball. Mike your project's and suggestions and I will go out and say it " your expert advice" is an asset to this auto forum coimmunity your getting me out of my classic car restoration faze and into the newer metal finishes and paints. I had an arguement with a guy about the acyrlic uerethane and I wasnt convinced that it was that great but after discussing it with you I realized I was just being stubborn and the guy I argued with was right. Im gonna try these new things and experiment there uses. Any suggestions for metal prep , what kind of undercoating would you use before applying PPG's primer and acyrlic uerathanes? How could I buy ppg in the same color as my car , I dont think I could buy it pre mixed since acyrlic uerathanes turn solid when mixed up for painting even when sealed in a air tight container. Do they send it with the reducer seperate or what? Thanks Mike :)

Mark, I really appreciate your kind remarks. Its good to hear that every once and awhile...especially right now when Im pissed at a drawing.

I'd first slap on a compatible etching or epoxy sealer first. Then slap on some K36. K36 needs an epoxy/etching primer under it when its on steel or aluminum.

I dont see why you cant get mixed stuff. Just wait to add the hardener.

As far as reducers and hardeners, it depends on the shop and the package. My local supplier sells a quart of K36 with reducer and 201 catalyst for $80 which is right on the ball. Check with your local supplier and see if they sell them together or not.

Just a tip, have a seperate gun for the primers. Eventually the primers will build up and ruin your base coats and clear coats, and soon the gun. Get a cheap gun for the primers. You can always sand out primer orange peel.

Just a tip, have a seperate gun for the primers. Eventually the primers will build up and ruin your base coats and clear coats, and soon the gun. Get a cheap gun for the primers. You can always sand out primer orange peel.

The guy at the PPG shop said I should have a 1.5 tip gun for the primer and a 1.4 tip gun for the base/clear. Does this sound about right? Thanks again.

The guy at the PPG shop said I should have a 1.5 tip gun for the primer and a 1.4 tip gun for the base/clear. Does this sound about right? Thanks again.

1.5mm to 1.6mm for the epoxy primer and K36 since they are thick. You could reduce it more and get away with a 1.4mm tip, but it requires more coats.

1.4Tip is just right for bases and clears.

Well I brought the hood in and sanded one of the worst spots t osee how it looked. I had some 100 grit on a block so I went with that. most of it cleared up quickly. I'm assuming that I need to get all the spots out.? Is that right? The area in the green cleared up right away, the area in the red I have worked longer on. I want to do it right but I want some metal left, lol. Thanks
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EDIT:
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What about the rust in the pich weld? How do assure that all the rust will be cleaned out?
Thanks again

It depends how detailed you want to be. I suggest removing all the surface rust first. Then for the place like inside those holes a sandblaster would be ideal. Like I said rust is cancer, it will spread and ruin a perfect paint job.

If its neccesary, make patch panels. The only way to insure that all the rust is removed is to dissasemble everything...and even then theres no guarentee.

i just removed alot of rust fromone of my projects...i found that to save time and energy i used a Stainless Steel wire wheel, the knotted or crimped type on a old shopcraft single speed plug in drill.

this ate through the rust but generaly left the good steel behind, then i just used a rust inhibiting filler primer to smooth it out and keep it looking nice.

also before i put on the filler primer i made sure to sand with a fine sanding sponge and wipe down with a cloth dipped in acetone to get all the crud and sanding dust off.

im a big noob at this but so far that has worked well for me.

hope this helps

Thanks for all the help guys!

When you start on your project do it a section at a time, door, fender, hood etc. It can become a big project if you start stripping the entire car at once. If your a beginner start slow. Do the body work on the fender then prime it. This way you will feel like you acomplished something. You can easily burn your self out if you start stripping you entire truck down to bare metal, which will then sit in your garage for weeks.

When you start on your project do it a section at a time, door, fender, hood etc. It can become a big project if you start stripping the entire car at once. If your a beginner start slow. Do the body work on the fender then prime it. This way you will feel like you acomplished something. You can easily burn your self out if you start stripping you entire truck down to bare metal, which will then sit in your garage for weeks.

Great advice that I completely left out! :)