Paint or Primer?

[kevncar]

Most of the red primer on my 67 is gone and been replaced with surface rust. I need to do something about it immediately and when I first read about the "Paint your truck with a roller" thread I thought it might work. But, as the thread went on, I think I may try something else. I just need a temporary fix (read...I will paint it someday...before I die...and I'm 29) but I don't know if I am a spray cantidate or not? All I have is a 30 gallon craftsman compressor (8.6@40 and 6.4@90) which from what I've read, isn't enough compressor to shoot anything. I really like the satin black look, maybe this John Deere black everybody is talking about. Which way does everybody think I should go?

If it matters, the bed is off right now and the front end is coming off this weekend so I can sand the frame, re-paint (Eastwood Chasis Gloss black) and drop in a 454/TH400 I just picked up.

Thanks

[71swb4x4]

They make satin black paint. It's not primer. If you use primer it will rust again...soon. Primer does not seal, it really would be a waste of your time.

[kevncar]

OK Thanks. Is this John Deere satin black stuff everybody is talking about a paint, primer or sealer? I mean...is it a one shot thing, similar to the Rustoleum in the "Paint your truck with a roller!!!" thread or am I going to have to prime and then paint?

thanks

[bigjimzlll]

I'm painting mine satin black...going to mix some flat with gloss...supposed to do the trick

[Billla]

Disclaimer: I am not a paint pro

I read two parts to the question:

1) What can I paint my truck with that won't rust, won't look like crap and will let me paint over it someday?

2) Can I do this with the tools and skills that I have?

So, let's start with 1). As noted on the thread, primer doesn't seal - and you really cant just put an epoxy primer over rusty metal. An imperfect but I think workable solution would be to use some OxySolv or other rust remover (or some serious DA sander time), spray with an etching primer then a good epoxy primer/sealer - I'm a PPG fan, and I really like their DPLF epoxy primer. DPLF can be used as a primer/sealer if mixed with reducer, and you can add flattening agent if you want a more matte finish. The good here is that you've got something that looks pretty good, can be sprayed by the average guy (like me , will hold up well and you can use fillers and spray surfacer/topcoat on "whenever".

2) The only gun to use IMHO is an HVLP gun, especially if you're painting at home. I agree that your compressor is a bit on the small side...most HVLP guns require 10+CFM @ 30 PSI. In practice, a smaller compressor doesn't mean you can't do it, but it does mean that your duty cycle sux - i.e., paint for 2 minutes, wait for the compressor...repeat as required. My gut tells me that if you're painting the whole thing in one go it's just not big enough to get you through...but at the same time a decent size compressor isn't THAT expensive. My suggestion is to have someone with an HVLP gun loan it to you and see what kind of duty cycle you can get and if it's liveable - get some el cheapo paint and a big chunk of cardboard and see if it's doable.

Good luck and let us know what you decide!

[cdowns]

you can get a conventional gun that will work well with that compressor just fine and you can get great results with practice from a $50gun from sears// the whole thing is you'll have to spray a fender wait awhile while the compressor catches up paint a door wait some more etc one panel at a time// the whole thing is to practice alot on toolboxes refrigerators wheelbarrows garbagecans etc till you get a feel for the paint and equipment you're using// yes all the paint snobs would like you to have a compressor with a 100gallon tank and a $500 paint gun but you've got to start somewhere and even on a limited budget you can get a finished paint job that you can be proud of

[Billla]

that a pressure-feed gun will work on a lot less air - but my pushback is that it makes spraying at home tougher. You'll use 2x the paint, and the overspray means that you really need to build a paint booth with plastic in the garage to do it. Considering we're talking about $500+ worth of paint, is a gun/compressor that big of a deal? I paid $195 for my HPLV gun; Sears and Eastwood carry decent guns for $100. A bigger compressor is a "nice to have" anyway for sandblasting, etc.

I don't think I'm a paint snob

[cdowns]

$500 worth of paint??? when he's talkin about usin paint that's $30 a gallon ??? even on my wost day/year i've never used 15gallons of paint on a car or truck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Billla]

I guess you're buying different paint than I am - I only buy PPG. I would expect maybe 2 gallons of the NC etching primer and 1.5 gallons of DPLF. I would expect catalyst, reducer and paint to be right around $300 - $450.

$30/gallon primer isn't the quality level of paint I'd want to buy, but that's just me.

You might *ask* what I mean vs. *assuming*.