what paint to use

[Jbm1956]

Ok Im struggling in this area. Im wanting to paint my 56 and it will be on a budget. I want it to look nice but cant afford the higher end stuff. Ive been looking at Eastwood, and the duplicolor paint shop from local auto parts store. Also TCP Global the company that has hot rod flatz also the coating store. And I hear planet color has something out with Barrett Jackson line of paint. How do you know what paint to go with that will hold up in the sun and last a while. What are your guys thoughts on those brands listed or recommendations on something else. Single stage urethane/ base coat clear coat. Im just confused thanks guys.

[roger55]

Take a look at the paint from Summit for a cheap solution. It was single-stage urethane in Wimbledon White.

I bought some for my truck wheels, bumpers, grille and headlight bezels. I thought for cheap paint it was very good. I'm going to use a top brand for the rest of the truck though.

I did little reducer (slow) in the mix to get a better flow. I also used a $450 Iwata spray gun. Your results may vary with a cheap gun.

[Jbm1956]

Why that looks pretty good. Can I ask why your going to spray the truck with something different if you like the summit paint. Is it just not that great to spray your entire truck with it or just personal preference. Cuz to me that looks really nice

[roger55]

Originally Posted by Jbm1956

Why that looks pretty good. Can I ask why your going to spray the truck with something different if you like the summit paint. Is it just not that great to spray your entire truck with it or just personal preference. Cuz to me that looks really nice

I'm painting the truck dark green.

My previous experiences with cheaper paints have told me that the UV protection is not as good. That is something I didn't worry about with the off-white color. I was willing to take a risk with this paint on these small parts. I don't want to take a risk with the rest of it.

[OrrieG]

After all the time you will spend doing bodywork, blocking,etc. Saving money on paint that willnot showcase the body work is not worth it, especially when you consider that it will bug you and you will end up resanding and shooting it over.

[Jbm1956]

Ok I get what you guys are saying. But it confuses where do you draw the line of not so good paint and good paint. For exalmple the hot rod flatz and summit paint that you refered to as well as Eastwood compared to what you get at a paint shop. The name brands make generic brand paint. Like dupont. You ask someone about dupont and they say its good paint. So you ask them about the duplicolor paint shop at oreilly (local auto parts) which is made by dupont and now all of a sudden its not as good. Im just trying to get an idea of where the line is drawn and decent paint to go with without spending a lot of money. I appreciate all your info.

[Iceburgh]

For the price both the summit and Eastwood lays down nice and lasts. I painted a truck with eastwood about 7 years ago. Still looks great

[roger55]

Paint quality being equal, a single-stage urethane will last just as long as base/clear does. Custom car painters will almost always choose a single-stage for a black or white and many will choose it for any solid color. Different story with a metallic paint. Base/clear is always recommended for that in any color.
Collision work is different. There may be reasons there for a different choice.

[Jbm1956]

I think im starting to get it lol. Some say go single stage some say go 2 stage. Too many choices. I dont want to spend a bunch of money and it get scratched because then ill be mad lol. But I dont want to use something that im going to have to paint again in a year or so. Im leaning toward using the paint from. the coating store.. or the hot rod flatz. I guess they make a urethane and gloss finish as well. And now that summit paint looks good. I wouldn't mind at all if my truck looked like the bumper and grille. To me that looks good...

[roger55]

Originally Posted by Jbm1956

And now that summit paint looks good. I wouldn't mind at all if my truck looked like the bumper and grille. To me that looks good...

Remember I used an Iwata gun for that. Don't expect to get the results I got with a cheap gun.
Gun settings make a difference too.

Even if you intend to color sand and buff, you want to lay it down as smooth as you can.

What color are you wanting? Solid or metallic? Choosing a solid color like that Wimbledon White would a good choice. The whites are the most forgiving for a beginner.

Do you have some experience spraying these paints or are you going to have someone else spray it?

If you give us some more information, it will help us help you.

[Jbm1956]

Sorry about that. I have a guy thats going to do the bodywork and paint. Im wanting to do a copper color. I found a few that I liked. Im thinking going with a solid color just because its easier.

[NeverDone50]

Originally Posted by roger55

Paint quality being equal, a single-stage urethane will last just as long as base/clear does. Custom car painters will almost always choose a single-stage for a black or white and many will choose it for any solid color. Different story with a metallic paint. Base/clear is always recommended for that in any color.
Collision work is different. There may be reasons there for a different choice.

I'm not sure where you get your info or which custom painters you know, but I gotta disagree. Single stage urethane doesn't have the same UV protection that a clear coat does. Yeah, if you wax it and maintain the single-stage paint properly, it will last a long time. No offense, but single stage is just lazy. I'm not just a collision painter, I do custom work as well (and know many other custom painters) and no one I know would ever choose single stage over two-stage clear. Single stage cannot be wet sanded/polished as well or as much as a clear coat. Final product will always be superior with a clear coat, hands down.

[roger55]

Originally Posted by NeverDone50

I'm not sure where you get your info or which custom painters you know, but I gotta disagree. Single stage urethane doesn't have the same UV protection that a clear coat does. Yeah, if you wax it and maintain the single-stage paint properly, it will last a long time. No offense, but single stage is just lazy. I'm not just a collision painter, I do custom work as well (and know many other custom painters) and no one I know would ever choose single stage over two-stage clear. Single stage cannot be wet sanded/polished as well or as much as a clear coat. Final product will always be superior with a clear coat, hands down.

I know several pro painters that would disagree. All of the custom painters I know would use single-stage for black or white. But that's fine, no offense. Were all here to give the OP our opinions which we are doing.

I painted my '83 El Camino SS in PPG Deltron single-stage (black) 16 years ago. It's an acrylic urethane. Except for normal dings and stuff from a bunch of use, the car looks like it was just painted. If I were to have used a metallic like I did with my '55, I would have gone with bc/cc. Personally, I would use SS for any solid color and it doesn't have anything to do with laziness. I don't consider bc/cc harder than ss either.

I strongly disagree with your last 2 statements. They are just not true. Solid color single-stages can definitely sanded and buffed as well as clear. I don't know what kind of SS paint you've used to have experience or how you are buffing them that led you to those statements. I've painted 3 cars with PPG SS acrylic urethane. One black, one white and one yellow. Color sanded and buffed all 3 of them. Everyone assumed they were bc/cc.

[67swb72klb]

Originally Posted by roger55

I know several pro painters that would disagree. All of the custom painters I know would use single-stage for black or white. .

X2 and Single stage black is the blackest black imo

[Kabwe]

Originally Posted by roger55

I know several pro painters that would disagree. All of the custom painters I know would use single-stage for black or white. But that's fine, no offense. Were all here to give the OP our opinions which we are doing.

I painted my '83 El Camino SS in PPG Deltron single-stage (black) 16 years ago. It's an acrylic urethane. Except for normal dings and stuff from a bunch of use, the car looks like it was just painted. If I were to have used a metallic like I did with my '55, I would have gone with bc/cc. Personally, I would use SS for any solid color and it doesn't have anything to do with laziness. I don't consider bc/cc harder than ss either.

I strongly disagree with your last 2 statements. They are just not true. Solid color single-stages can definitely sanded and buffed as well as clear. I don't know what kind of SS paint you've used to have experience or how you are buffing them that led you to those statements. I've painted 3 cars with PPG SS acrylic urethane. One black, one white and one yellow. Color sanded and buffed all 3 of them. Everyone assumed they were bc/cc.

Agree with you Roger. Solid colors can be single stage or base coat / clear but with metallic's I would always choose a basecoat / clear system. You are correct in the custom car world it is very common when you see a black car it was single stage. By the way its not like a single stage paint can not be cleared also common (for more durability and depth). Spraying a single stage is not lazy at all. All the work is in the prep anyway shooting paint is the easy part. Your paint job is only as good as the surface anyway.

[Joe Pass]

I just finished using the Summit flat blue on my 62. Like most on here I have years of experience with urethane base paints. With that said I was Impressed with the product and the price. People talk about it not lasting and you get what you pay or but its produced by U-pol a major player in the paint industry. I had learned to use it like most products on the market (learning curve) and its not high priced so you can experiment awhile with it. Paint is like politics, you make informed choice and pick one and learn from it.
Good Luck with your painting
Attachment 1316617Attachment 1316617

[_Ogre]

not sure to what level your finishing your truck.
if your blowing it apart to do rust repair and bodywork including blocking to make your panels smooth.
the actual paint is the easy part, all the work and most of the money is in the prep
throwing cheap paint at good bodywork is a waste of your time

if your just fixing up your truck with a frame on fix up, not removing the panels or cab
cheap paint will be fine
it will look good for the level of effort and it will preserve the body for the next generation of truck builder

a lot depends on what level your taking it to

truk started out to be fixed up
i ended up doing a lot more bodywork than i expected; to a level i had never worked to before
luckily i had painters available to help me out, i was able to barter my paint

also: before oem started using bc/cc vehicles looked dingy after 7 years, paint degraded as it left the factory
now you see rusted out hulks that have perfect bc/cc in the good areas

[roger55]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

also: before oem started using bc/cc vehicles looked dingy after 7 years, paint degraded as it left the factory
now you see rusted out hulks that have perfect bc/cc in the good areas

I agree but I don't think any of the American cars used acrylic urethane then. Some were acrylic enamel and some were still acrylic lacquer. I think GM still used acrylic lacquer well into the '80s. In the mid 80's they were starting to use some kind of water based single-staged paints but not acrylic urethane. In the 80s and 90s the American car makers were experimenting a lot with paints to deal with new regulations. Some of those didn't work out too well. With some of the early bc/cc cars, the clear would peel off after not too many year of being in the sun. We've all seen a bunch of cars from that era do that.

IMO, today, a quality acrylic urethane single-stage will last as well as an equal quality base/clear in urethane.

[lowrodderchev]

she aint ugly she's real pretty she just needs you to doll her up a bit

[PROB]

I know I'm going to get some bad feedback on this, and it may not be true with every location, but I watched a guy shoot a 66 nova the other day in my buddies body shop, I asked who he was, I was told he is the painter at maaco, he laid it down perfectly smooth!! They said he should be good he paints 6-12 cars a day. He did no prep work what so ever, he walked in set his gun and went to spraying. Now I would never ever take anything to maaco to get painted, just saying this one painter was amazing. It may be worth a trip to your local maaco just to watch the painter.

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by PROB

I know I'm going to get some bad feedback on this, and it may not be true with every location, but I watched a guy shoot a 66 nova the other day in my buddies body shop, I asked who he was, I was told he is the painter at maaco, he laid it down perfectly smooth!! They said he should be good he paints 6-12 cars a day. He did no prep work what so ever, he walked in set his gun and went to spraying. Now I would never ever take anything to maaco to get painted, just saying this one painter was amazing. It may be worth a trip to your local maaco just to watch the painter.

Back in the day, my buddy had his '67 Buick Gran Sport 4-speed convertible painted at Maaco. The job was awesome! I've also seen a Toyota where they painted over the mud. Great gun handling comes with practice, no matter where you get it; great prep work, not so much...

[dyno]

I struggled with paint choices for months myself and finally decided on PPG Essential DeFleet single stage urethane. The red I chose was the most expensive paint code due to the toners, about 330.00 per sprayable gallon. I piece painted the whole truck and am just finishing the color sanding. I am very happy with the results.

[roger55]

Wow, that laid down nice!

What gun did you use?

[lv2tri2]

I couldn't agree more. That truck is beautiful

[Jbm1956]

Thanks im hoping it looks much better pretty soon with some new paint. I just got it back off the jack stands yesterday after finishing up the lowered axle and stuff. And then I found a complete roller frame with camaro clip with an aluminum tank for $500 so I had to jump on it lol.... guess its time to start a build thread cuz im going to need a lot of help lol.