Backyard DTM single stage paint job...

[Omegadog]

Howdy fellers. This is my 1st thread and I really enjoy it here. I swapped a '96 GMC Jimmy for my '84 SWB 305/700R project truck and I've been working on it off and on for a year. Lots of hours and whatever extra money I can come up with and I'm at a point of doing bodywork. I rebuilt the heads, valves seated and new seals, new radiator, heater core, water pump, intake manifold, wiper motor, a better used steering column, yada yada.
I purchased a Direct to Metal charcoal metallic single stage kit and since I have no where else to paint my truck, I'm forced to do it in my backyard. I'm planning on staking a 20X20 tarp and driving up on it. I'm removing the bed and painting it on top of a picnic table. I'm aware that I should several very light coats so that it will not look blotchy.

Now here comes some questions...

With DTM paint is it best not to sand back to all bare metal/bondo?

Is it NOT recommended to spray a clear coat?

How to avoid drips from the spray head. When I used this paint on the interior I used a gravity detail gun that kept dripping on me but I will be using a automotive quart spray gun for the rest of the body.

Any recommended pressures or other techniques?

Drying times before handling?

I've watched a few videos and will be doing more research before painting. I wanted to share the rest of my resto journey here with you guys if that's OK.

Here's some current pics. The interior will look much better when I am done. The seats will be recovered in black vinyl and the door panels/kick panels will be black as well.

[daddyjeep]

I have zero experience with DTM paints. All I can say is good luck. I really like how your grill looks. That is exactly how I was planning on doing mine and am glad you confirmed for me how it looks.

[Low Elco]

do yourself a big favor and drop some dough on a decent gun. It's a big help. I've had this one for a few years and literally call it ol trusty.

https://www.amazon.com/Sharpe-Finex-.../dp/B0017QFVTG

You also might wanna throw a thread up in Paint and Body. Lotta very knowledgeable kats in there.

Your gun should not drip from the tip. Check your needle slide, make sure tthe tip's traveling all the way back into the cap. Cleanliness is everything. If there a HF near you, go get the cheap gun cleaning kit they have, it helps a lot.

Nice lookin' truck, good luck!

[Katrina/10]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

do yourself a big favor and drop some dough on a decent gun. It's a big help. I've had this one for a few years and literally call it ol trusty.

https://www.amazon.com/Sharpe-Finex-.../dp/B0017QFVTG

You also might wanna throw a thread up in Paint and Body. Lotta very knowledgeable kats in there.

Your gun should not drip from the tip. Check your needle slide, make sure tthe tip's traveling all the way back into the cap. Cleanliness is everything. If there a HF near you, go get the cheap gun cleaning kit they have, it helps a lot.

Nice lookin' truck, good luck!

I took a look at the link you posted to Amazon, since I am looking for a new spray gun. The one you posted is for a 1.5 mm tip, and I found the same gun available with 1.4 and 1.3 mm. Is the 1.5 best for single stage enamels?
Thanks

[Omegadog]

Thanks guys. Maybe I could ask the Moderator to relocate this thread to the paint and body section.

[tinydb84]

Originally Posted by Omegadog

I purchased a Direct to Metal charcoal metallic single stage kit and since I have no where else to paint my truck, I'm forced to do it in my backyard. I'm planning on staking a 20X20 tarp and driving up on it. I'm removing the bed and painting it on top of a picnic table. I'm aware that I should several very light coats so that it will not look blotchy.

Now here comes some questions...

With DTM paint is it best not to sand back to all bare metal/bondo?

Is it NOT recommended to spray a clear coat?

How to avoid drips from the spray head. When I used this paint on the interior I used a gravity detail gun that kept dripping on me but I will be using a automotive quart spray gun for the rest of the body.

Any recommended pressures or other techniques?

Drying times before handling?

I've watched a few videos and will be doing more research before painting. I wanted to share the rest of my resto journey here with you guys if that's OK.

Do you have a link to the paint you bought? I don't know of any paint that is a DTM top coat. Clear coats are usually done as part of a bc/cc but you can clear over ss (check with the manufacturer first).

Again I don't know what paint you are using but you typically would do a coat of sealer if you weren't removing the previous paint.

What gun are you using? You should spray out a few test panels before trying to shot the truck. The gun shouldn't drip or leak.

In school we had an oven to bake the paint. Then we would leave the parts/car in the oven after it shut off until the next class. I would plan to not touch the truck for awhile then push it into the sun to let it bake.

[Omegadog]

Update:
I'm trying to paint the entire outside of the truck and chassis/underside in 3 days in my back yard. I took today(Monday) off to bondo/sand/mask and paint the DTM charcoal metallic color. I removed the bed and pressure washed/painted the chassis/underside Saturday and yesterday. Here's what I have so far and will take a few pics with the color on this evening. Wish me luck!
EDIT...I had to take Tuesday off as well but I finally got it painted. If I could go back in time I would've spent an entire day just doing bondo/sanding. I'll never paint another vehicle myself again. I found many spots that needed attention prior to base spraying. I should've primed 1st to reveal all the imperfections in my bodywork. Oh well, its fine for me and my backyard restoration project.

[Omegadog]

More progress pics(sorry for the resolution)...

[MTCK]

Hey nice work. That's a major undertaking and it looks good.

[Omegadog]

Thanks MTCK. Yes, it is a major job and APITA. I tried to cram at least a week's worth of body work and paint into 4 days and my advice is...DON"T DO IT!!!!!
First of all I'm 57 next month and I'm completely EXHAUSTED from the work I did and I had to take 2 days off work because everything was masked and rain is in the forecast for the next weekend.
Second, because this is single stage paint I didn't think that I needed to prime after bondo and sanding. This is a big mistake because even though your hand feels like the surface is smooth and uniform...it's NOT. There's about a dozen or so areas that I need to address buy applying more bondo and sanding then re-shooting with paint.
My question to anyone reading this is if it is OK to just bondo and sand these areas and reshoot with 72 hours curing time using this DTM Charcoal Metallic Mist paint? ANY PROFESSIONAL ADVISE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.
I'm spraying bed liner on the bed, putting the bed back on the truck and re-assembling everything Saturday.

[Jaysonb]

I'm not certain what products you are using, but I can tell you that any time I have tried to do a rush fix doing paint work, half the time it bites me in the ass. If things are not fully cured, and you start sanding and filling, and painting, your chances of having lifting, or wrinkling problems goes up tremendously. Best to let it sit in the sun for awhile, and fully cure, then do your repairs and repaint. It helps alot to use a guide coat when your sanding your body filler. A mist coat of a contrasting color primer before you sand will show you all of your imperfections as you sand.

[Omegadog]

More pics. A bodyman not I am. Lots of bondo/leveling flaws. I'll have it professionally done someday but for now it looks MUCH better than it did. I'm putting it all back together Saturday...

[daddyjeep]

It looks good considering it was rushed. I am dreading the bodywork phase of my build. I know it is going to be many weeks if not months of prep work before I shoot paint.

[MTCK]

Looks pretty good to me and you are on the road!

[Omegadog]

Got it to a point where I can stop working on it a bit and enjoy my time off. I listed it on my local CL for $8K. It may sound a bit high but I will leave it there and continue to make improvements until it sells(IF I decide to sell). I have a few small things to do(tailgate liner, touch-up paint etc.), but it's pretty close.
I have $2,500 in receipts and $2,500 in the original trade for the truck. Goodness knows how many hours. If it was 200 hours it would be for $15/hr. Here it is now after a year and a half...

[Omegadog]

No nibbles yet so I lowered the price and will continue to make minor improvements. I worked on this truck for nearly 2 years of my spare time and I don't want to let it go cheap. I think that it's a pretty nice light restoration. Time will tell I suppose.

[Omegadog]

Just an update. I still have this truck listed locally on CL and had a few calls but you know how that goes. Haven't done any more with it but there's a few things I like to do before it sells if I can find the time. I'm enjoying it right now and running it every weekend for short trips. It's a nice truck.

[Greenlee]

Nice work! The paint and interior look great.