To Paint or not to Paint

[Corey'sgotachev]

We got our 70 K10 recently. While looking at many beautiful show-quality trucks, I am inspired to go crazy with body work and paint.
Our truck is not a good candidate for a resto project as it was born a CamperSpecial/20.

The trim was removed and lower trim holes were filled. I don't like having seemingly huge holes in the body panels and would like to get them filled. PO has completed replacing rusty cab corners and rockers etc. so it would seem the truck is ready for paint, except trim holes and it needs a lot of block sanding.

I have been reading a lot about paint and to get quality work done, it's gonna cost $7k on up which isn't realistic at the moment.

I don't mind the primer look and it seems to attract a lot of people. We get many nods and thumbs up when driving it around.

My question is How many rock their Chevys with a primer look? Let's see them please! Also, does the primer protect the metal like paint does?

[Overdriven]

I don't mind primer and it does protect the metal underneath at least somewhat. But there are different primers and the amount of protection varies. Ideally if the vehicle is not going to painted for a length of time it should have a coat of some kind of sealer. A sealer is actually advisable either way to keep the bodywork and paint separated anyway. At least that's what I've been told by a few professional body guys.

If you have a decent size compressor and room in the garage you can spray primer and/or sealer very easily. I've done both myself and had fun as well as learned a lot. In fact I'm confident enough that eventually I'm going to paint my truck myself. My paint job will actually be a satin finish but if I ever decide I want it shiny I'm still going to do it myself.

[truckster]

X2. Paint it yourself. Save a lot of money and learn something new in the process. You seem to be satisfied that yours isn't going to be a show truck, so the paint doesn't have to be perfect. Mine is a daily driver, and I'll be painting it myself. I don't think I could stand to drive around a $7,000 paint job.

[Overdriven]

Yeah I couldn't drive a vehicle with paint costing that much either. I used to get pissed when my fairly new daily drivers got chips just from driving, chips in $7000 paint on my classic would drive me bonkers!

But part of that cost is the bodywork you need done. You can save quite a bit doing it yourself. Buy a cheap welder (used or harbor freight) or befriend someone with one to fill those holes. Then go to a paint supply shop and get some supplies. A long sanding board, a shorter sanding block, some sand paper, body filler and go to town. You'll spend somewhere between $200-400 (at the paint supply shop) depending on how much work it needs and how much you want to do yourself. But you could save up to 10 times that amount by doing it yourself. There's plenty of how to videos on YouTube (Eastwood has some nice ones) that tell you everything you need to know. I recommend getting your supplies from a local paint shop though, you won't save much buying online and the local guys will be more than happy to offer some advice and guidance if you're buying at least something from them. Plus you'll be getting professional supplies, not the junk they sell at Pep Boys that isn't much cheaper and isn't as good.

Btw, you can do this bodywork yourself, fog it with aerosol spray cans and leave it like that until paint. Some paint shops have aerosol cans they can load with sealer or other paint too. If you want to make sure it's as right as can be, do the bodywork and take it somewhere to have just sealer sprayed. Then you can drive it and continue saving for paint without worry. Lots of options.

[66clow]

This is something I'm considering. I'm kinda in your shoes but I'm doing my own body repairs and considering plasti dip until I can paint it. Product comes out pretty well for around $400 for the kit. It is pretty durable as well. Research it.

https://youtu.be/rNY9Dx617N8

[webfoot]

Unless it's epoxy primer, it's porous and will allow moisture to get through.

Paint it yourself. Get a long adjustable flexible sander, 3 or 4 grits of paper, 3m dry marking compound and some 2k high build and go to town.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Corey'sgotachev]

Originally Posted by 66clow

This is something I'm considering. I'm kinda in your shoes but I'm doing my own body repairs and considering plasti dip until I can paint it. Product comes out pretty well for around $400 for the kit. It is pretty durable as well. Research it.

https://youtu.be/rNY9Dx617N8

I have considered Dipping it but wasn't sure if it would preserve the metal like paint or a sealer?

[Corey'sgotachev]

Originally Posted by webfoot

Unless it's epoxy primer, it's porous and will allow moisture to get through.

Paint it yourself. Get a long adjustable flexible sander, 3 or 4 grits of paper, 3m dry marking compound and some 2k high build and go to town.
Posted via Mobile Device

I'm not sure what kind of primer it is. There is a spot on cab that looks like there's a little rust coming through primer so I doubt it's protecting like the metal needs.
I just don't have much of a spot to paint it myself. I wish I had room to take it apart and do the bed, cab, frame etc.
This is inspiring to try to DIY it though!

[66clow]

Originally Posted by Corey'sgotachev

I have considered Dipping it but wasn't sure if it would preserve the metal like paint or a sealer?

If you do some googling they say it does seal the paint.

[Overdriven]

Originally Posted by webfoot

Unless it's epoxy primer, it's porous and will allow moisture to get through.

Paint it yourself. Get a long adjustable flexible sander, 3 or 4 grits of paper, 3m dry marking compound and some 2k high build and go to town.
Posted via Mobile Device

Epoxy primer! I don't know why it was escaping me before as I've sprayed a past project with it for this very reason.

Originally Posted by Corey'sgotachev

I'm not sure what kind of primer it is. There is a spot on cab that looks like there's a little rust coming through primer so I doubt it's protecting like the metal needs.
I just don't have much of a spot to paint it myself. I wish I had room to take it apart and do the bed, cab, frame etc.
This is inspiring to try to DIY it though!

Ok here the deal. The more work you can do yourself the lower the cost is going to be at the body shop. From what I see you're not going to escape the costs of a complete color change, painting the door jambs, under the hood, etc. Since you don't have the space to take the bed off the body shop will have to do whatever prep to the back of the cab and front of the bed as well. Being able to blow the truck apart isn't necessary, you can still do a lot of bodywork to save yourself $ at the body shop. Being able to spray primers through a gun, high build and epoxy, is a necessary part of the process though. If you can't spray then doing your own bodywork gets a lot more complicated and requires other people's help who can do those things.

What is your work area situation like? Parking lot, driveway, garage? Air compressor available? If so what size?

[Robznob11]

I body worked mine my self....alot of work!!! And time....i also epoxy primed it and sprayed it with 2k high build. I then let the painter have it and spent 2850$ for the spray. I does have a few flaws still. But over all if i open my garage guarantee someone will stop, i have even had people want to take their picture with it and its not even finished yet....I say sand some patina into it and shoot clear. Or go ahead and get it painted....I hardly ever had any attention when it was in primer...

[un4gvn!]

Paint it up some what nice. You can do it for a couple thousand. Good paint is not cheap. Make it look good. I was at a car show here in my own town. I've won trophies. There were a couple of patinas here and they got nothing but disrespect. We can hear some of their comments about these patinas. Ooooooooh, ugh. Why are these junks here? Even the judges wouldn't look at them. Make your truck look nice. I have nothing bad to say about a pure stock patina. I've seen very cool ones here and else where.

[Corey'sgotachev]

[quote/]What is your work area situation like? Parking lot, driveway, garage? Air compressor available? If so what size?[/quote]

Overdriven: The truck lives in a carport. It may be possible to drape off one end but it's outside so has dirt floor. Not ideal paint shooting area. I have a ****ty little compressor from Home Depot. Maybe I do have the room to do some sanding myself though because of my job, I have limited time at home. I guess I want it to just get done so I can enjoy it. If sealing the primer keeps the metal protected, that may be the ticket!

un4gvn: The flat primer look may not be for everyone and may not be award winning but that isn't the goal. I want a truck that isn't going to rust away while not being driven but want to be able to haul , worse case senario, a load of gravel.

Robsnob11: I have read your thread and your truck is very nice. My brother is restoring an oval window bug and is building the car by hand. Seeing show cars makes me want something that nice but then don't feel like I can haul stuff.

The DYC way sounds very interesting. The system to apply it seems affordable while amassing $$$ for real paint. Anyone have more experience with "dipping your truck"? Am curious how durable it is.

[Corey'sgotachev]

Originally Posted by Robznob11

I body worked mine my self....alot of work!!! And time....i also epoxy primed it and sprayed it with 2k high build. I then let the painter have it and spent 2850$ for the spray. I does have a few flaws still. But over all if i open my garage guarantee someone will stop, i have even had people want to take their picture with it and its not even finished yet....I say sand some patina into it and shoot clear. Or go ahead and get it painted....I hardly ever had any attention when it was in primer...

Does anyone have a picture of clear over primer? ...or is that what sealing the primer is? Just putting clear coat over it?

[66clow]

Originally Posted by Corey'sgotachev

[quote/]What is your work area situation like? Parking lot, driveway, garage? Air compressor available? If so what size?

Overdriven: The truck lives in a carport. It may be possible to drape off one end but it's outside so has dirt floor. Not ideal paint shooting area. I have a ****ty little compressor from Home Depot. Maybe I do have the room to do some sanding myself though because of my job, I have limited time at home. I guess I want it to just get done so I can enjoy it. If sealing the primer keeps the metal protected, that may be the ticket!

un4gvn: The flat primer look may not be for everyone and may not be award winning but that isn't the goal. I want a truck that isn't going to rust away while not being driven but want to be able to haul , worse case senario, a load of gravel.

Robsnob11: I have read your thread and your truck is very nice. My brother is restoring an oval window bug and is building the car by hand. Seeing show cars makes me want something that nice but then don't feel like I can haul stuff.

The DYC way sounds very interesting. The system to apply it seems affordable while amassing $$$ for real paint. Anyone have more experience with "dipping your truck"? Am curious how durable it is.[/QUOTE]

Here are videos on the durability if DYC.

https://youtu.be/wOIG7zzsNZI

https://youtu.be/vvkq-qyY9aY

[Robznob11]

Do not leave it in primer....as stated it is porus and it will rust and you will not notice it till its too late...at least go with some hotrod black or something. What happens is people will leave them in primer and not see the underlying rust . Then they sand and shoot and wonder why the paint bubbles later....with that said if you have no intention of ever painting it and just want to drive it you can do anything....lol i had a friend in high school that bought a case of cheap spray can primer and a case of beer every spring and we spent the day giving his truck a new coat for summer. This was in missouri and his trucked looked fine for a good 5 + years that i know of. Even after we graduated.

[special-K]

Paint it

[Corey'sgotachev]

Originally Posted by special-K

Paint it

C'mon lotto!

[bs46488]

I would buy a gallon of SPI epoxy (The black has UV protection in it) and paint it myself and leave it alone. $200 and done.

I bought a project truck from a guy that had all the body work completed and he left the car to sit in primer. Water penetrated the primer and you could pick off the body work in sheets because it had failed. The gray primer will not protect the work done.

[hewittca]

I'm with everyone else, give it a go yourself if you are ok with knowing that there will be a few small flaws. I painted both of my previous cars on my own in different circumstances that matched my allowable budget at the time, and I was more than happy with the results both times, even though I could point out every flaw. My first one was during spring break at college. I drove my Malibu home on a Saturday, dismantled it, replaced quarters, body work, primed, sealed, painted, reassembled, and drove back to school the next Sunday (I could never pull that off again...). I did all the work myself in my dads garage. Of course he had the tools and the space to set up a makeshift paintbooth, so all I had to buy was the supplies which I got from Automotive Touchup. The results were very good and looked great for a daily driver, and the paint still looks good almost ten years later now.



The second car I painted was my Beetle. At that time, I was living in my own place with a 100 year old dirt floor garage out back. On that car, I wanted to preserve what original paint was left, so I only painted where I needed to (which was about 50% of the car). I used Tower Paint this time around because they could put single stage lacquer in a spray can for me to match the original paint. In fact, they can put just about any paint in a can for you. I masked off sections and painted them as I had time. The paint looked great right out of the can and looked beautiful after a little color sanding/buffing. Of course, I was matching patina so it didn't have to be perfect anyway. The paint quality was good enough, however, that I could foresee doing a very respectable job using this method.



I will be painting the bedsides on my truck soon, and when I do I will be going with Tower Paint again since they will mix up single stage lacquers to match the original paint. With paint, I think you definitely get what you pay for, but to the average bypasser most results look the same.

[Corey'sgotachev]

Originally Posted by hewittca

I'm with everyone else, give it a go yourself if you are ok with knowing that there will be a few small flaws. I painted both of my previous cars on my own in different circumstances that matched my allowable budget at the time, and I was more than happy with the results both times, even though I could point out every flaw. My first one was during spring break at college. I drove my Malibu home on a Saturday, dismantled it, replaced quarters, body work, primed, sealed, painted, reassembled, and drove back to school the next Sunday (I could never pull that off again...). I did all the work myself in my dads garage. Of course he had the tools and the space to set up a makeshift paintbooth, so all I had to buy was the supplies which I got from Automotive Touchup. The results were very good and looked great for a daily driver, and the paint still looks good almost ten years later now.



The second car I painted was my Beetle. At that time, I was living in my own place with a 100 year old dirt floor garage out back. On that car, I wanted to preserve what original paint was left, so I only painted where I needed to (which was about 50% of the car). I used Tower Paint this time around because they could put single stage lacquer in a spray can for me to match the original paint. In fact, they can put just about any paint in a can for you. I masked off sections and painted them as I had time. The paint looked great right out of the can and looked beautiful after a little color sanding/buffing. Of course, I was matching patina so it didn't have to be perfect anyway. The paint quality was good enough, however, that I could foresee doing a very respectable job using this method.



I will be painting the bedsides on my truck soon, and when I do I will be going with Tower Paint again since they will mix up single stage lacquers to match the original paint. With paint, I think you definitely get what you pay for, but to the average bypasser most results look the same.

hewittca, your build thread is very entertaining! VW blood runs in our family too! I live vicariously through my brother. He is restoring a beautiful 57 bug. I subscribed to your build.

What are the environmental requirements for shooting primer and/or paint? Specifically, is this a summer-only kind of outdoors activity or can temperature be in 30-40's?

[cypressbog]

Dip it

[hewittca]

Originally Posted by Corey'sgotachev

hewittca, your build thread is very entertaining! VW blood runs in our family too! I live vicariously through my brother. He is restoring a beautiful 57 bug. I subscribed to your build.

What are the environmental requirements for shooting primer and/or paint? Specifically, is this a summer-only kind of outdoors activity or can temperature be in 30-40's?

Nice! When I have the opportunity I'd love to pick up an oval window bug too. I think '57 is my favorite year for the Beetle.

To be honest, I don't know if there really are ideal outdoor conditions for painting. Every environment has its drawbacks. I painted my Malibu in late spring. The temperature was perfect (low 80s) but the bugs wreaked havoc on my paint. When I did the Beetle, it was late winter. No bugs and very dry outside, but the paint didn't level like it should have and it took forever to dry. I ended up pulling any parts off that I could and bringing them in the house to warm up along with the paint. Then when I was ready to paint, I set it up outside and painted. When I did the front fenders, I had them propped up on trash cans in the snow! You just have to work with the conditions you have and try to minimize the downsides. The key to success is in the prep work anyway, which I never cut corners on.

[mcbassin]

You should paint it. Primer is no good in the elements