Painting my '64 c10

[templetoncw]

I'll be painting my 64 c10 in a few weeks and I wanted to see if anyone could offer me up a few pointers. I've never painted a truck before, but I'm capable enough with my hands to do it (plus I've got all the tools I need - air compressor, air sander, paint gun etc)

Some history on the truck... It was bought new by the US department of forestry in 65 and was yellow when stock. It sat around for years and years until my dads barber bought it a few years back. He rebuilt the engine and then painted it with black spray paint. I bought the truck off him last year and so far all I've done was have the rear end changed out and regeared.


I'm going to use a "Hot Rod Flatz" paint because it seems to be a good choice for a first time paint job, I love the flat look, and its nice and simple.

Some ?s I had...

What grit sand paper should I use? Since it was last painted with black spray paint, how far down should I sand it? Am I to take it all the way down to the original color, or till I see metal?

Do I need to apply a primer first, or is the hot rod Flatz considered a primer itself? Should I apply a coat of any type on top of the hot rod Flatz?

I live in San Diego and the truck is garaged 95 percent of the time.


Thanks so much guys!!!!!

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[templetoncw]

A few more pics from a different angle showing current paint job...
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[templetoncw]

I "test sanded" a small area to show what I'm up against, prep wise
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[62 Barnfind]

I used Hot rod flatz in speed blue. First I used 80 or 120 to sand down filler or remove the paint to bare metal. When I applied primer I used 220/ 400 to sand scratches out. It takes two coats to get the paint to look right to get the satin look. If you are not careful it will run easy and will streak if you follow the directions. The paint is real thin which I found out you have to spray light short pass 50% overlap. If I sprayed long pass and 50%overlap it would run on me. I hope this helps. Here is my truck in speed blue.

[jocko]

62barnfind - that looks GREAT! Love it when the flatz colors are done in an original lookin layout. Awesome job.

[Rich 5150 69]

Templeton...hope you and your neigbhors get along well, one complaint to the EPA they will be down your throat, if you do paint in your garage, turn off your hot water heater if its nearby.....don`t mean to scare you but its just what its come down to these days especially in Calif, years ago as a teen we used to paint cars on the front driveway, nobody bothered us, but alas those days are gone....

[templetoncw]

I can either paint it outside under a shade awning cover or inside the garage. Which would you recommend?

[hemifalcon]

My bet is that truck is not "painted" at all--but rather just "primed" as is the fad for "rat rod" look vehicles.. And judging by the splotchy coloring--that's why I think it's primed only to cover up the ugly..
You need to start doing some reading--just because you have the tools--does not mean you are ready..

You're going to have to sand all the black off, or you might as well dissolve your money into acid and load the mixture into your spray gun and spray it into your neighbors backyard..

There's lots of information on the "paint" section of this forum, books, other online sites that can point you in the right direction.. And--as everyone will tell you-the outcome of your paintjob lays in your surface preparation..

Best of luck to you--but you need to get that black crap off of there before you think of painting it..

[1963-4x4]

There's nothing wrong with a Flat-Black Spray Paint paint job.

My first car was a Spray Paint Job, and I received numerous compliments for my work.

But anyway, I've learned that your prepping and sanding is what makes or breaks the quality of the paint, whether the paint be from a spray can or a high grade. Sloppy prep work will show through the best paint and gloss.

In my opinion, you should really only sand it down to a point where most of the thickness of the original paint is gone. I would start with 100 grit to remove most the paint, and then switch to 220 to sand smooth the remainder. I would always use a primer, no matter what. Make sure the primer is even and smooth, I would do 1 coat of primer followed by a 400 grit sand to smooth it out, but not to much to the point where the primer starts coming off. I would then do a lighter second coat of primer to even it all out.

After that I would do 3 coats of the paint, as when working with non-glossed paint, it is really important to have little to no un-even areas. i would sand with 400 to smooth areas that need it.

After the paint is on, i would do a layer of gloss, gloss isn't just for shining the paint, it also acts as a layer of protection for the paint. If something like gasoline spills on the truck, it will cause fade spots in the paint if it is left open to the elements.

Probably the most important thing to remember while painting is to always do multiple light coats rather than one heavy one. Heavy coats cause an un-even finish and are more likely to cause runs, which are a pain in the ass.

Good luck with painting your truck, the body seem straight from the pictures and if all goes well, that truck will look badass when it is finished.

[oem4me]

Originally Posted by templetoncw

I can either paint it outside under a shade awning cover or inside the garage. Which would you recommend?

I've painted probably 25 cars and trucks over the years and had the luxury of a proper paint booth less than half of those times. I can tell you one thing you DO NOT want to do is paint your neighbors cars or houses by accident. Naturally, you don't want dust or bugs in your paint, but the main reason behind adequate shelter is airborne paint escaping and going where you don't want it. I recommend a full canopy (all sides) or a closed garage. Either should clean, sealed, and set up with filtered intake air and two-stage filtered exhaust air. A filtered box fan sucking air out of your "booth" blowing the exhaust air through a downward hose-end shower can do a decent job of washing the air clean. Cheap paper home A/C filters will work. if you live in the country and don't care what gets overspray, forget the second filter and water shower.

[Irishbleueyes]

You'll need to keep your gun pressure constant at 55psi... when it drops below that you'll get runs.