Enamel, lacquer, urethane? Which paint?

[SkinnyG]

First off: I am not a body man. But I did 100% of everything on my truck, including painting.

I sandblasted everything (crushed glass, took weeks), did the metal repair as best I could (I work to "an acceptable level of filler"), then shot epoxy primer.

You can apply filler over epoxy primer (and I would epoxy again over that), but if your bodywork is good enough it's better to shoot a sprayable filler over everything, so at least you get sanding consistency (it's hard to mix spot applications of filler the same hardness). I sprayed Slick Sand, and used two gallons. As you sand, when the primer starts to appear you stop sanding. Maybe spray another coat of Slick Sand and sand again.

After sanding the sprayable filler, I sprayed epoxy primer again. You could spray a seal coat (basically a thinned epoxy primer). De-nib it, and you can do paint.

Lacquer is the least durable, but forgiving to spray. It dries quick. The overspray is basically dry before it the ground - doesn't make your entire shop an over-sprayed mess.

Un-catalyzed Enamel will take weeks or months to fully cure. It is more durable than lacquer. (I painted my '77 Silverado with an Alkyd Enamel years ago because it was cheap and convenient. It held up adequately for what it was.)

On my '61 I sprayed PPG Delfleet catalyzed polyurethane enamel over everything - even inside the cab and on the frame. Polyurethane is arguably the better of the paints, but more expensive and more toxic.

I have sprayed Shop Line paints, they are fine.

I would always spray epoxy primer on bare metal. It is a VERY good sealer, and these trucks are known for rust.

But I am not a body man. I'm just too cheap to pay someone else to do it.