Attempting the "$50 paint job"

[Car'n'Guitars]

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

If your auto refinish class is telling you a single stage enamel is a soft paint then yes...

Clear coat is no harder than a single stage enamel. It may be more resistant to UV rays and can have a deeper shine/better appearance, but it won't be any more durable to scratches. Been doing this stuff for 30 years,,,paints have changed alot, especially in the last 15 years, even 5 years.


Now if you get into your cheap off brand paints like Omni for instance (an off brand of PPG) of course quality and durability suffers. You want to spend some real money for Sikkens and a top quality finish,,,well....It's all relative...

Huh that interesting, I'll have to talk to my teacher about this and see what's up. And sorry for jacking your thread your truck is looking good for a cheap daily driver.

[Firebirdjones]

Originally Posted by Car'n'Guitars

Huh that interesting, I'll have to talk to my teacher about this and see what's up. And sorry for jacking your thread your truck is looking good for a cheap daily driver.

He may favor base/clear, and nothing wrong with that, it's what everyone uses anymore. That's not to say single stage enamels shouldn't be used, they have a place.

Some of your draw backs with base/clear is the cost,,,,and if you need to come back and do a spot repair or touch up down the road,,,blending is a pain in the rump. Even a small spot on the quarter can't be done without having to clear the entire panel,,,,you can't spot in clear coat. So it turns into a major job.

Single stage enamel however can be spotted anywhere and blended as far as needed and it's done, no need to shoot the entire panel if the color match is good. Very easy to deal with.

Like I said though, it's all relative. How much do you want to spend and what type of finish you want in the end all comes into play.

I sure would like to see one of these trucks in person that someone paints with a roller here. I just can't even imagine the amount of sanding and buffing that would be needed to make it slick,,,,if you guys are even worried about that. The labor I would have to charge for that would hit the roof

[Firebirdjones]

Here is a truck I just painted yesterday. This is of course a base/clear. I used PPG's system on this truck. Turned out slick enough that I don't even need to cut and buff. Saves me alot of time and the customer money.



Here is my chevelle, which shows just how durable a single stage enamel paint can be. I painted this in 87, and just last month it won Best Modified at a car show against several very high dollar cars with what I'm certain were $15k paint jobs. 25 years old and still winning trophys with my cheap single stage enamel .

[Car'n'Guitars]

I want your Chevelle, very nice car.

[Firebirdjones]

I appreciate the kind words, but I don't mean to hijack this thread either, (photobucket won't keep them up for long anyway)

I just thought I'd show how a single stage paint can last and still stand tall (pics don't do it justice). It does have some minor battle wounds from racing and driving it the last 25 years, (rock chips and stuff) that I used to stay on top of. It's much easier to deal with that stuff on a single stage paint.

[68Timber]

I read something somewhere once dedicated to doing the $50 paint jobs and spent a while looking at them. I'd like to see one in person myself, but everyone doing it was happy with the results. Naturally, all the cars shown were rough in the paint department, but they weren't going to otherwise get a paint job from their current owner, they all looked great in the after photos. I'm ready to see how this one turns out.

[1774btcrew]

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

I appreciate the kind words, but I don't mean to hijack this thread either, (photobucket won't keep them up for long anyway)

I just thought I'd show how a single stage paint can last and still stand tall (pics don't do it justice). It does have some minor battle wounds from racing and driving it the last 25 years, (rock chips and stuff) that I used to stay on top of. It's much easier to deal with that stuff on a single stage paint.

I have seen Larry's Chevelle in person and it looks great! I would have never imagined the paint job was that old. To be fair though it is obvious Larry really spends some serious time keeping his vehicles super nice and I know a lot of us don't put that much time or have that much time into the upkeep making our vehicles look great for that long. I have read this post from start to finish and I do understand cost being a major factor but there are products that can be sprayed cheaply with much less labor. While I am a perfectionist(I have over 60 hours into just my bed) I just can't see spending 2 weeks worth of sanding time. I feel my time is worth something and I would rather spend it on getting the bodywork nice and straight.

[cjlinkster]

It seems like this thread has gone from a few guys discussing the $50 paint job to thread about why $50 is not a professional paint job and should not even be attempted.

I think that we all agree that a $2000 or $3000 paint job is better than a $50. There is nothing else that needs to be said about that fact. If i could afford a $2000 paint job or just had access to a real paint booth, i would go for the nicer paint job.

Please, can we keep this thread on topic.

[JRANGER]

I love the DIY guy way....Hail to the $50 paint job

[1985-GMC]

It may be too late but grab some "enamel hardener" from napa or where ever and add it to the paint. It makes the paint a lot tougher. I would use a spray gun though, even a cheep Tractor Supply gravity fed gun does pretty good.

Watch this video, start at about 5:00 if you don't want to watch the whole thing.

Cub Cadet Project 19 - YouTube

and this one if you want to from 2:00

Cub Cadet Project 13 - YouTube

[motornut]

$50 .....you guys spent too much! lol
wait for it to go on sale
bought mine for $39.99 a gallon ,might be 50 with rollers,sand paper,tape tho
sanded, wiped with varsol/thinner rolled with small rollers
wasn't thinned and it will last a few years
winter beaters ... done it a few times before
i have some stone chips and a bad door scratch since doing it last year
the pass side has a running board,less scratches with that
i'd be real mad if i paid 3-$4000 and get scratched in the first few months

[JRANGER]

ahhh your making me want to go back to red

[motornut]

Originally Posted by JRANGER

ahhh your making me want to go back to red

lol, for $50.00 you can change it!

[JRANGER]

true...cant wait to spray blitz black though

[motornut]

Originally Posted by JRANGER

true...cant wait to spray blitz black though

oh,thats gona be nice,i did my 87 just in flat always looked dirty
seems it hides too well in flat tho ,lol
my other 78 rolled as well

[JRANGER]

tylervalo...Did the rain kill your painting yesterday?

[UPNADM]

I am not trying to start anything, but I have had great success with the 50.00 dollar paint job.

It is defiantly budget, but it can be done with above average results.

I never experienced fading or easy chipping of any work in the past. I painted, cut and buffed followed by a good polish.

No complaints. That being said, and not overshadowing the work that goes into doing it professionally, but you can come out with a decent looking budget product in my opinion.

Not wanting to hijack, but merely demonstrate, here is a truck I did last year.

Keep going with your job, it is really starting to take shape!!!

[tylervalo]

Originally Posted by JRANGER

tylervalo...Did the rain kill your painting yesterday?

It started raining 1/2 way though the 4th coat Although it actually didn't seem to effect it at all. I wet sanded it today, applied the 5th coat and it's looking great. I can see some color differences in some streaks on the truck, I think I need to spend more time stirring the paint before I start. Also need to use a clean tray every time, getting some old paint gunk in the paint. 7 more coats to go though

[tylervalo]

Coat 5:






Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[str8axle55]

Looking good so far, keep it up. It already has less texture than my friend`s van.

[motornut]

Originally Posted by str8axle55

Looking good so far, keep it up. It already has less texture than my friend`s van.

and mine lol

[JRANGER]

why no paint on the hood?

[tylervalo]

It's really hail damaged, when I find a nice one at the junk yard I'll swap it out.
Posted via Mobile Device

[JRANGER]

ahh gotcha

[tylervalo]

Here's the truck I'm copying, my dad's 1980. I'd love to know exactly how rare this truck was, I remember it being factory buckets, factory tach, factory A/C, factory corporate axle, 454, and the front had a locker. I found it a the junk yard a couple years ago, about 10yrs after he sold it:




I immediately recognized it, the front tow hooks, windshield, bottom stripe, rear bumper, steering wheel cover and last but not least, the sticker on the dash I put there when I was 4yrs old!