Project "What was I Thinking" 68 SWB

[Bennett68C10]

Originally Posted by CC69Rat

Keith -- just give it a try man. You can paint. Just remember it's 90% prep, and the end result is only going to be as good as what's underneath it!

Originally Posted by knomadd

You can always spray a few practice panels if you're not comfortable with it. I can tell you that a solid color is much easier to spray than a metallic. And a pearl is the hardest to spray. By using practice panels, you can get your technique down (and confidence up) before attempting it on the truck. I'm sure you could pull it off. I sprayed the door jambs, underside of the hood and trunk on my GTO in a pearl paint for my first ever attempt at painting a vehicle. My only practice before that was primer. I wasn't confident in myself for the outside of the car, so I paid a painter to spray the outside of the car.

If you want to paint, you'll definitely want to spray the primer yourself to get some practice in.

Originally Posted by 87Jimmy4JP

a good paint job absolutely starts with good prep work...and having as clean an environment as possible...which can be done on the cheap by the way..turning your garage into a temporary spray booth with fans, ect...

I have also found that getting a better than average spray gun is key...you dont have to go nuts, but dont buy one at Costco if you know what I mean.

If you have a body shop guy, or your buddy or your dad, ask them for their advice on decent equipment.

Spraying practice panels is a great idea. Try to use decent paint and thinner so you get a good feel for how this stuff behaves. If your really good with a spray can, you will be even better with a spray gun...

You can even practice by follow the contours of your panels with your hand only first, then add the gun, then the hose, then just air, then add water with a little dawn dishwashing detergent to give the old girl a bath.....if you see nice even application with this solution, it mimics painting....sort of....

when painting, look at the surface you are painting and not the gun(more specifically, you do need to look at the distance the gun is away from the surface from time to time, but to see how the paint is being applied, you really have to watch the surface as the paint is being sprayed on it....your angle to any light source is important too) ....look for the panel to get shiny as your painting maybe on the second or third pass...once thats achieved, move on to the next panel. Unless spraying with one stage enamels, you dont have to go too heavy with the color....you will be clearing over it anyway....

how fast you move your arm back and forth comes with practice and is in proportion to the distance you are away from the surface, your air pressure, paint consistency, ect....

Its really a lot of fun once you get it down....Im in a similar learning curve with welding right now and just beginning to enjoy it.....


Your truck is awesome, by the way...great work...very inspiring...

JP

Originally Posted by Bucks68

Great advice right here!!

Thanks guys for the boost of confidence and all the advice. You guys are inspiring me to give it a try. I know my father can give me pointers and I would like to try it but I'm a perfectionist and if I don't think it looks right it will drive me mad.

Thanks JP for all the advice on painting and for checking out my build. I will definitely be painting in my garage as I have nothing else to do it in. I also plan on solid colors, Red with a White grill, no metallics and no pearls. If I try it I want to keep it as simple as possible. I also don't know if I should paint it with BC/CC or single stage. Because I'm a complete noob at this I would think single stage would be easier to spray because I would only be spraying color and not clear but then I read that BC/CC is easier for noobs like me. I'm not against trying anything, what do you guys think?

[knomadd]

I like BC/CC paints. Never really dealt with single stage myself though. But I've heard some guys apply the base coat, let it cure, color sand it, then spray several coats of clear. If your base is good, clear can go on right after the base flashes, like the pros do it. I'm no expert so you'll want to check with guys who paint a lot to be sure how you want to go about it.

However, I do know that if you run the clear, some guys will keep spraying to run it off the panel then just sand off the drips. I've seen it done and have seen the unsanded drips from this kind of trick. I don't know how this would work with single stage.

[Bennett68C10]

I'm hoping I got the last of the cab rust licked today, I cut out the rusty spot from the corner of the visor area and had my brother weld a patch in. I checked the rest of the visor area across the top and this was the only spot. Funny thing though a 1/2" hole turned into a 2" patch.

[jlsanborn]

I bet that was a fun spot to work on. Looks great!
I smell Suburban in here...

[Bennett68C10]

I also shaved the antenna hole from my cowl. The hole was pretty messed up so we cut it out with a 2 1/2" holesaw and my brother welded in the patch piece. Came out pretty good, now just like everything else on the cab, it just needs a little bodywork

[Bennett68C10]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

I bet that was a fun spot to work on. Looks great!
I smell Suburban in here...

Yeah that was a crappy area to weld and grind down. I think I still have metal shavings on me.

Nice eye on the Burb, it's my brothers play toy

[mikeleeshields]

I'm feeling you on the cab patch. I looked at mine yesterday and I am going to have to patch mine almost all the way across the front. I have a full patch panel but I am going to try and leave as much of the origina sheetmeta I can. Wish me luck on that task. I only have the cab corners and the top of the cab to patch then I can finally mount the cab on the frame. That will be a big day.

[Bennett68C10]

Originally Posted by mikeleeshields

I'm feeling you on the cab patch. I looked at mine yesterday and I am going to have to patch mine almost all the way across the front. I have a full patch panel but I am going to try and leave as much of the origina sheetmeta I can. Wish me luck on that task. I only have the cab corners and the top of the cab to patch then I can finally mount the cab on the frame. That will be a big day.

It is a pretty big moment to see the cab go back on after all the work we put into them. It really feels good to see it look like a truck again even if you have to take it back apart to finish the bodywork and paint. Good luck on the visor patch, I'm just happy I only had that area to fix, it was a pain.

[Bhelton]

Those cab patches blow, I had to replace my whole inner front section. I guess the worst part was doing all the grinding and sanding over head. Keep up the progress...you'll have it done in no time!

[Rochlow]

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=454571

5150's build thread using latex paint and Iron B

[Rusbuilt]

Also heres where to get the info on the Iron B
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=549806

[Bennett68C10]

Originally Posted by Bhelton

Those cab patches blow, I had to replace my whole inner front section. I guess the worst part was doing all the grinding and sanding over head. Keep up the progress...you'll have it done in no time!

Thanks I'm glad I didn't have to do all that and just had to do this little spot instead. It still sucked grinding that weld down. I can't wait to get to the bodywork on this truck and get some paint on it finally .

Originally Posted by Rochlow

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=454571

5150's build thread using latex paint and Iron B

Originally Posted by Rusbuilt

Also heres where to get the info on the Iron B
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=549806

Thanks for the info on the Iron B guys, I read through the threads. Looks interesting but I don't know if it I would have the balls to do that on this truck. Maybe I will if I screw up the paint

[mcbassin]

On your paint job, as stated above the key is good preparation. The bodywork is the hardest part and of course the most time consuming. I can actually lay a pretty nice paint job with a $16 harbor freight paint gun if the prep is done right.
With that said, yes buy the best gun you can afford or borrow a good one from a friend. It makes it easier to lay the paint down.

A big misconception about do it yourself paint jobs, worrying about the actual painting.
Painting is the easiest part (if you don't screw up and make runs)(ask me about runs). It's actually the bonus for all the labor you put into the prep work. I learned the hard way about being impatient recently. I didn't wait the correct time between coats of clear and it sagged like crazy. This is very important!

I recommend using BC/CC just because it's a little more forgiving, in my opinion only. You will get a better depth of shine too. (when buffed). Single stage is great for a driver but your truck is far more than a standard driver, so go ahead and pop for the good paint. Red is expensive BTW. The secret is buy as good of a clear coat as you can afford too. The cheap clears can and will look good too but some yellow and some delaminate quickly.
I would happy to share all my recent learning experience about body work and painting. It has been an education, I painted a bunch of cars back in the 90s and I had to learn all over again
BTW, I have been being tutored by screaminchevypickup (Kyle). He has been helping me a bunch with my concerns as I go. He make some killer paint jobs look easy!

[Bennett68C10]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

On your paint job, as stated above the key is good preparation. The bodywork is the hardest part and of course the most time consuming. I can actually lay a pretty nice paint job with a $16 harbor freight paint gun if the prep is done right.
With that said, yes buy the best gun you can afford or borrow a good one from a friend. It makes it easier to lay the paint down.

A big misconception about do it yourself paint jobs, worrying about the actual painting.
Painting is the easiest part (if you don't screw up and make runs)(ask me about runs). It's actually the bonus for all the labor you put into the prep work. I learned the hard way about being impatient recently. I didn't wait the correct time between coats of clear and it sagged like crazy. This is very important!

I recommend using BC/CC just because it's a little more forgiving, in my opinion only. You will get a better depth of shine too. (when buffed). Single stage is great for a driver but your truck is far more than a standard driver, so go ahead and pop for the good paint. Red is expensive BTW. The secret is buy as good of a clear coat as you can afford too. The cheap clears can and will look good too but some yellow and some delaminate quickly.
I would happy to share all my recent learning experience about body work and painting. It has been an education, I painted a bunch of cars back in the 90s and I had to learn all over again
BTW, I have been being tutored by screaminchevypickup (Kyle). He has been helping me a bunch with my concerns as I go. He make some killer paint jobs look easy!

Thanks for all the info Mike, when you say BC/CC is more forgiving what do you mean by that. I know it is a noob question but I'm just trying to learn. I can't get out of my head that single stage is one less step cause you don't have to spray clear on. Just seems easier even though I'm probably dead wrong with that thought.

What paint did you use on yours? I would like to get good paint but definitely can't afford a couple thousand dollars in just paint. I will definitely be picking your brain as well as Kyles when it actually comes time to paint.

[mcbassin]

Originally Posted by Bennett68C10

Thanks for all the info Mike, when you say BC/CC is more forgiving what do you mean by that. I know it is a noob question but I'm just trying to learn. I can't get out of my head that single stage is one less step cause you don't have to spray clear on. Just seems easier even though I'm probably dead wrong with that thought.

What paint did you use on yours? I would like to get good paint but definitely can't afford a couple thousand dollars in just paint. I will definitely be picking your brain as well as Kyles when it actually comes time to paint.

It's easier to get a high quality finish with base clear. Single stage will never give the depth of shine either. Most single stages just don't shine as good even when color sanded and polished. I have been using ppg base coat ands DuPont Imron clear for my bed and will use ppg clear for the exterior.

I used single stage urethane, and acrylic enamels for years and there is no comparison in the shine and finish of the bc/cc. Even with a shadetree body guy like myself.

As far as cost, it's very expensive for all the materials. The paint is high, but so is sandpaper, epoxy primer, high build primer, tape, reducer, thinner, filler and whatever else I forgot. I have close to $4k in materials, prep and painting supplies. That is including everything spent on the finish of my truck inside and out. But if you spread it out over a few years it doesn't hurt as bad. If you keep track of everything dollar spent you might be surprised how fast it adds up.

Don't cheap out on your ppe either you only get one pair of lungs

[Bennett68C10]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

It's easier to get a high quality finish with base clear. Single stage will never give the depth of shine either. Most single stages just don't shine as good even when color sanded and polished. I have been using ppg base coat ands DuPont Imron clear for my bed and will use ppg clear for the exterior.

I used single stage urethane, and acrylic enamels for years and there is no comparison in the shine and finish of the bc/cc. Even with a shadetree body guy like myself.

As far as cost, it's very expensive for all the materials. The paint is high, but so is sandpaper, epoxy primer, high build primer, tape, reducer, thinner, filler and whatever else I forgot. I have close to $4k in materials, prep and painting supplies. That is including everything spent on the finish of my truck inside and out. But if you spread it out over a few years it doesn't hurt as bad. If you keep track of everything dollar spent you might be surprised how fast it adds up.

Don't cheap out on your ppe either you only get one pair of lungs

4k in materials I know all the sandpaper and tape and misc prep materials cost money, I already have a lot invested but I don't have the budget leftover for that kind of money for paint supplies and everything else I need to get it on the road. I guess I was being a little ignorant to the actual paint cost. Looks like I'll be rocking primer for a while until I can afford it

[mcbassin]

Originally Posted by Bennett68C10

4k in materials I know all the sandpaper and tape and misc prep materials cost money, I already have a lot invested but I don't have the budget leftover for that kind of money for paint supplies and everything else I need to get it on the road. I guess I was being a little ignorant to the actual paint cost. Looks like I'll be rocking primer for a while until I can afford it

It's not as bad as you would think. I included everything it has taken me to get to where I'm at currently. Sandblast media, welding consumables, gas, respirators, everything......
Basically, I have two spreadsheets-1 for parts (you don't want to see this one) 2 for materials.
It's just something I do to know how much I have spent on this bottomless money pit. Bad thing is, I'm cheaper than probably 99% of the builders on here.

Love the new steering wheel!

[67ctener]

Very cool video. Sounds like a pretty healthy cam, very cool. Way color then that smooth camed Ls you were thinking, haha. I'm also pretty nervous about paint. My ideas are there but the funds are non existant. Great job and top notch this far I know your paint but be just as nice. Keep it up don't get discouraged

[knomadd]

Nice wheel! I've got the same one in mine and I love it.

There's a lot of good advice in the last two pages (maybe more, I didn't go back and look ) regarding paint. Mike's right about the clear too. Don't go cheap or it might come back to haunt you later. I've seen cheap clears turn chalky in the elements and allow the paint to fade. I'm sure part of that was the lack of maintenance after the paint was done. That saying "you get what you pay for" is pretty true when it comes to paints. The cheap stuff might look good for a year or two, possibly longer if it's well maintained and garaged, but a good quality paint will last a lot longer. The shop I worked at used Martin Senour paint products, which I used to paint my GTO. That was way back in 2001 or 2002. 12 years later and it still looks fantastic.

[Bennett68C10]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

It's not as bad as you would think. I included everything it has taken me to get to where I'm at currently. Sandblast media, welding consumables, gas, respirators, everything......
Basically, I have two spreadsheets-1 for parts (you don't want to see this one) 2 for materials.
It's just something I do to know how much I have spent on this bottomless money pit. Bad thing is, I'm cheaper than probably 99% of the builders on here.

Love the new steering wheel!

Thanks for all the encouragement Mike, the paint and body work is the only part of this build that scares me and it's only because I don't know what I'm doing. Your spreadsheet really helped out, I realized I have already spent a lot of money on most of those items.

Originally Posted by 67ctener

Very cool video. Sounds like a pretty healthy cam, very cool. Way color then that smooth camed Ls you were thinking, haha. I'm also pretty nervous about paint. My ideas are there but the funds are non existant. Great job and top notch this far I know your paint but be just as nice. Keep it up don't get discouraged

Thanks yeah she sounds pretty healthy, the neighbors will love me I might tame it down a little and put in a hydraulic roller cam. I'm going to start shopping around for paint and supplies like a quality paint gun so I can get a list together and figure out how much it's going to cost me.

Originally Posted by knomadd

Nice wheel! I've got the same one in mine and I love it.

There's a lot of good advice in the last two pages (maybe more, I didn't go back and look ) regarding paint. Mike's right about the clear too. Don't go cheap or it might come back to haunt you later. I've seen cheap clears turn chalky in the elements and allow the paint to fade. I'm sure part of that was the lack of maintenance after the paint was done. That saying "you get what you pay for" is pretty true when it comes to paints. The cheap stuff might look good for a year or two, possibly longer if it's well maintained and garaged, but a good quality paint will last a lot longer. The shop I worked at used Martin Senour paint products, which I used to paint my GTO. That was way back in 2001 or 2002. 12 years later and it still looks fantastic.

Thanks I really love the design of the steering wheel. I want to thank you and everybody else for all the great advice. I think I'm going to try to do this myself. What is the worse that can happen, I do a crappy job and have to sand it back off. It can't look any worse than it currently does with the multicolored primered panels

[Rusbuilt]

Nice steering wheel bro!

[mikeleeshields]

Gotta love getting stuff in the mail

[Hardesty454]

Love that steering wheel.

[Bennett68C10]

Originally Posted by Rusbuilt

Nice steering wheel bro!

Originally Posted by mikeleeshields

Gotta love getting stuff in the mail

Originally Posted by Hardesty454

Love that steering wheel.

Thanks guys, there are a lot of different options for steering wheels. Felt like I was shopping for wheels again I'm happy with the choice I made, should set off the interior nicely

[original-71]

Originally Posted by Bennett68C10

Thanks guys, there are a lot of different options for steering wheels. Felt like I was shopping for wheels again I'm happy with the choice I made, should set off the interior nicely

you did good on the steering wheel