Anyone painted their square with Rustoleum?

[gloriavoxdei]

I want to paint my truck back to the original white and since I'm poor, cheap and the truck is NOT a show piece I'm thinking about doing it with Rustoleum in a spray gun. Has anyone done this and if so how has it held up? I'd love to see some pics of before and after too.

[tantrumpipeline]

I can't find the pics of my 85 blazer but I slammed 3 coats of white gloss Tremclad on it using one of those gun trigger deals, a couple cans of black bedliner on the bottom quarter, looked decent, and after a quick power polish I had most people fooled it was a rattle can job, removed the hood for even coverage, other than that it was pretty simple. Want to seepics when you're done, as a temporary paint scheme it worked out great and was around $200

[canadianc-10]

ive done it many years ago on my old pos trans am. cost an entire 15.99 on paint and i must say it looked like a 15.99 paint job. dull, streaky, looked great from 1000 yards away. best bet if theres a maaco in your area get the cheapest package the have.

[JohnSerbian]

I'm trying to figure out how to paint my beast as well, came across this thread here. pretty convincing... http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/...0&fpart=1&vc=1

[draggin86]

im going to go ahead and say its not a good idea if you are looking for something to look nice and last long. the time you spend all the money you could have spent a little more and got a lower line single stage paint.. hell you can get the duplicolor in the can stuff at any auto parts store. just my .02

[cayoterun]

I used Ace Ruststop on this old truck. They can mix it to match any color by the quart or gallon.
It goes on fairly smooth with a spray-gun. I've really had good luck with it on truck beds, trailers, and farm machinery. Really sticks and lasts a long time. It's not recommended for automotive finish, but works good if you only want it to protect the metal from the elements. It drys slower and to a duller finish than the automotive paints. Use regular paint thinner for clean up or thinning.
I wouldn't use it, hoping for a nice shiny finish, tho.
For sure, it's a po' boy paint job.
Costs around $30.00 a gallon or less.
Cayoterun

[ERBSIX]

Originally Posted by cayoterun

I think I'll do it myself and pay the extra $500.

Un-related, but I love cayoterun's sig line! Amen man!

[ERBSIX]

Originally Posted by JohnSerbian

I'm trying to figure out how to paint my beast as well, came across this thread here. pretty convincing... http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/...0&fpart=1&vc=1

I am guessing you're talking about this guy?
It is pretty convincing. I might give this a shot on a hood I have laying around.

here's how i painted my car for about $50, it's actually very easy and the results are amazing. First off, get a can of tremclad real orange (or what ever color u want) in the can, not spray, yes tremclad, it is a acrylic/enamel paint which is very durable. next prep your car as if was any other paint job, fix all the rust, ect....no need to prime the car since the tremclad allready contains elements which allow it to be painted over bare metal. next, after prepping the car get a small 4" professional FOAM rollers, it's tiny and has one end rounded off, and the other cut straight, and is a very high density foam. u also need a jug of mineral spirits to thin the paint. The thing i really like about this is that there's no mess, no tapeing the whole car, just key areas, and u can do it in your garage, since your not spraying there is virtually no dust in the air, just clean your garage first, also it does'nt really smell at all, dries overnight and it super tough paint. also it you decide to paint the car professionally later, just prep and paint, there's no need to strip the tremclad. i have done this to a few cars, and i can say it works amazing, u just have to be paitient. next u thin the paint with mineral spirits so it just about as thin as water, a little thicker. get out the roller and paint away, don't get the paint shaked when u buy it, enamel is stirred, otherwise you'll have bubbles in the paint for a week!!! after u do 2 coats, wet sand the whole car, then repeat, 2 coats, wetsand, 2 coats wetsand. i painted the charger using a can since your not spraying the car u use all the paint and not spray 50% in the air, use progressivly finer sand paper each time. it's not really that much work, cause u can stop and start any time, u can do just a door, or the hood, ect. do one panel at a time, and don't stop once you start. once your done the final coat, wetsand with about 1000 grit to a totally smooth finish, and then using a high speed polisher i use a buffing bonnet and turtle wax polishing compound. do the whole car with this, and i'm telling u, depending on the amount of time and paitence you have, the results are amazing. laugh if you want, but for $50 ($30 for paint, about $20 for rollers, sand paper, ect...) it really looks good. also you can do these steps overnight, paint one evening and by morning u can wet sand. i have personally done alot of painting, mostly single stage acrylic enamel, and i've sprayed several cars in my garage with really good professional results, just it stinks, it's a real pain to do, easy to make a mistake, messy, and expensive. The tremclad is awesome paint, the "real orange" is an amazing hemi orange, and almost looks like it has some perl in the sun, awesome color right out of the can. I used this technique on my 1974 beetle also, here are the results:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1.../Picture10.jpg
the car before:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1...n/IM000475.jpg
another after pic:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1...n/DSC00164.jpg
here is a car i sprayed (71 beetle, midnight blue metalic):
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1...n/DSC00194.jpg
here is the car before (71 beetle):
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1...n/Picture1.jpg

here's a few pics of the charger done:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1...n/DSC02764.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1...n/DSC02769.jpg

well that's my 2 cents worth, sorry for the long post. i was borred lol
i painted the orange beetle in 1999, and it still looks like the day i painted it, the 71 blue beetle i painted in 2000, and built the car for my dad, i used the same paint on my charger, maybe one day i'll spring for a good paint job, prepping is 90% of the work, stripping the car, sanding, ect.....painting is overrated!!!
So if you have TIME, then i'd say go for it, the worst that could happen is that it does'nt turn out and your out $50, but if your paitient, and expriement with lets say just the trunk pannel and if you like it do the whole car, if not just get it done by someone else for $4000. i don't know about you guys, but i would rather spend the $4000 on other parts like getting the mechanics sorted out and new chrome, cause when u have really nice paint and crappy bumpers, door handles it just sticks out more.

[muthstryker]

The 50$ paint job does work. I did a test panel, the trick is to get it on very very light. At first I put it on to thick and there was a lot of orange peel. However, I put 320 grit on the DA and went to town. Took all the orange peel out and it looked great. And I used black paint! But yes it does work if you take your time and do it correctly.

[benoit454]

it can all work but as far as lasting it's hard to say. I painted my hood scoop ad visor with krylon and it's black and turned out great but the hoodscoop being done for awhile now its getting very dull.

As for rustoleum let's hope their paint is better then their primer. I bought several cans of their auto primer a couple years ago when I done dad's 84 and used it on bare metal and edges and put it on good to cover, well after it got painted like a week later or so and then about 2 months after rust came through the paint. NO not rust that was already on the truck that was all removed, every single area that went to bare metal and got primered rusted. I am not happy with it nor will I ever waste time or money on it again.

Some thing like a frame, floor or inner fender I'll use it on and not the primer, just rthe paint, or underhood but something on the outside if you want it to last and look good don't expect much from spray cans.

I would spend the extra cash and get some auto paint mixed in sprays cans from the body shop supply store they'll last as long as regular spray gun paint and look just as good if you prep it right. You can even wetsand and buff it and have show car quality if there's enough coats laid down. It's about 20 bucks a can but it's the same paint you use in a gun just spray can form and you can get base coat and clear but I do single stage and it'll shine just the same as clear coat.

[muthstryker]

U-Pol, makes good spray bomb auto primers.

As for rustoleum, by far the best paint I have used from them is their "SATIN" paint. The stuff is amazing. I painted a 67 tempest with 10 cans of the satin black paint and the car sat outside for a year in the weather. Didnt fade at all in the summer it looked like I had just painted the car. Really nice stuff. I painted the lower air dam on my truck with the same stuff it still looks awsome.

[N2TRUX]

Before I painted one with Rustoleum, I would consider the economy line of paint from Summit. Its actually made to be sprayed on a car.

[benoit454]

not to mention the duplicolor paint shop sutff, don't know how good it is but it can be recoated anytime and can wetsand and buff, or your local body shop supply has cheap spray gun paints I bought 2 gallons of white a gallon of reducer, hardner, flex agent, bumper repair stuff and some sand paper and other materials for less then $250. it was limco single stage. It's pre mixed colors and is less then $100 a gallon some are closer to $50 a gallon.

[N2TRUX]

You are correct sir, And did I mention "Its actually made to be sprayed on a car. "

[Slonaker]

Originally Posted by benoit454

not to mention the duplicolor paint shop sutff, don't know how good it is but it can be recoated anytime and can wetsand and buff, or your local body shop supply has cheap spray gun paints I bought 2 gallons of white a gallon of reducer, hardner, flex agent, bumper repair stuff and some sand paper and other materials for less then $250. it was limco single stage. It's pre mixed colors and is less then $100 a gallon some are closer to $50 a gallon.

Be careful with paint that has a hardener. AFAIK (I'm not a painter...) it will have isocyanates that some people are very sensitive to. Sensitive to the point of doing permanent damage to their lungs while painting a car.

Slonaker

[benoit454]

yes sir, good stuff to, I'd spray anyday unless you have neighbors or what not who won't let you.

I was thinking that rustoleum in quarts is meant to be rbushed on but wasn't sure, so I'd guess it's thicker and the spray on is a bit thinner plus you can use reducer on it to get a good spray. so there are alot of options, it just depends on your cash and how long you ant it to last or look good for.

well until recently the spray cans mixed at the body shop supply didn't hae hardners but they do now. I don't think they are required for the paint to work but we use them and we also make sure to wear protection as anyone should who is going to paint.

[Buick455]

I have painted tractors with enamel from Tractor Supply and with the added hardener and proper thinning the paint comes out very good and durable.

[ERBSIX]

Originally Posted by Buick455

with the added hardener and proper thinning the paint comes out very good and durable.

I keep reading about "proper thinning" using mineral spirits for these rustoleum / epoxy paints, but everyone says you have to go by "feel."

What should it "feel" like when you're thinning it if it's "right" ???

[motornut]

i painted a 75 malibu wagon gloss tremclad black, done it in the heat,it was ok/good it lasted for years.I painted my 87 sub flat black(mistake shoulda used gloss,she might ah seen it) bout 3 coats after some rust work,wiped it with thinner before.This truck was 4X4 for winter driving.figured the flat and black would speed up snow melt.Put in 4 news balls and axles.It was hit while parked,(write off)next ones goin metallic gold.the red marks are where the front tires were.......hit by a honda accord which went underneath and lifted/moved it

[swb85]

I'm getting ready to put my daily '85 in SPI black epoxy primer and run it that way until I decide what to do for paint. Do some research on this stuff, it's tough as nails, offers incredible corrosion resistance and is very inexpensive. I got 2 sprayable gallons for $149 shipped. Going this route, all you have to do when (or if) you decide to paint it is scuff and then seal/paint/clear.

[78 Chevyrado]

The only problem I really had from using a rattlecan was that it dries really fast so if you're not super fast, youll see the lines in the paint from the pattern you used to paint it. Its super hard to not have those lines in something really big like a hood or bedside.

[gloriavoxdei]

Not actually using a rattle can, I'll be using a sprayer hooked to a compressor so it should in theory come out nicer if I do my part.

[grayharville]

I have used the following method to paint 3 cars so far and it has worked great. I plan to paint a few more the same way; here you go.... First, go buy a cheap gravity feed HVLP gun (30-60 bucks at harbor freight), go pick out a gallon of valspar tractor paint (30 bucks a gallon at Tractor supply company, they have it in many colors) then buy a gallon of Xylene thinner (sherwin williams 15 bucks),respirator, Masking tape, scuff pads, sandpaper, and then grab a few newspapers and a buddy...
1. dissassemble anything that need be, mirrors, door handles, lights, etc.
2. sand off any deep scratches, rust, etc.
3. wetsand the entire car using the scuff pads
4. After its dried, tape off all windows, trim, etc.
5. Mix paint in a 2/3 ratio (2 parts paint 1 part thinner)
6. Fill up your spray gun,connect to air compressor, set pattern, and begin!
7.Start at the top, painting the roof first, and work your way down, i usually apply 2 light and 1 heavy coat to get good coverage.
8. Unmask, reassemble, enjoy!
9.Go spend all that extra cash on Taco Bell and more square bodies!

[D13]

My 87 is painted with Rustoleum Blue and white (which actually are very good matches to the factory paint). White looks good, blue faded/chalked after 4-5 years. Again paint prep is the key! But basically it's an enamel, it's not a high tech car paint. It's an equipment protector where the objectice is 1 color and protection from the elements.

Rustoleum primer is designed to grip rust so the topcoat stays on, not stop rust! Like any other primer it needs a topcoat to provide moisture protection. The original formulas had fish oil as a base which sealed the metal from air. New stuff does not provide that level of resistance, it's just enamel.

If you do go Rutoleum keep it waxed with non-synthetic waxes and it will hold up a lot better.

[jchav62]

I did my '73 with the "Ace Hardware" brand of Rustoleum. Same stuff... $28 for a gallon. I used lacquer thinner to reduce...about a 50/50 mix. I'm happy with the results. Check out the build thread in my sig...