advise on painting a truck

Lilly001

Senior Member
I did the spray bomb job on an old station wagon.
I only masked what was needed.
I wiped it down with alcohol on a clean rag first and primed to bare spots.
It lasted several years until I sold it.
I was surprised.
I used Rustolium.
 

Big7

The Oracle
I'm in a similar situation. I inherited an 85' Nissan from my dad that runs like a top. I plan on keeping it. My research has found the next to the top tier paint job is a little over $550.00. About $75.00 of that is because I want to do a slight color change. They had several in the yard at verious tiers and one had the one I wanted except not a color change. It looked really good and had a 5 year warranty if I remember right. The estimate is in the truck so I'm not looking at it. I think that's the way to go.
Lower tier is super cheap but only black or white. It goes up from there.

I've done a lot of checking. If you're not looking for a hand rubbed show quality, this is the way to go. IMO
 
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7 point

Senior Member
The body is straight no rust it's a pretty nice looking ole truck but the paint is faiding when you wash it you can see the white come off .I haven't done anything yet to it.
 

CrossCentered

Senior Member
The rhino liner holds dirt, DO NOT GET IT!!! What you should is get the vinyl wrap last awhile and can be taken off if you don't like it
 

pushplow

Senior Member
When I looked into that, I found folks recommending tractor paint. Cheap and durable. Get a harbor freight spray gun if you own a compressor already, or one of their electric paint guns if you don't.
I painted my 99 Ram with Tractor Supply tractor paint and a Harbor Freight gun. Looked great wet, the dryer the paint got, the duller it got. Looked decent after bugging. If I do it again, I'll spend a little more and use auto paint. I'm considering scuffing it lightly and applying a clear coat to see what happens.
 

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7 point

Senior Member
The more I think about it the more talk myself out of because it's still a pretty nice truck .
 

JustUs4All

Slow Mod
Staff member
I like it in white. Everyone has an opinion but mine is get the Maaco job in white if the factory white is fading.
 

zedex

Gator Bait
Sand the surface with some 220 grit foam sanding blocks so you get full adhesion on contoured surfaces. Keep block wet by having a slow running hose flowing in the area you're working.
Use wet/dry paper for tight areas the block can't get into.
After sanding, thoroughly rinse, not wash, entire vehicle. Be sure to flood all surfaces and crevices very well. Look carefully for missed spots.
Use blow gun or even an electric blower to get water from tight spots and get it 100% dry. Then dry it again. And again.
Use a commercially available wipe towel to remove and remaining residues. Then tack cloths for small particulates.
If this is to be a hunting buggy, add a little extra hardener to your paint mix and spray it after masking off glass.
If vehicle has chrome parts you dont want chromed, scuff with more abrasive material and and taper down to 220 grit for a nice finish
 

gma1320

I like a Useles Billy Thread
I've been in the paint and body business for 23 years. If you paint over 220 grit sand scratches it will look like it was brushed on. It needs to be at least 400 grit but 600 is better. Also if you go to course it will not adhere properly because there are not enough scratches per square inch.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
I've been in the paint and body business for 23 years. If you paint over 220 grit sand scratches it will look like it was brushed on. It needs to be at least 400 grit but 600 is better. Also if you go to course it will not adhere properly because there are not enough scratches per square inch.

yeah... I read that and cringed myself.
 

zedex

Gator Bait
I've been in the paint and body business for 23 years. If you paint over 220 grit sand scratches it will look like it was brushed on. It needs to be at least 400 grit but 600 is better. Also if you go to course it will not adhere properly because there are not enough scratches per square inch.
You are right... if pressure is applied. Plenty of running water and light sanding is all it takes.
As for going coarse on chrome, I also stated to finish with the 220. You'll have more than enough broken surface for adhesion Screenshot_20190730-193041_Gallery.jpg
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
. If you paint over 220 grit sand scratches it will look like it was brushed on. .

thats what we refer to as a 20 ft paint job.

From 20 ft away, it will look pretty good.
 

Swamprat

Swamprat
My question would be....why do you care how good a hunting and fishing truck looks. Paint is the least of my concerns. Upgrades to tires, suspension, etc is what I would spend my money on.
 

zedex

Gator Bait
My question would be....why do you care how good a hunting and fishing truck looks. Paint is the least of my concerns. Upgrades to tires, suspension, etc is what I would spend my money on.
That's what I did to my pathfinder.... it looked like it leaned on every tree in the woods.... no straight sheetmetal anywhere but it would go anywhere I wanted to
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
look closely at the car. That's a 220grit job. It's all about pressure and plenty of flowing water

it is impossible to tell from that picture what kind of paint job the car has. Like I said, at 20ft, it will look pretty good. But what does it look like a 6 inches?

of course, if you are gonna spray a car with $50 a gallon flat OD green paint, I guess it doesn't matter what the surface looks like
 

Hillbilly stalker

Senior Member
shopping
Get you a bottle of Nu finish. The white you are seeing coming off is oxidation. This stuff will remove it and make it shine like new money. Works great on reds and greens too where you can really see the fading. $8
 

gma1320

I like a Useles Billy Thread
You are right... if pressure is applied. Plenty of running water and light sanding is all it takes.
As for going coarse on chrome, I also stated to finish with the 220. You'll have more than enough broken surface for adhesion View attachment 977953
I can see flaws in it in the picture.
 
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