I have a 1951 Ford F1 that the previous owner painted with rustoleum paint. I hate the paint job, from twenty feet away it looks okay but up close it's a train wreck. I've read that all the paint will have to be stripped off or urethane paint will lift. Has anyone figured out how to paint over it without stripping it? Wally
It needs to be removed, the paint is no better than what is under it! Not sure why you would want to paint over it.
I've got the same thing on my '48 Burb but it's flat. It was painted when I got it. I wouldn't paint a car with it but I know some people are big fans. I think you definitely have to get it off to go urethane. The good news about getting it off is lacquer thinner or acetone will lift it with no problem.
Ya gotta take it off, it's alklyd enamel, and nuttin will stick to it except bugs, tar, and more bugs and tar. Don't waste yer time trying anything else 'cept strip it or live with it.
Somewhere here several threads already have been written. I've used enamal over Rustolium. Been so long I don't remember what, other than NAPA fleet enamal. Others have painted over Rustolium with no trouble. Check the search threads to find out more.
You should be able to paint over an enamel with an enamel, however the finish is still not any better than what is under it. If the original paint job was well prepped and used good primer, etc. than fine. But ask yourself why would someone do a quality prep job and then spray Rustolium? It's not imposable, just not likely. I would not go to all the effort (and expense) of repainting without knowing what's under it.
Well it's 2017 and I ended up selling that truck shortly after this thread. Then, as luck would have it, I bought it back this past May. The previous owner drove it like it was his daily summer driver and never washed it so when it came back the paint was oxidized and flat so I gave her a good scrubbin' and wheeled the entire truck with meguires ultimate compound. The truck looks really nice so I fixed a few busted items and I'm back in business with the ol' girl. I can't see going through the bother of stripping it and repainting it since it actually looks pretty good. So that's the conclusion of this thread just in case anyone runs across it. What did we learn? First, don't do all that body work and prep only to buy the cheapest paint on the shelf, spend a little. Second, don't be a whiny bitch about the paint job, just polish and drive it. And last, think before you sell something you never wanted to really sell, what are ya stoopid???
Another thing you learned is that it's not about the paint, it's about the prep. Many a good paint job is ruined by faulty prep.
The first photo made it look wet. As you said 3 years later you polished it with compound which I bet you could not have done in 2014. As it faded in the sun it really dried allowing you to "play" with it a little. The tongue on my trailer does the same thing after I use Rustoleum on it. Sitting in the sun it goes flat in time. Looks good
I have used many things over alkyd enamels over the years including 2 k urethane sealers and surfacers, lacquer based primers and urethane topcoats etc. I do not buy that enamel will not bond with another paint system, if certain caveats have been fulfilled, meaning the paint is super cured and solid, sand it down or do 1 panel and see how that goes first.... What is so bad about it? it looks a lot better than a lot of BC/CC and AE paint jobs I have seen on here and elsewhere..... Found the recent pic...duh. How about sanding this paint and shootin on a sealer and go with urethane on top. Or get out the Meguires and polisher it would come back. I would test 1 panel or area, and see if it will be okay with a 2 k urethane primer/sealer, might be surprised, then shooot your urethane topcoat over this. Did the Rustoleum, have a generic enamel hardener added before it was sprayed on, if it did should be a different animal than without.... The urethane topcoat could be an economical type like TCP Global, I would try this route before stripping it right down. This paint if it is good and cured or hardener was added might sand really nice, not like uncured alkyd paint that is soft and balling up and cloggin sand paper...
All good stuff, I'm going to check with the guy who painted it and ask exactly what he used. I bet it would wet sand down and possibly be cleared because the paint is very hard, it feels like the old single stage paint we used in the early eighties. I'll keep you posted, thanks again.
Update: So I did paint my Sons off topic car with a straight enamel (synthetic/alkyd) enamel approximately 3 weeks ago, but there was too much peel in it, cut and polish did not work as well as expected either. So i am wet sanding it down and reshooting the paint , this paint sanded like a dream, the brand is Home Hardware Rust Coat Clear Base tinted to the color of choice, its a urethane fortified resin in this blend, dries fairly quick. I have read many many posts on this and other forum where Americans using Rustoleum, where it never dries, does not level out, stays sticky and tacky. I have used Rustoleum only a few times, we have Tremclad alkyd enamel, now owned by the Rustoleum Corp, so not sure if they are the same formulas or not...
The Jalopy Journal
