My old beat up 55 Dodge truck needs paint, I have stripped most of it and epoxy primered already. Don't have money for pro body and paint, lots of dents and waves on old girl from farming days. I do have acrylic enamel, was thinking of blocking, smoothing things out, and shoot on a paint job. At least it will be protected, all 1 color, and look cleaned up, she will be a 20 footer paint job. I can shoot paint no problem, can do not too bad prep either, but have not time for this now. Just think a paint job, and have all mechanical in good safe operation is the ticket. I do live on a gravel road, so no molly coddling for this old truck. When I retire in about 10 years she can have the royal treatment then.
If you can shoot paint and do prep work then you already know the answer,, NO!!! If you don't have time to do it right, then you don't have time to do it wrong.... leave it in primer
I'd still get some kind of paint on there. Epoxy may add more corrosion resistance, but primer doesn't seal completely, especially if you've completely stripped underneath. $0.02
Nothing wrong with a quick cheap paint. As long as your happy and know it's got to come off before a "real " paint job.
Nothing wrong with enamel, just use a hardener so it will actually dry and be able to be sanded off or scuffed in the future. Only adds maybe $20 to the bill but a must use IMO. I have wet sanded and polished hardened enamel and it looked great.
real paint, whats that?..LOL i don't do urethane, with the exception of epoxy primers, and 2 k urethane primer/surfacer too. I have no problem stripping paint down and off, most likely go panel by panel next time, if and when....thanx
Yup, it sure seals better than old lacquer primer did, that was not meant for longer term use.I am lucky my shop is dry,insulated and heated too, so this old beast stays out of the elements when not in use....all the best
+1 running around in primer and letting it rust through is way overrated. I did that way too many years because my truck was never ready for paint and every year I sanded it down and reprimered it and every year it went downhill just a bit more.
Gotta start multi quoting, save bandwidth.....LOL I always use a hardener, with enamels, I even use it with the cheaper alkyd enamels too, works like a charm. Depending on the job, have shot on a good film build, good for future cut and polish. Today was using a hardware store primer,on some parts, cut it with medium speed acrylic enamel reducer, shot 3 coats , with flash in between this stuff dried a lot faster than I figured, but it is dry and about 80 out here today....
You could also use a broom, roller or brush on that not so nice paint job. Hey its traditional u know,,,just ask some on here...lol
Absolutely nothing, got a Friend who has painted some of hsi cars 30+ years ago, paint still looks good, the cars are garaged though. I am daring but not that daring, I shoot paint with a spraygun, but have experimented with the roller technique in the past. I am also intrigued very much with coach style brush painting, as Rolls Royce once did with there cars...
Nothing at all. My statement was meant more generalized as to the "twenty footer" and also to the guys that use "farm machinery"paint. Not everything is or needs to be perfect. Paint it, enjoy it. But if he restores it in ten years as he said, then I'd take off whatever he's putting on now. Even the newer stuff doesn't like too much film build.
as one who has done the same, take the time to do the bodywork right. The cheap paint job is fine, but I get pissed off seeing my crappy bodywork
I hear you brother, being an old truck destined for some work around the farm yard, not super fussy right now. on my other cars, that is a different story...
You went this far, go another couple blocks (pun intended) and get it nice. Epoxy is only water/moisture resistant for a short time if it's exposed to the sun's UV rays. Maybe a couple months at best if there's enough on it and exposure is limited.
Couple of months, not my experience unless it was parked along the beach somewhere. but I hear you, primer is not a permanent solution by no means. I keep my vintage stuff inside when not being used,,,
a freid of ours borrowed the paint booth and used 2 gallons of the cheap valspar ( duplicoat) enamel to paint his 4x4 , it came in blocked an primed . he put it in the booth and mixed up the paint with hardener , and shot it . let it flash over night and second coated it the next day , then let it sit over the weekend , on monday he sanded cut and glazed and the thing looked like wet paint . up close and it was supposed to be a 20' job also he used a old style binks gun and no clear . things still looking good after 6 years and going off in the mudbogs . wouldn't knock enamel paint . 5 semi trailers I painted in 1991 are still holding up and they were painted with ace hardwares alkyd enamel and rustoleum mixed with hardener , only places were the paint came off is were the decks got burned ( from removing the wood decking, rearching or were the crossmembers were bent) , when I painted them I used a pressure pot and shot it basically working in a circle with 3 coats . not glossy but not peeling
have used all the above to Stimpy, enamels are great, don't need clear coats, cut and polish just fine. I am not looking for the wet-look of BC/CC. Lots of farm trucks, and gravel trailers around here get painted as you have done. But you and I are in the north, where the sun does less damage than further south gettin closer to the equator
Just asking the ?, to see what others may have done in similar situations. I am not exactly a novice with paint, but no Pro either. I am not afraid to try things different that's for sure...
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