evileyejones

I'm trying to decide on which direction I want to go in. Either way I will be doing it myself, out in the Texas sun/heat.

From what I can tell from looking around, is that they both require about the same amount of prep work, and afterwork (wet sanding and whatnot)

From the pictures I've seen of boat paint on cars, they turn out really good, but sometimes have some orange peel on them, wouldn't sanding take that off? I saw one online with really bad orange peel, and another online with an almost mirror like finish. (I'll dig up the links when I get home, typing this on my iPad)

The p.o. Of my new-to-me runner had it rattlecanned orange and black for ease of repainting, because he only used it as a camping rig.

strykersd

NEVER primer a vehicle! Primer is designed so that paints soaks into and sticks to it better. If you leave primer as the only paint on a vehicle water gets into the primer and your truck will rust from the inside out.

Mikel1871

^^ WOW^^Im thinking he not going to leave it primered(Dont even see where the word primer is in his question)The orange peel effect is most likely from them putting a 2nd coat on too early(Yes ALOT of sanding will smooth it out).With a roll on (and in most cases any spray) if you rush the 2nd coat youll get the dreaded orange peel.So just take your time and follow thedirections from the Manu. and you will get the results you want.

evileyejones

That's good to know about the primer, as I was going to prime it after I got all the old (spray) paint off and bondo'd whatever dents I couldn't pop out, I was going to prime it and the let it sit in the garage till I decide which route to go and accumulate supplies/paint. No I know to hold off on the primer till I am ready to paint, (or ready to dedicate the garage to full-time storage for it)

It's also good to know about not rushing the second coats, I didn't know what caused orange peel, and was worried that sanding wouldn't fix it if it happened. Now I will try to avoid it altogether, that way I won't have to spend as much time sanding.

Janderson31R

I work at an aviation facility painting airplanes. If you use aviation paint you can spray over 320 scratches and the paint is alot harder. Sherwin Williams makes great av paint and it costs about the same as car paint. I know its not really what you were asking but my 2 cents.

Janderson31R

Orange peel is from the paint not flowing out. You get solvent pop from applying the second coat before the first coat is done gassing off.

Zelephant

I painted my truck with a roller and polyurethane boat paint. After having it for one year, here are some thoughts:
-There is a slight but definite texture to it. You can't feel it, but you can see it in certain lights. If you're considering painting your truck with a roller in your backyard, though, it shouldn't bother you.
-It looks a lot better in bright light than low light. Under a streetlight or in a parking garage at night, the texture is much more visible, and sometimes so are some brushstrokes. In the sun it looks professional.
-It scratches easily. This is my biggest issue with the method. From taking the top off/on, to leaning objects against the truck, scratches appear. The good news is they touch up really well and easily, but it's a pain.

I painted my truck with a roller because it was what I could afford. I would probably do it again, if for no other reason than the paint doesn't fade like a rattlecan job, which is the only other option I could afford. But if you have the funds and space to use a spray gun, I would do that. I didn't, so I used the best option available to me.

peckinpah

I also did a roller job, for the same reasons as the poster above. It's hands-down the cheapest way way to go. The entire truck took 3 quarts of Rustoleum. I thinned the paint down with mineral spirits, as per the many internet threads on the topic suggest. (There's a ton of YouTube videos on the subject as well).

Be prepared for lots and lots of sanding, both as prep (in order to give the paint a rough surface to cling to) and as a way of smoothing out the brush strokes and drips between coats. Make sure you have a stable foundation to lay the paint down. And make sure your factory clearcoat is roughed up everywhere. I missed a couple spots near the windshield rubber seals, and the paint is now peeling off in those spots.

I would caution against painting in really hot weather like you have in Texas during the summer. It varies, but most paints are designed to go on in weather that's between 50 and 80 degrees.

I would also advise against using primer, I used a primer that was slightly darker than the main coat. And I let it drip a bit by putting too much paint down. And when sanding between coats I was CONSTANTLY sanding though to the primer, then I would have to put more paint down to cover up the places where I sanded through. Major pain.

I would agree with the comments from the poster above about how the rough texture shows up during certain lighting conditions, but for the most part looks acceptable. One thing I have found though is that lots of things like bugs and tree sap can get etched into my paint job. And the rough paint texture means that washing the truck takes a lot more scrubbing than it did with the factory clearcoat. Maybe boat paint and airplane paint are more resistant to this type of thing, but gloss white Rustoleum sure isn't.

I'm considering spraying on a clearcoat myself this summer, not only to give the paint job a "wetter" look, but also to protect the paint from bugs, mud, tar, and tree sap. And I'm hoping the shiny finish might make some of the rough areas and drips less noticeable.

94toy22re

If you access to a compressor spray it. I'm pretty sure I've seen a few O'Reilly stores in dfw they sell a nasson brand auto paint made my dupont. I paid around 200 for the paint, primer and thinners.

evileyejones

I do have access to a compressor, and the spray accessory, so I will go check out what o'riellys has in the way of paint, primer, thinners, and clear coat.

T100cowboy

good luck with the paint job! never tried a truck before but have repainted several rusty trailers. I agree with everyone thats posted thats for sure! primer has to be painted over!!!

also if you have any rust spots make sure you get the scale off before using rustolem (if thats the route you plan on going). if you use automotive paint you'll need to get it down to good metal. not sure if aviator and boat paint are that way as well...?

iselloil

I sprayed my topper with the interlux boat paint after seeing Zelephants paint job.$55.00 spray gun from Harbor freight.I preped the surface with a electric D-A dewalt sander.No issues with the paint.
Orange peel is from improper spraying, not a second coat.
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...rshell-213103/

evileyejones

I saw your pictures of the top that you did, it looks very good!

I was already intending to bring it down to bare metal before I did the painting, for one, tere are quite a few little dings here and there, that I will use bondo to smooth out, and for two, the p.o. spray paintend it orange, but he said the p.p.o. had painted it some sorta black that was faded real badly when he bought it,and the original color of the car (according to the doors and inside of the engine compartment) is either tan or white, so I have no clue how many layers of paint is on there, or how well they were painted on.

94toy22re

i used a 40 dollar hvlp gun from freight harbour, i plan on repainting the truck this summer is voodoo blue (fj cruiser) or speed way blue (taco)





And im painting this one some time this month, on this truck i found some white self levelling boat paint from home depot on sale for 7 bucks a quart and i'm going to spray it

Janderson31R

If you take it down to bare metal make sure you put a sealer coat on it before you paint it. Aviation paint can be sprayed over old paint as long as you prep it right. I personally would take it to bare metal just for the ease of prep. Not sure about boat paint but you can usually apply a second coat without sanding your first coat as long as you don't wait too long after it flashes. I am going to paint my truck with a blue tone white aviation paint. I will post some pics when I'm done if anyone is interested in seeing what the paint looks like.

94toy22re

the only parts i sanded to bare metal was where i applied bondo. unless you have a sandblaster i wouldn't mess with it that's a lot of extra work. as long and you have sanded and prepped the surface the paint is going to stick.

peckinpah

I would tend to agree. Sure in a perfect world, you'd sand down to bare metal.

But that's gonna take days to do, which is time that would be better spent wet sanding and buffing to new paint once it's dry.

I honestly believe that as long as the old paint is roughed up, and reasonably stable (as in not peeling off or oxidizing) you should be OK. I had some heavy oxidation on my tailgate, and I just sanded off all the loose powdery stuff, and wiped it down with mineral spirits.

The above is especially true if you use Rustoleum, which is designed to go over old paint (and even light rust) without primer. I'm less sure about boat or airplane paint, however, but the principle ought to be the same.

Janderson31R

I don't disagree about being able to spray over existing paint as long as you prep it right. With the right tools it only takes about four hours to sand down my truck to bare metal. I understand not everyone has the tools I have so do what you have the tools to do. We have painted over existing paint with no problems but I wouldn't paint over rust even if the paint is designed for it. In my opinion that is only inviting problems down the road. I don't know about all auto paints but if you are going to spray over existing paint I would still seal it. With some paints as they age they break down and if you don't seal them you can get pinholes in your top coat. I know some sherwin williams paints have an added sealer but not all paints do. And keep in mind we paint multi million dollar private jets not 4x4s so Im sure not everyone on here is looking for the same finished product our customers are.