how to buy paint...

[1971ford]

i think my dad was kidding, but i dont know. he knows i bought the compressor to spray paint.
and i dont know about you but i wouldnt want a really nice truck from ground up with a rattle can paintjob

[72stepside]

Ryan,

My father and I have painted 5 cars/trucks and 2 (soon to be 3) tractors with the Nason single stage like Steve302 is suggesting. The first was done in 1986 (when I was your age) to a 64 Galaxie. That paint is still fine and not peeling. In fact, all of those paintjobs have held up really well.

My white F100 was painted with single stage. We did all the bodywork and applied the paint in 3 weeks (big rush job) while I was on college break in 1996. We spent alot of time on the prep however. There has been no chipping or cracking with it. This is good hard paint.

I believe you can get different stages of wet look catalyst for it too. Steve302 can correct me if I'm wrong but it seems like we went with a duller look on the last tractor we painted by using a different additive.

It's good stuff for the non-professional-on-a-budget painter like myself.

[Steve302]

Hello,
Yes DuPont makes a flattening agent that can be add to the paint to give it a "sheen" look.

I feel like a goober here... i didnt know that the entire time i was giving advice there was a father that wanted to take a sledgehammer to my keyboard.
Though i am not sure of your age hopefully youre not 50 and having a dispute with your 80 year old dad over this, but i will guess your 15 to 18 or so.
On that note i bet as a father and son project your dad is financing alot of this project. Remember alot of kids are not allowed to even own a car due to controlling parents, i think youre darn lucky to have a dad that allows you to take a truck apart and spread it all over the property and fix and detail it one piece at a time. Im my opinion if he wants to have a father son weekend involving 3 cases if Krylon then you better have fun doing it and do the best you can.
I will guess this will be your first car..... a teen and his first car rarely ever goes smooth, lack of driving experience, peer pressure, being stupid, lack of money usually leads to a good kid and a beautiful car in a bad situation. Maybe the $$$$ paint job should be saved for when you are a tad older?
I was 13 when i bought my first car, actually it was a truck, a 69 chevy 4x4 shortbed, i still have it to this day, I spent every dime i had as a teen, and alot of my dads money to make my dream truck, in 1996 it was appraised at twelve thousand. 4 years after it was done it had bald tires, a worn motor, scratches, dents , stains on the headliner (dont ask), thrashed interior etc..... Not because i was an idiot or stupid, but because i didnt have the money to keep it up, peer pressure, lack of driving skills, HOT girlfriend saying "i want to go 4 wheeling it turns me on" and jealous peers that had run keys down the sides.
Remember kid, your dad knows best, even though its hard to admit, he does, listen to him, im sure he is reasonable and fair. It took me 18 years to figure this out for myself about my dad.
Steve

[Steve302]

For some reason i just pictured Ryan and Ryan's dad arguing side by side with 2 computers in a Fordification forum

[Steve302]

This is good!!!!
Ya got 2 years to talk your dad into that awesome paint job!!!!! He will give. Or tell him that if he rattle cans it, then he will have to sand it all off with his finger tips when it comes time for the pricy paint job. Ever consider taking an autobody shop class in highschool? this will teach you alot and chances are you will get to use the spray booth.
Steve

[1971fordcustom]

Hello,
Yes DuPont makes a flattening agent that can be add to the paint to give it a "sheen" look.

I feel like a goober here... i didnt know that the entire time i was giving advice there was a father that wanted to take a sledgehammer to my keyboard.
Though i am not sure of your age hopefully youre not 50 and having a dispute with your 80 year old dad over this, but i will guess your 15 to 18 or so.
On that note i bet as a father and son project your dad is financing alot of this project. Remember alot of kids are not allowed to even own a car due to controlling parents, i think youre darn lucky to have a dad that allows you to take a truck apart and spread it all over the property and fix and detail it one piece at a time. Im my opinion if he wants to have a father son weekend involving 3 cases if Krylon then you better have fun doing it and do the best you can.
I will guess this will be your first car..... a teen and his first car rarely ever goes smooth, lack of driving experience, peer pressure, being stupid, lack of money usually leads to a good kid and a beautiful car in a bad situation. Maybe the $$$$ paint job should be saved for when you are a tad older?
I was 13 when i bought my first car, actually it was a truck, a 69 chevy 4x4 shortbed, i still have it to this day, I spent every dime i had as a teen, and alot of my dads money to make my dream truck, in 1996 it was appraised at twelve thousand. 4 years after it was done it had bald tires, a worn motor, scratches, dents , stains on the headliner (dont ask), thrashed interior etc..... Not because i was an idiot or stupid, but because i didnt have the money to keep it up, peer pressure, lack of driving skills, HOT girlfriend saying "i want to go 4 wheeling it turns me on" and jealous peers that had run keys down the sides.
Remember kid, your dad knows best, even though its hard to admit, he does, listen to him, im sure he is reasonable and fair. It took me 18 years to figure this out for myself about my dad.
Steve

He does have a good point there! That why you make the 69 as nice as it can be and keep the 71 where you can drive that and learn on it! and never drive the 69 much and keep it in your shop where nothing can get to it!!

[wt4speed#2]

so i dont have so many stupid questions, i understand painting more and everything else.

im trying to put a list together of what i need to get when i go to the paint store in Sacramento.

Just my the only " Stupid" question is the one that goes unasked.
Every inquiry you've made here Ryan (that I've actually been smart enough to take time to read) I've learned a little something, and I'm probably older than your Dad (my baby boy turns 21 in March and by my running buddies opinions I waited till late in life to release him on the world.) So I say ask away little buddy that is the only way to learn.

[Mugwump]

exactly.

Ryan, you ask a lot of questions that some of us here would love to see explained, and Steve302 has done a service to us all by explaining the steps and techniques in such detail. I know I'm learning stuff, too!

Thanks to both of ya.

[Steve302]

Hello,
There is no such thing as a stupid question, never be afraid to ask questions on this site, everyone loves to help, and sometimes we all learn something from someone elses questions. At least 3 times a week i call the best paint guy i know and ask questions. He has never let me down. so Technically i learn at least 3 new things a week from him. For 4 years i trained Highschool students in basic autobody repair and it was honestly the best thing i could have done for myself. Rather than just doing my work i had to explain what i was doing and why i was doing it. as a result it made me fine tune my skills even more. I believed in "real world" training, i was a tad harsh like a boss could be, I rarely allowed "chit chat". Though some of them thought i was an A$$ i did it get them prepared for working at a bodyshop, its not the friendliest business to be in. Though the administration thought my Cigarette smoking and Andrew Dice Clay vocabulary was a bit much.
Steve

[1971ford]

i just read the whole book that i have. then i went back and reread all of your posts and magicly they make since now .

is this a good list to take to a paint/body store? any problems? and are the amounts of product good? i can always go back and get more!

Wax/grease remover
Tack cloths
Nason Ful-thane Arcylic Urethane (single stage)Paint–1.5 gallons maybe?
Reducer – 1-gallon maybe?
Catylist-what is this?I did the math, I need 1.5pints of catylist for 1.5 gal.
Aircraft Chemical Stripper
Epoxy primer
Primer Surfacer
Sealer- do I need this? (I will be stripping the whole truck to bare metal)
Sanding blocks - flex and non-flex
bunch of different-grit sand papers
Stir sticks/strainers
Masking tape
HVLP Paint gun
air guage(the one that attaches to the inlet on gun)
some sort of drier for compressor

this is going to hold off my parts for a long time though because of the money this will take
oh well, i have several years

i have some more questions, but i want to get these down first.

thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and all the safety gear i am going to get from my uncle (works at 3m ) and my dad (sells respirators)

[Steve302]

hello,
It seems you got it down correct. I only see a few things to point out.
#1 Tac cloths are good, just remember to let the cloth glide lightly across the body of the car, no pressure should be applied.
#2 I dont suggest Aircraft stripper for a first timer. The stuff is very hard to properly work with unless the truck is in a zillion pieces, also alot of chance for contamination, For the first time, i think you should do it the hard way, sand it all off! yes i know the idea sucks but i would never advise anyone to use aircraft stripper unless they had seen it properly done at least a few times. Also aircraft is like grinding without safety goggles you will get hurt (like hospital E.R. hurt/burns) if you dont take the proper precautions
#3most sealers are epoxy and if let to dry on the body during the duration of the bodywork its a pain to re-prep properly for the next step, do yourself a favor, sand a panel down, do your filler work, prime it, move to the next panel.
Primer is your next issue........ here is my suggestion........
Autobody chemists have lost their minds, the product layering is getting too extreme and as a result labor rates and material bills are climbing and there are more product failures than ever.
I am a 3rd generation Bodyman my grandpappy, and my dad bolth did it for over 40 years each, and they bolth had taught me the less materials you add the better. In my dads day he straightened with this method...
bare metal, filler, primer, paint ONLY 3 MATERIALS!!!!!!
personally i use....... Filler, primer ,paint. Hey!!!! it still works today!

Some will say,Use metal etch,sealer,filler,sealer,primer,sealer,paint!!!! yikes!!! throw some peanut butter in there too!!!
Keep it simple
U-pol makes a urethane primer #up2232a uses catylist #up2393 reducer#up2481. this is very affordable and is a 3 stage primer filler that is designed to be mixed as a sealer, a surfacer or an extreme filler (such as featherfill) depending in catylist and reduction ratios. This product is 100% fully compatable with ALL DuPont Paint products.
If you dont have all the state of the art body tools use U-pol Flyweight body filler, its a non sagging filler that sands as easy as a glazing putty.
I swear to god im not in any way an employee or salesperson for U-pol!!!!
Steve

[1971ford]

ok so lightly with the tack cloths, and no stippers because of safety. ok that sounded a little weird
ill stick to bare metal, filler, primer, paint too then hey, it saves me money too

whats catylist though?

and so this U-Pol primer uses that catylist and reducer and the catylist and reducer will need to be bought additionally to the U-Pol primer correct? so its like mixing the paint but with primer?

[Steve302]

Correct!
Never mix different catylists with other brands, nason paint uses nason catylist, U-Pol primer uses U-Pol catylist.
Catylist it the additive that forces the product to cure, without catylist the products will stay sticky forever!
If you dont catylize the products your truck will take on the job of being the largest flypaper surface in the world.

And no strippers for safety reasons

[1971ford]

another question before i revise the list,

does this U-pol primer with reducer/catylist take place of the epoxy primer and primer-surfacer on my list? or do i still need epoxy primer?

[Steve302]

Oh Yes............
I need to mention that your county may use different reducers and catylists due to EPA regulations, along with that may be different mixing ratios too! No worries though, the paint store will help you with that.
You also need to Ask the paint store when the county you live in will be changing over to waterbourne paints, you will want to buy the paint and catylist before then because you will NOT be able to shoot waterbourne paint in your garage or outside.
Steve