Painting questions

[splavin90]

so, if i sand down my truck down to bare metal, can i just apply primer, paint and clearcoat it, with a spray gun? right now my truck is 5 different colors, and i'd like to aand it down, and paint it. I really don't want to pay a fourtune for it, that's why i want to paint it myself. are there any FAQ's or tutorials about automotive painting?

[kknip]

If the paint on your truck is thick,then you want to strip it down to bare metal.I would rather sand it down than use chemical stripper.After you get all the paint off and repair any bodywork,spray on several good coats of epoxy primer.Block sand all smooth.You might need to put another coat on if you go through in alot of places.Be sure your bodywork is right before you spray(if you can feel it,you will see it after paint is applied)I use a clean shop rag under your hand when running your hand over bodywork,it magnifies any flaws.When you go to the automotive paint store to get your supplies,the people there can help you with what materials will work best for you.I personally like basecoat clearcoat.

[jzjames]

Theres 100 different ways to do bodywork, and all of them are right.
Sanding is a bitch of a job, and personally I would not sand all of the paint off a vehicle unless I was going to do a pro restoration. I would instead sand it to the original paint to about 400 grit, and repaint over original factory paint. Of course youve got to treat spots where you sand through to bare metal. Epoxy primer is the best I hear. When you repaint, make sure your paint is going to adhere (be compatible) to your orig paint. Sometime a primer-sealer coat is needed beforehand.
Im not a painter, but my point is sanding down to bare metal is unnecessary and alot of extra work and can open up a whole can of worms.

[kknip]

The question you have to ask your self is how long you are going to keep the truck and if you want to have to repaint it all over again a couple years later when the paint is cracked up and or peeling from layers under the old colors.If you sand down a spot to the metal and find that the paint isn't thick(as in the truck hasn't been painted 4 or 5 times) then,yes I would just sand the truck down and prime the whole thing with epoxy primer,and then sand the primer down one more time.Or if you just prime the bare spots,you can spray a sealer coat right before you paint,tack it off with a tack rag,then spray your color and clear.The primer or sealer,which ever you decide to use is needed to keep some colors of the old paint from bleeding through and showing up after you have finished painting.Like jzjames said,you have to decide if you want to do a nice restoration or just make your truck look good to drive and enjoy.There is alot of things to consider,and bodywork and paint is hard to explain in a short time,alot comes with practice.I have done bodywork and painting on trucks for about 14 years,and there is always a little trick or a new product to learn about.Also if there is a community collage near you,they might have body and paint classes you can take and work on your own truck as you learn.That is where I learned the trade in 1986.

[cathynkeith]

look in my gallery, 1 man completly sanded my truck to metal in 2 days..
alot of work, but you find all inperfections.....