Painting a non-MV truck

[Crawdaddy]

In 2 weeks I will be bodyworking and painting my 1988 Suburban. Trick is, I've never painted or bodyworked a vehicle before and unfortunately I have to start with this behemoth. It's developing some pretty good surface rust and has a through and through rust hole in the drivers door jamb. So, I'm not looking for a million dollar paint job, I'm just looking for something to stave off the advances of rust and hopefully look decent from 20 feet away. This job will have to be done outside in an environment that can get dusty at times, but I don't have much of a choice in the matter, I have nowhere inside to do the work. I am also in a region where the humidity never drops below 70% and metal can rust in a matter of hours, if not faster. Consider me a blank slate on this kind of work. Assume I know nothing, because I do know nothing about it.

In the interest of keeping this simple for me, I am planning on using the Duplicolor Paint Shop line of paints. (http://www.duplicolor.com/products/psFinishSystem/) If it matters, I will be painting it either the Deep Blue Metallic or the Midnight blue. I also have a brand new Harbor Freight HVLP gun. (http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-47016.html) I know it's junk, but it's affordable.

This weekend I plan to pick up a roll of masking paper and automotive masking tape. I also need something to kill the rust with. I know Rust Bullet and POR 15 are good for this, but I'm not sure I can get it ordered and shipped in time. I'm hoping my local auto body supply will have it for sale at a decent price. I have a DA sander that I'll use to do a general sanding to get the truck down to a smooth surface, as it's currently in multiple stages of losing its paint and down to primer and below. What grit should I be using for this initial sanding?

I also have a dent or two on the doors to fix with fiberglass, which I've never worked with before. I'll beat the dent out as best I can and then fill in the remainder with the fiberglass. After the bodywork and sanding, I should be ready for a primer coat, right? I'll then mask the truck up and hit the whole truck with some wax and tar remover.

Then comes the part where I really don't know how I'm going to do this. I don't know how I'm going to paint this massive roof without laying on the truck to get to the center of the roof. I've considered that I can lay down a piece of masking paper and lay on that to keep from contaminating the surface with my sweat and oils, but I don't see how that will work once I've laid down coats of primer and paint already and need to go back for another coat. Any ideas?

I'm thinking I will lay 2 coats of Rust Bullet/POR 15 on the roof and other rusty areas, 2 coats of primer, 2-3 coats of color, and then 2-3 coats of clear. Is this sufficient, or am I going over or under in some areas? Also, I don't know whether I should sand the truck again at any point in the process, and if so, with what grit. I'm not going for a show car shine, but I'd like to get a decent job out of it.

My timeframe for completing this work is 7-8 days with vehicles kicking up dust nearby and no protection from the humidity and dew. Thank you in advance for any and all suggestions, tips, tricks, and help that can be offered.

 

[Nonotagain]

Good luck is all I can say.

A dark color is going to show all defects.

POR15 is not a good base coat for a top coating. POR15 makes a topcoat but is rather pricey.

Forget multiple applications as the more you spray the more smeg you trap in the paint.

If it were me, I'd work the front clip at one time and look into a paint that can be applied via roller like a boat paint.

I sprayed a friends 1969 Chevelle with PPG Omni and Tri-Star clear. The paint/catalyst cost was over $750 with solvent.

 

[82ABNMP]

Maybe you should spend all your time doing the sanding and filler work on the dents? Take off all the trim you can. You can use spray cans of primer over the filler, then take the truck to http://maaco.com/ near you and have them shoot the primer and top coat the truck. This will be better time and money spent than trying to do it yourself. If you don’t have the money now for that then SAVE you money and have them do it later. As a first timer you will get frustrated and the job will turn out badly. Doing it in a week....most pros couldn't do a good job in that time frame.
David

 

[cajun666]

Your best bet is just pay some one with a shop to do it.

If you have dust blowing all over it well not be a good job.

 

[Crawdaddy]

I over-exaggerated the dust situation. Yes dust can potentially blow up, but the weather's been wet the past week which is keeping the dirt wet and dust to a minimum. The nearest Maaco, Earl Scheib, etc is over 1.5 hours away, and every other shop I've walked into to get an estimate on has either literally laughed in my face and/or given me an obscenely high price just to make me go away(10K+ for a basic job). I also can't survive another year without getting paint laid down to stop this rust. So, it's getting painted. Whether it looks like junk or not, that's to be seen, but at least it won't be rusting away.

The roof and the hood are the two things that are really rusting, so I'll attack those first and get the bodywork done as someone suggested. Then, I'll see where I stand and go from there.

 

[SCSG-G4]

First thing to do is to get the surface smooth (600 grit smooth) and then use rattle can Rusty Metal primer on it, over everything, let it dry a couple of days. Then sand any runny spots, get another coat anywhere it's thin and let that dry. Only then do you get out the topcoat paint, starting from the top and work your way down (paint the top first from one side then the other so it's complete). Let it dry according to directions, sand runs and paint thin spots, then touch up with 900 to 1200 grit and spray on the clear coat. It is a lot of work when you don't have a paint booth.

 

[emr]

I am sure its just me, But if you want answers on this site, I think they are supposed to be Military vehicle or mil stuff related, I personally think it is bad for the site, and brings what its all about to a new low. My opinion. Randy

 

[JoL]

Thank you to everyone who contribute to the paint section of this forum, every thread greatly helped me with my project.

I picked up a Jeep for real cheap from a relative, only problem was it looked as low as the amount I paid for it. So I took what I learned from school and this forum and put it to good use.

I started by ordering a box of spray paint from rapco, I decided on a flat color so I could easily blend and repair. I choose luster less Vietnam marine corp, so I picked up sandpaper sponges and a spray bottle and went to town. I took what was left of the clear coat and oxidation off. The truck looked even worse but I had faith in the quality of paint.

After the whole truck was wet sanded, cleaned and masked, I began to spray bomb it outside in front of the neighbors. The end result was a beautiful flat forest green paint job, the paint blended and looked better as the months in the sun went by! The flat paint even looked good over my herculiner!!

Anyways OP good luck, hope your tuck comes out nice! Go with rapco gillipsie, their spray paints come with a wide fan nozzle that I used with a spray can trigger handle.