Painting the C10

[milner351]

playing devils advocate - how many $7 cans would it take to paint the whole truck! ;-)

[DanStokes]

That's REALLY painful to the index finger! The spray handles help but sometimes the can turns and you paint yourself (how would I know that?).

"Light blue metallic" is not a standard color name. The manufacturers work with the paint companies (PPG, DuPont, etc.) to brew up new colors every year as a way to differentiate between model years. Even black changes somewhat from generation to generation. Take a look at fleet colors - they stay the same for decades and you can find almost anything you like in those charts. If you're going to jamb it it really doesn't matter what color you choose as long as you like it - the jambs are what "give away" a cheap respray vs a nice paint job (well, besides finish quality, inclusions, etc.). But I often go with a fleet color or two for an overall job. Worth a look.

If you go to your local paint store you'll find that they have a generic form of their good stuff, made at the same factory as the good stuff (for example, DuPont has "Nason"). Perfectly good paint and much cheaper than the name brand. They'll have a color chart with a fairly large but limited number of colors that are available. Again, worth a look.

Dan

[rightpedal]

I know for a fact that it takes 9 tallboy cans of tractor supply JD green to paint a 81 Toyota truck. So I'm guessing 13 cans for the c10. The technique improves to about can 4 or 5 cans and fall drastically after that.

That's REALLY painful to the index finger!

yea but two or three into it you start to experiment with the thumb, thumb and a rock, forehead whatever still makes paint go.


Take a look at this site http://rolledon.forummotion.com/ It is dedicated to people roller painting their cars. some of the guys are supper dedicated and get amazing results.... some of the others...... not so much. I know you are stripping all this crap off the truck but it is interesting.

Steve

[yellomalibu]

Got almost all of the evil Rustoleum crap off the truck, including the p.i.t.a tailgate. There weren't really any surprises except the hood and the roof had a lot of surface rust that was primed and painted over. I just ospho'd all the bare metal so it can do its thing overnight.
Tomorrow, I guess I'll take the bumpers off and finish the nooks and crannies.

Should I wash it down really well with simple green before I start with the priming and blocking?

Do I do a coat of primer and block it once before applying filler to dings and small dents, or should I hit the ones I'm aware of beforehand?

[DanStokes]

I'm done the dings first and a quick cote of primer first with pretty equal results. I HATE to leave metal naked so I'll tend to prime over anything that I sanded to the metal before I hang it up for the night, even if it's just a quick rattle can self-etching primer job. No idea if that's a good idea - just what I'm used to doing.

I've never used Simple Green before a prime, although I did get Simple Bob to help one time (suckered him into it but that was easy). But seriously, I use Prep-Sol (or similar) product. That way there's nothing under the paint that could be water-like so there's nothing to keep the paint from sticking. When I was starting out I used lacquer thinner but it can lift primer and do other things you don't want.

Part of the deal with painting is that there are a BUNCH of chemicals and you can bet that there's a product for each step you'll encounter. Again, buddy up with your local paint supplier - they'll help you thru all this.

Dan

[yellomalibu]

Finally on the home stretch with this thing... life kept getting in the way of making progress on the truck.
I called the maaco this morning, and the guy answering the phone was in a hurry - barely listened to what I was saying then dumped me off to the owner. He, too seemed interested only in getting me to bring the truck in so they can look at it, and not listening to me and answering my questions.

I realize they are a business based on quick turnaround... but the "quick turnaround" on the telephones hasn't left a positive impression on me...
I guess I have to deal with that for the low cost paint job? I'll finish up what I can do today, then load it on the trailer tomorrow morning and take it for a drive over to where they are located.

I'm on vacation this week, so I have all day tomorrow to get it dropped off ...if I continue to feel uncomfortable with that particular establishment, I'll take it to a different one.

P.S. Took the windshield out yesterday to inspect the channel (and because the windshield is all scratched up and needed to be replaced anyway) ... and only two tiny rust spots, with slight pitting - no holes. Three drops of ospho covered it.

[SuperBuickGuy]

maybe take a drive down there without the truck, then ask the same questions - if they still blow you off, seriously, there's LOTS of shops out there that would take the same dollars to do a similar job.

I used MAACO because I knew the manager, now I don't so I'd shop before I'd commit.... which reminds me that I need to do the same thing today for my beast - thanks for adding to my list

[Bamfster]

I'm on the fence right now between Maaco and a DIY at home for the BWB .... Do keep us informed

[DanStokes]

Our local MAACO is staffed by a pretty good bunch but they aren't all. I think they are franchises so quality/customer service/etc. depends on the franchise owner.

Dan

[Thumpin455]

Havent ever had a MAACO paint job, a guy I went to school with did in the 80s, so I dont know about them. I do know about rattle cans. The stuff doesnt last. It weathers after a year or so and really looks like crap. It takes about 14 cans to cover a C10 or a GTO, but you will end up doing it again soon. Yellow lasts the longest, red looks like crap from the start, some blues are ok. It is a HUGE pain in the ass to get the stuff back off. It gums up sanding discs, and acts more like sanding rubber than paint. If you are going to take the time to paint it, use quality product on it so it lasts a while. I am not a fan of rattle cans for painting cars, not even when it was the only thing I could do to keep them from rusting.

If you live in the burbs, or with neighbors less than 100 yards away, dont do it at home. The fumes are overpowering to say the least. Doesnt sound like you are planning that anyway.

What I do is little more than a glorified rattle can job using decent paint and a nice gun. So it is easy to make it look decent for a while with a little effort. Solid colors like the red on the firetruck can be wet sanded, single stage metallic doesnt like that very much. Wet sanding and buffing is how you make a single stage shine and get rid of orange peel. Unless you have a climate controlled booth and are incredibly good with the gun and thinning, you are going to get some peel. How bad it is depends on how far off you are. If you get a solid color, you can easily buff it out when it starts to oxidize later.

Looking forward to how this one comes out.