Is there a paint expert in the house?

[Rooster's82]

I have just made arrangements to start painting my truck; it will be done over the next few weekends. Body work and bondo this weekend, scuff and primer next and then paint 3 weeks from now. I will have access to a booth and paint gun, and an amateur painter.

I have decided to go with a gun metal/charcoal gray, and I want to add some silver/metallic fleck to it. This is my first paint job and I don't know jack about paint. I am also poor.

So my question are:

What paint do I get the best bang for my buck?

I want a dark gray, how dark can I go before all the imperfections start showing up? I have to do a fair amount of body work on one side.

How much silver/metal fleck can I add before it looks like crap...I really want it to sparkle. Can I add fleck to any paint?

[Malo83]

I would check out your local Automotive paint store and pick their minds, they would give you the best advice and steer you in the right direction and give the best recommendations for your budget

[lowrollin70gmc]

A local store should help you out tons, especially if you can find just an auto paint store with nice people in it. The one thing you should keep in mind is that metallic is a little harder to shoot and will zebra stripe if you're not careful.

How amateur is the painter? If he/she has 2-3 jobs done, I would look at those and trust from there. I consider myself an amateur painter and am fine at metallics, but I have some friends who should be banned from paint guns and are also amateur painters.

Good luck and some finished pics will be in order.

[84 400]

for body tips check out this guys episodes on you tube he has some good tips.
http://www.youtube.com/user/danbethel. If you watch the episodes of the 65 he gives some good points on body prep as with the 79.

Good color choice by the way

[streetstar]

Budget enough for 2 coats of paint if needed -- the first may orange peel so bad you want to sand it and re-spray it.

Nason makes decent paint in budget prices

[Rooster's82]

Research it the key...Youtube (always a great source of info), paint shop sales people should have some good advice, and budget for 2 coats (no problem since i saved to pay for someone else to do it but they have a drug problem and have been MIA for a month, so i have enough for extra paint).

As far as the amateur, I'm not really sure how amateur he is. He owns a repair shop and has been restoring El Caminos for 20 years. He said he hasn't painted anything in about 6 months and would help in order to practice up. He is the type of guy that has an eye for detail...so i think it should be ok....and you can't beat the price, is free cheap enough for you?

As far as sanding and shaping bondo, there are a fair number of small dents and dings that i am going to have to deal with. I was thinking, is it worth it the fabricate a sanding block that fits the contour of the curve that is above the body line? (i hope that makes sense)

One of my friend is also saying that adding fleck to the paint is going to make my truck look like a bass boat. That i should just get a paint that has a metallic element to it...what do you all think? I will ask the paint shop guy too.

[Eyegore]

You may want to check the paint & body section on this forum, they were very helpful

[69BBsuburban]

If you want to add more sparkle than metallic gray, you want a microflake.....check out these places.
http://www.rothmetalflake.com/flyer.html
http://www.oldschoolflake.com/
http://www.tcpglobal.com/kustomshop/...FQaNHgodAU6VkQ

Now, you don't add the flake to the color, you put it in the clear, reason being, if you put it in the color, alot of it gets covered up and it's just wasted.
Most of the microflakes can be sprayed with a regular gun with a 1.5 tip. The bigger the flake, the bigger the tip needed, as well as more coats of straight clear to "bury" the flakes. It also take alot of coats to get the flake to cover, as well as a few coats of straight clear after that......it can get expensive. And there are different ways to spraying flake, whether you want the flake to "lay down" or to "stand up"...gives a different effect or sparkle.

But for an amatuer painter, it may be best to just find a gray or silver paint that just has a coarser metallic built in.....and if you decide to use basecoat/clearcoat, you could always add a little bit of silver pearl (either a powder or a paste) to the first coats of clear to give the gray a bit of a sheen when the light hits it at the right angle....

[Rooster's82]

Nice...I like the last option, metallic built in and a little silver pearl in the clear.

What is the difference between "lay down" and "stand up"?

by the way great links, thanks.

[69BBsuburban]

Lay down is when all the flakes lay down flat.....when you spray a heavy, wet coat, the flakes will "settle". Takes less clear to cover and make smooth. And the shimmering effect is more even.
Stand up is when the flakes are sprayed on from a further distance and "dryer" and when the flakes land, some stand on their end or at various angles....it takes alot more clear to 'bury' the flakes to get the surface smooth....but it reflects light like crazy....

I'll be doing the roof on a 60's custom soon in blue base with blue flake, maybe even doing some lace panels, I could send ya some pics of how it's done if interested. It'll be a month or so.

[lowrollin70gmc]

Now you just have to walk around town and find a silver you like! That's my preferred way of finding paint colors, as my pickup is the color of a heating/cooling truck that we redid a bedside on.

Your painter sounds fine, especially if he's willing to practice quick before spraying yours. That shows he's serious about doing the right thing and not full of ego, and I'm sure 20 years of restorations taught him quite a few tricks.

As for a sanding block, get a straight board with a slightly curved base and then block in an X pattern coming off the body line. I would stray away from making your own because it will be impossible to get it flat. I can find a pic if you give me a second here...

[Rooster's82]

Originally Posted by lowrollin70gmc

Now you just have to walk around town and find a silver you like! That's my preferred way of finding paint colors, as my pickup is the color of a heating/cooling truck that we redid a bedside on.

Your painter sounds fine, especially if he's willing to practice quick before spraying yours. That shows he's serious about doing the right thing and not full of ego, and I'm sure 20 years of restorations taught him quite a few tricks.

As for a sanding block, get a straight board with a slightly curved base and then block in an X pattern coming off the body line. I would stray away from making your own because it will be impossible to get it flat. I can find a pic if you give me a second here...

Yeah, a picture would be great, as i don't understand what you mean by an X patten...oh wait, your talking about the sanding pattern, not the sanding block, right?

I trust him, he is really a jack of all trades auto, and i have seen plenty of his restores, he works in the $4,000 to 9,000 range. i haven't seen any of his paint jobs though.

I was looking online for paint a little, but you just can't tell what the color really is.

[69BBsuburban]

Originally Posted by Rooster's82

I was looking online for paint a little, but you just can't tell what the color really is.

Yeah...it's tough picking a color, so many to chose from.....I like to go to the autobody supply store and flip through the books. There will be metallics that have larger particles than others, so I'm sure you'd find something you like.....it's sometimes hard though to "visualize" the color on your vehicle.

Another option if your on a "tight" budget.....alot of times autobody supply shops have paint that either didn't match to the customer's liking or was never picked up. This paint can be bought CHEAP....usually @ $30-40 a gallon, regardless of color and brand. So you may find a color you like in a top quality brand at an affordable price.

House of Kolor has some killer paints, but is spendy. Some of the metallics have a pearl effect built in.....and to save $$$, you can top coat it with Valspar clear, which is a little cheaper and is compatible. Valspar owns HOK.
A good place to buy HOK paint and flakes is www.Coastairbrush.com I get all my HOK paints and airbrushing supplies from Coast, great service and fast shipping.

[lowrollin70gmc]

I couldn't find what I was looking for, but look into DURA Blocks and/or your traditional flat board, and just do your X pattern (sanding pattern) on the concave portion and you'll be fine, that's how I did my 70's lower body line (much like your upper).

[lowrollin70gmc]

I can see it in my head and on the shelf at the body shop I worked at, but can't find it online. It's the same thing as a basic long board except the base is slightly curved on the short side and straight on the long side.

Maybe 69BBsuburban can elaborate, from what I read he's got some knowledge on this subject.

Here's a rough paint sketch ...

Just don't be jealous of my mad skills and random font.

[Rooster's82]

I can't help it, I AM jealous of your mastery of paint!

So, the surface that is coming in contact with the truck has a slight curve to it, and that is the key?

[Blackstone]

Can't wait to see it... Check out this Eastwood color:

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/p...roductID=21252

[Rooster's82]

Originally Posted by Blackstone

Can't wait to see it... Check out this Eastwood color:

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/p...roductID=21252

You hit the nail on the head.

[Rooster's82]

I'm not a photoshop expert...but is it possible to paint my truck with this? Maybe lower it too, a quick 3/5?

[Blackstone]

I thought you'd like it. Since it comes with a fair amount of flake straight from the can, you'd be eliminating any guesswork about how adding flake will act. I'm told that the addition of large flakes can be difficult... Enough so that I wouldn't try it on my first painting experience. I'm not a paint guy (yet), but their prices look reasonable to me.