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cheap paint options?

10K views 38 replies 19 participants last post by  jcclark 
#1 ·
I am trying to do a quick paint job on an older Bronco.
I am looking for somthing that will last a few years then I will replace most of the sheetmetal.


I thought I was going to use Nason ful-thane. I used one of their packaged colors (single stage) last year. I talked to the guy at the supply store and if they mixed a color it was going to be about $75 more ($150 to $175 for a gallon). I do have over a half gallon of their reducer left over.

Is their another low end paint I should consider? Should I buy something over the internet?

I only painted one other vehicle so I need something easy to use.
 
#3 ·
Cheap paint

I sprayed it once before. It came out 100% orange peal. Although I liked the color. We mixed hunter green and black.


I already bought a gallon of surfacing primer, thinking that the paint would run about $75. So I think I want to spray it on.

To be honest should have skipped all the bondy and just rolled on the rustoleum. Thats what the previous owner did.


What about something like this
http://www.tcpglobal.com/restorationshop/rspcolors.aspx
 
#4 ·
RPM said:
Rustolem and mineral spirits with a roller. I am not kidding do a search on this site.

Surely are kidding! That stuff is crap and will look awful in a matter of weeks if not days. Something like Rustolem is considered more of an industrial coating instead of paint and it has no place at all on a car, it is not durable enough for a frame never mind the body. :rolleyes:
 
#7 ·
I do like the Nason Full Thane for non metallic single stage paint. About the only thing cheaper would be to use something like a acrylic enamel. The PPG OMNI line is really inexpensive. Not the best paint, but I painted my trail 76 Bronco with it and added flattener to make it semi flat black color.
 
#10 ·
runn141 said:
ive heard of guys spraying rustoleum satin black to get the hotrod black. i dont know how well it would hold up or how long it would be before it would fade. anyone know ? i wanna paint my truck satin black.

And I have heard of guys spraying their trucks with rattle cans too and all that does is make a mess, a big one! If you are considering Rustolum in spray or rattle cans there is no point in asking for advice here because no advice ANYONE can give you will make that junk work.

It does not hold up well at all and like I said earlier in an automotive sense that stuff is not really paint, it more like an industrial enamel coating and a poor one at that. For years I bought and sprayed that crap (by the drum not the gallon) on rebuilt mining equipment so I am well familiar with it and I honestly can not imagine spraying that stuff on a car. In a matter of days in the sun it will dull out (if you can get any shine in the first place) and even a flat color will look like crap the first time it gets dirty because the stuff is so soft dirt and grime will stick to it and will not wash off. The stuff is JUNK for automotive use! :nono: Once you spray it on there you will be in for a major hassle getting it off when you decide to put some real paint on, every trace of it will have to come off. If someone is really determined to try and get by that cheap then at least go to some place like Tractor Supply and get some equipment paint and hardener because it will at least look halfway decent and it holds up ok.
 
#11 ·
If your considering useing a 'flat black' check out John Deer Blitz Black, do a search on 'Blitz Black' ,. I'm getting ready to paint my 'chopped '48 dodge today. Best part is ; $27 a gallon, $15 for reducer !!!! Will let you know how it works this after noon !!!..........................It's not really a flat black, kinda in between flat and semi gloss (?)
 
#12 ·
How about less than $100 delivered for a full gallon with activator & reducer? I tried the stuff that I found on the net while searching for correct color paint for a tractor. I used their AE on the tractor, but then tried their Urethane Enamel for a daily driver that never gets garaged. You guys that do a lot of "driver" jobs should try it, as I would like to hear what a pro would say about it....without being biased ;)

I'm not a pro painter, but this was easy to spray, great coverage, and still looks fresh after 6 months in the sun. Seems to be quite chip resistant also. (my color & kit was $88 shipped) I'll be using it again on whatever jobs I get in, including my 32 :D

The stuff is made by Valspar but the name on the label is LIC. The AE is LIC 30 but you need to try the urethane which is LIC 40. The LIC 40 is for industrial applications in harsh environs...that's good enough for me for durability. The place that sells it is in Mich I think, and the owner is on this site as "Lbell101" ?. They sent me a color chart with my first order as I wanted to pick a nice color for the "driver" http://www.equipmentcolor.com/
 
#13 ·
knighthawk said:
If your considering useing a 'flat black' check out John Deer Blitz Black, do a search on 'Blitz Black' ,. I'm getting ready to paint my 'chopped '48 dodge today. Best part is ; $27 a gallon, $15 for reducer !!!! Will let you know how it works this after noon !!!..........................It's not really a flat black, kinda in between flat and semi gloss (?)

That's the type of paint I was talking about at places like Tractor Supply, not just satin black they have several colors and with hardener it can be quite glossy. This stuff is still not auto paint however it can look decent if someone is not too picky and it holds up surprisingly well. This stuff is cheap paint and will look like cheap paint when finished but it beats the heck out of a rattle can or Rustolum with a roller! :drunk:
 
#15 ·
I did'nt want it to sound like I was pushing that TS paint (also made by Valspar), and I am not, because it is no substitute for even the low end "real" auto paints unless someone is looking for a low buck (or nearly NO buck) paint job but I know of two that look darn good. One is a 68 Bronco that was painted a tractor orange with a white roof and it looked as good as any AE paint job I have seen, even after two years it looks pretty good. the other was a 90 Ford F150 that was painted about the same time (inspired by the Bronco) and it too still looks good. I think maybe for a low-end AE paint job this stuff may be a viable option but I would not use it on anything that deserves better. (that Bronco did deserve better!)
 
#16 ·
oldred said:
Surely are kidding! That stuff is crap and will look awful in a matter of weeks if not days. Something like Rustolem is considered more of an industrial coating instead of paint and it has no place at all on a car, it is not durable enough for a frame never mind the body. :rolleyes:
Have you tried it?

I was planning on this method. I did a few test pieces. Once over a year ago on a lawn mower hood. I had NO clue what I was doing. That one turned out pretty good. Lots of orange peel because I didn't use common sense but it's hard as a rock and it doesn't chip or break off.

I was planning to do my 74 Nova SS aswell. After I found the tremclad hardened really well I was set out and ready. I got this test piece about halfway done. This was after the third coat. You can see it's got a bit of transparency left. It turns out I was thinning my paint down WAY too much and I was wetsanding between every coat.



On the fourth coat a family friend came by to look at some of my bodywork. Long story short I ordered quarters for both sides and changed my investment from a "dirt cheap paintjob to get some colour over primer" into an investment matching half the cost of my new 383...

I'm 17. I did most of this on my own with no one walking me through it. A year ago I wouldn't have been able to install a water temp and oil pressure gauge set. This is something anyone can do with time and I believe you can get good results.

Here's a website made for the method. It covers most of it. Hot Rod magazine also did an issue on it. I believe it was the June issue.

http://rollyourcar.com/default.aspx
 
#17 · (Edited)
topdogger said:
Have you tried it?

I bought it in 5 gallon pails and even 55 gallon drums and used it for about thirty years so I guess you could say I have tried it. :)

Granted most of it was simply sprayed as a cover-up and appearance meant little or nothing but how fast it deteriorated was the same and quite a few items were sprayed with the aim of a decent finish, a couple of the guys even tried it on old vehicles ( hey,for them the paint was free). Showing a pic of the stuff looking good right after spraying don't mean squat since it is what it looks like after it has been in the elements for a while that means something and in the case of Rustolum a VERY short time makes a big difference. As far as that BS article I can just imagine what that "paint job" looked like a couple of months later! Remember you will have to remove ALL of it before you apply real paint, if you try to paint or primer over it you will have a big mess on your hands. Put that junk on your vehicle if you want to but you will regret it.
 
#19 ·
Using Rustolum or something like it for auto paint makes about as much sense as using cardboard for engine gaskets. :drunk:

I found this place while researching ways to improve my body and paint skills as I am sure others did too and I learned a lot from listening to the pros but I fail to see any useful info from a discussion about how to paint a car with Rustolum and a roller so I fear a newcomer might get the wrong impression of this place if that is what he finds while looking for info. Rustolum is for lawn furniture and junk NOT cars so please let's stick to the real subject.
 
#24 ·
AntnyL said:
Sorry, what point did I miss? Are you saying that you've tried it and it lasted only a few weeks? If so, then I'd fully agree. Have you tried it? What was your experience with this method?

Antny
Antny,

I agree 110% with what oldred is saying-first off, Rustoleum is non-catalyzed (first clue)-secondly, look at what the Gentleman (who painted his Corvair) said in the Link you posted:

"I do have unresolved questions about the paint. Rustoleum is a fine household enamel, but I wonder at it's long term durability. Several folks have reported eventual fading using Rustoleum colors. We'll see what happens with the white. Next time I paint a car with this method, I'm going to investigate a few higher quality paint options."

I think this is the second clue here-
 
#25 ·
AntnyL said:
Check out the winter 2007 edition of Hot Rod DIY series. They feature the $98 paint job - Rustoleum applied with a roller. As others have discussed, this looks like a legit option.

Antny
Like I said, I can get automotive urethane with activator for less than that.
And it's 100 times better. So why Rustoleum? :pimp:
 
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