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Which Brand of Urethane paint do you prefer???

paint, filler, primer, clear recomendations please!!!!

3K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  62galaxiguy 
#1 ·
Here in the next few months I'll be beginning the build on my 1977/1978 Chevy half ton, I have to pull the cab off my '77 long bed and place it on my '78 short bed frame *the colors are then not going to match* obviously. I'll have to end up doing a fair amount of body work to it then I want to paint it a cobalt blue or similar color.

After that i have a 1973 Volkswagen Roadster with a fiber-glass body that I intend to paint a jet black or similar color.

Then comes the kicker!!! I have a 1990 Dodge Caravan that I intend to fix up, *needs both doors, both fenders, rear hatch, new hood, new rockers* wow lots-o-work for a soccer mom van huh??? I intend to paint it a very bright white i have yet to choose.

Depending on how good my body work comes out they may all get painted white to help hide my ill work lol

For Paint I want to use a Nason, Valspar, or Omni line in a Urethane. Whats your preference???

For Primer I want to coat everything in an epoxy then move to a 2k high build to block out, I can get both of those cheap from Kirker.... Is that ok or is there better in the same price range??????

For Clear I was thinking SPI b/c I've heard good things of it, or should I use diff???

For filler im lost in the past i've tried bondo and dynatron dynalite, and i absolutely hate bondo, it leaves way too many pin holes and the dyna was better, but what filler do y'all prefer?????

The Chevy i want a really great finish because its going to be a weekender and drive in truck, the volks roadster I want a near show quality finish, and the van I could really care less about It just needs a better color than rust that will last a good amount of time.

Thanks a million I'm just trying to paint too many cars on too small a budget!!!
 
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#2 ·
stuff!

well the best thing to think about is the level of finish you want and on what,you have! picked out two for show one for the street,i was thinking you should do one at a time,unless you have boundless (go for it ) attude + unlimited money!.so on the truck i would use rage (plastic filler),any pits follow with 3m-spot puddy,then use you choice of primers,then i would use omni-flat base with a onmi clear with the best hardner.do the truck cab off the truck (in primer),then put on truck frame and finish blocking and then your base coats....on the smaller car try to paint with most of the parts off the car unless bolt up is needed,then paint and bolt up and do a doubble block with parts on car then re-shoot if nessary.on the van you better get it blasted the give you a (big picture)look at the rested out body,you most likley will have to patch pannel then rage+more rage+block then prime+prime again,but try this get the flat paint on ebay,you could cut your work in half if you just flat finish the van,and calll it a day besides by the time you finish the other cars youll be burnt out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(bourne51)
 
#5 ·
I love it !!! Every painter has his/her preference on paint. I prefer Dupont/Nason product line. But I've used PPG and Sherwin Williams. I've used SPI, Xtreme, Transtar, clears. And Kirker, Nason, Dupont, Duplicolor Primers/Sealers.

I've never had any problem with any of them. I think, as a painter, you just have to pick one and use it, get used to it and grow to like it.

So if I am going to paint a show car, I would use either Dupont or PPG. A daily driver, Nason. Primers and Sealers and Clears, Kirker.

The only thing that turns me off regarding SPI, is their marketing. I don't like being strong armed in to buying a product. It seems that we have some members that will knock any other product or it's user, if they aren't using SPI.

SPI has a good product, just bad reps. :boxing:

Frank :welcome:
 
#6 ·
I use RM Diamont.I LOVE it.I use it from start to finish.But as posted above,every painter has a favorite,and that is mine.Just for peace of mind I like to use one line from fromt to back.The only draw back is the cost.RM is pretty high,but man does it work.

My second choice would be SPI.I have used quite a bit of it,and I like it alot.The only draw back is very few colors.
Im not sure what Countilaw is talking about,but any time I have ever had a problem with SPI,or ANY OTHER PRODUCT,BarryK has allways helped me out.He is a wealth of info,and a heck of a guy.

Any way....thats my.02 Hope it helps!

EVIL :evil:
 
#7 ·
Thanks a lot everyone, I've come to the decision of SPI from start to finish. since i cant aford anything that has said to be better. LOL

After going through SPI's website Their pricing is very reasonable which i need becuase im not made of green. And besides the bad reps complaint i've heard nothing but good about them What would you think about running SPI from start to finish, I think i'll just use single stage white on my van and do bc/cc on my roadster and truck!!!

Now I have a small question, which should i use, the Universal clear the MS clear or the HS clear???????

BTW i'll be painting in my garage with a 35 gallon compressor and a HVLP sprayer with 1.4 tip for topcoats.
 
#9 ·
As for the bad rep, Consider the source of the complaint.
Nobody's "strong arming" anyone around here,
It's just a FACT that SPI is a QUALITY product at a VERY fair price.
SPI & Barry are FIRST CLASS in EVERY way and Barry spends MORE time on the phone HELPING painters using everything BUT spi. FACT.....
Your a grown man,Pick what YOU want.(Good decision btw ;) )
If people around here don't care to take advice from experienced painter members,thats not my fault.
I read and listen when "certain" people talk around here and I'm WAY ahead of the game for it. If your a "regular" member,you will come to know who these few are. It won't take long to sift thru to the truth.
Omni & Nason are low end bases,Nason's clear is not bad for the money.Solid colors are fine but if you can spray a Nason metallic without it looking like crap, your the MAN cause that base is a J-U-N-K excuse for a metallic.
SPI is building their color base everyday and if they don't have what I'm after,it's Dupont Chromabase for my metallics. Makes even a rookie painter look good.
Best of luck on ALL your projects cause your gonna need it. Whole lot on that plate.
BTW, That 35 gal comp ain't gonna cut bro. You'll get half way across the top or hood and it WILL run out of air. Been there,hated that. :spank:
 
#10 ·
kuhn-77 said:
Thanks a lot everyone, I've come to the decision of SPI from start to finish. since i cant aford anything that has said to be better. LOL

After going through SPI's website Their pricing is very reasonable which i need becuase im not made of green. And besides the bad reps complaint i've heard nothing but good about them What would you think about running SPI from start to finish, I think i'll just use single stage white on my van and do bc/cc on my roadster and truck!!!

Now I have a small question, which should i use, the Universal clear the MS clear or the HS clear???????

BTW i'll be painting in my garage with a 35 gallon compressor and a HVLP sprayer with 1.4 tip for topcoats.

You might get away with using a conventional gun and that little compressor but it will be a challenge, no way will an HVLP work for more than a panel or two or three. If you pick a solid color like that white you might want to divide the shoot into two or three sessions painting only a few panels at a time to make sure there's enough air-or better yet get a larger compressor, borrow, rent, buy... SPI's colors are good quality just a limited selection, good coverage and easy to spray. I would use the Universal Clear. Read up on all the info posted on the SPI user's forum-there's more good info there than any other body site I've ever been to and I think some of the body and paint secrets shared there often piss off some of the upper echelon of custom and restoration providers-oh well...
 
#11 ·
Countilaw said:
I love it !!! Every painter has his/her preference on paint. I prefer Dupont/Nason product line. But I've used PPG and Sherwin Williams. I've used SPI, Xtreme, Transtar, clears. And Kirker, Nason, Dupont, Duplicolor Primers/Sealers.

I've never had any problem with any of them. I think, as a painter, you just have to pick one and use it, get used to it and grow to like it.

So if I am going to paint a show car, I would use either Dupont or PPG. A daily driver, Nason. Primers and Sealers and Clears, Kirker.

The only thing that turns me off regarding SPI, is their marketing. I don't like being strong armed in to buying a product. It seems that we have some members that will knock any other product or it's user, if they aren't using SPI.

SPI has a good product, just bad reps. :boxing:

Frank :welcome:
Frank, who strong armed you :spank: ? Did somebody make you use SPI? Were you threatened? Glad to hear you like the products though. I like SPI products. And come to think of it I haven't heard anyone who didn't like SPI, haven't heard of any paint failures. I do have to admit I was skeptical being such a small company and all and there was definately a hesitation before I tried any SPI products being that I always used big name products in the past, but after some testing I was so impressed I wished this stuff was available before. I've gone through almost 20 gallons of epoxy now with every drop delivering perfect performance, the turbo primer kicks ***, the Universal Clear goes on slick as glass, deep, excellent DOI, and buffs like butter. The Intercoat clear works better than any other IMO and costs 75% less, the urethane reducer also rocks and compares to any top of the line reducer costing 5X as much! Yeah, I guess I'm Impressed with SPI products-who wouldn't be?
 
#12 ·
Thanks Bee4me about the heads up on the compressor, but i have primed an entire honda civic with no probs pressure in the tank dropped to a minimum of 90 psi while i was priming the car, i know thats no truck but i plan to paint all panels off the truck so it will have small breaks in between painting so i figure there wont be a big problem there, and on my volks roadster its on a 1973 volkswagen chassis with a small glass body so it wont be that bad, the only thing i might have a prob with is the van b/c its a lot of metal, but since im painting it single stage white i'll paint the panel's off of it too then just paint the roof after air pressure goes back up......

Are there any potential problems painting the panels off of the vehicle since i will be spraying solid colors??????

thanks again HR's BB is amazing!!!!!
 
#13 ·
I haven't used any of SPIs products yet but a friend of mine did. He got a bad result because of something UNDER the paint. Wasn't SPIs fault at all but when he contacted Barry to try to figure out what had caused the failure Barry offered to replace not only the products originally purchased but also to supply new primer for the job! Somehow, I doubt you'd ever be able to get the head honcho of PPG , or any other large company, on the phone. I doubt he'd be willing to take the time to talk you through your problem until he found a solution. And I really doubt that he'd be willing to replace a product that wasn't flawed!

Long story short......SPI stands behind their products and offers GREAT customer service! My friend was impressed. And so was I. :thumbup:
 
#14 ·
For filler im lost in the past i've tried bondo and dynatron dynalite, and i absolutely hate bondo, it leaves way too many pin holes and the dyna was better, but what filler do y'all prefer?????
EverCoat products. Not too much out there any better that I have seen.And as far as painting.....get a real good gun. It makes all the difference in a paint job. And make sure to read all of the instructions on the can. Products are basically the same and a lot of times someone will want to add a little bit of this, do not add enough of that, etc. Then wonder why their paintjob turned out crappy. Read the instructions, follow the instructions, have a clean working area, and a very well prepped surface that you are going to spray. Wax and grease remover, precleaner, and tack cloths are very essential. Do not lay your hand on any area that has been cleaned. And when you buy your products, buy all of the same. Do not mix and match.

Kevin
 
#15 ·
no problems!

omni products get a lot of hits on this blog,but i use them because i save money and use everything that the rep.said to use and i follow instructions!!.
if someone does not like (a) product dont use it,i know if you do everything right and use the proper amount of hardner ect.then you are going to get good results,i have a few cars and must do everything myself and watch the money going out!!!!so i have get the most for my money so is use (in northen cal.)the omni product.if you use something else thats cool,every painter has his or her trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(BOURNE51)
 
#16 ·
I use the SPI and if I need some other color than what they offer I use a house of color concentrate with the intercoat clear...no problems yet with product..just the painter using them.. :pimp:

As far as filler I tried the Marson Platinum and was impressed as it went on very nicely..no pinholes and sands very well..That and some of the SPI high build primer should handle most of ones issues..

Now for the disclaimer..I do own a small auto parts store that handles specialty items for the Hot Rod and restoration people and it is my policy as an independent store owner to stock products that work and if a certain product or item gives me trouble I will not carry it in my store..SPI meets the test so I carry it....

Sam
 
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