The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Performing a quick paint restore.

I have two trucks. I have a '42 pick up which the plan is to restore it to factory. A complete frame off restoration that I started last year. I just bought and received a '46 2 ton grain truck which I would like to, I suppose you can say, rebuild. I just want to get it running and throw a coat of nice paint (factory specs of course) and go! I am some what of a beginner and my question is: for the '46 if I were to have the truck painted be a professional how do I approach that? Do I still disassemble the cab and front end and have them paint piece by piece or can I just give them the truck and they do the work? The truck has surface rust and just a tad bit of body work to be done which I can do. I'm just wondering the game plan for a quick paint job. Thanks!

a 'quick' paint job is one that you don't expect to last long ... the better the prep, the better the job, if you ask someone else to do a 'quick' job, they'll likely not take it apart, and not do more than scuff the existing paint - if you ask them to do a good job, check with your banker first

Bill

It depends on what you want from the truck.
You said a rebuild (and use) as opposed to the truck tou are doing a frame off.

Taking the cab and sheet metal off and and doing a complete prep, puts you in the frame off category.

If the truck is not in too bad shape and you want to have a running truck sooner than the frame off, do the prep on the outside of the body. Sand, prime, fix any small body work and drive it (trailer it)to a decent body that will shoot single stage paint (like PPG Concept)mixed to your color match. The price shouldn't be too bad and you are ready to drive it. Also , it leaves it open for you to open to do more or other body work later. You really don't want to have to deal with a clear coated (2 stage) paint job when doing future work.

The key to a good body shop paint job is you doing the prep. I always have my sheet metal sanded, primed and wet sanded before I deliver it to a painter.
I've actually had great paint jobs done at MACCO by doing everything including the masking before I delivered it. After all the guy who handles the gun is a pro. Shoots hundreds of cars a month. It's the low paid help that does the cleaning, sanding and masking, that's where the mistakes are made.

When I ran a body shop, there was absolute zero warranty on a "customer prep" paint job. Yes, I'd shoot the paint, and do as good a job as possible, but having no input concerning the methods and materials used in the very essential steps of sealing, priming, sanding, etc. made it impossible for me to guarantee the outcome. My pet peeve was someone who spent months getting a daily driver ready to paint, and left primed areas exposed to rain, road grime, etc. Primer is porous, and it sucks up moisture and contamination like a sponge! Lay a top coat over that stuff, and it's a disaster waiting to happen!
Jerry

Where did the truck come from? If it has been in New York very long, there will be some significant rust that you won't see until disassembled. It will ruin your new paint job. You will need to disassemble it to find/fix the rust. So why not do it right while its apart? I understand what you are trying to do, but you will not like how it turns out in a short amount of time. I'm talking about huge blisters of beautiful new paint bulging out.

Earl Shieb.. 99.95! If you follow the correct paint prep procedures, you can get really good advice from your local PHP or automotive paint dealer, you will have a paint job that lasts 20 years or more. If you do it cheap, you will get exactly what you pay for. Sandblast to the bare metal, prep it right, do the correct repairs, you will be glad you did! \

With medical advice, they tell you to get two opinions. So your health, your very LIFE, depends on two expert opinions. For your trucks, get THREE maybe FOUR!