The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Which type and brand of paint to get?

I am getting ready to repaint my 52 1/2 ton truck.
The truck is a daily driver in S-CA.
What type of finish will have the best results in terms of durability, ease of application, color fade resistance, maintanance?
Any brand that stands out?

Shall I use 'zero rust' on the bare steel first?
I am thinking of using truck bed coating for the inside of the fenders. Any experience with that?
What coating is best for the underside of the hood?
Any links or general tips are greatly appreciated.
Thanks a bunch.

Dupont chromaBase its a base, clear system I have found it to stand up quit well. If you are doing it your self I would do 2-3coats base and 4clear that way when you cut and buff you have alot to cut and not have to worrie about cut throw.

for the bare metal either use metal etching primer(either use a cheap gun 0r old one because it could etch your gun)
of metal wash with than aply uro primer over it

truck bed line will work just remember to make sure the pieces you apply it to a nice and dry
because if you get any water under there it wl rust out fast

and the hood I would just paint it the same as the truck it will give it a nice and clean look

when painting follow the directions on the lable
and for info the book Automotive paint handbook
by john pfanstiehl I found it to be extremly educational
just remeber though you use a cheap gun and you will know it when you start paintting

Hi Siegmund52 , here is my 2¢ worth:

- First, as you may know: 99% of the job is prep work. Paint is the remaining 1%... One think to look into is the new, very high fill tinted primers. They are FANTASTIC to work with. You will end up sanding off 90% of it, but whats left makes a LOT of difference. A big +.

- base/clear systems have become the norm, nowadays. Every company has it's own, proven system and if you stick with the major brands and do NOT intermix between own and the other, you will have great results. They are very resistant.

- Having said that (and what follows is only based on my experience in restoring vintage motorbikes) the base/clear systems tend to give a more 'plastic', high gloss shine. What do I mean?

Try this at home: grab a tasty sweet red apple and buff it to a high gloss with a cotton cloth (dont bite yet). Looks nice and bright red, right? Now take a piece of 'cling' wrap and wrap the apple real tight with it. It is shinier, slicker and reflects more light, but kinda 'turns off' the color, doesnt it?

That's why I use the 'older' acrylic enamels or acrylic urethanes. I dont want to sound obsessive/compulsive, this is ONLY in a case where you'd want to preserve a more 'original' finish. Touch ups are easier, too.

Just an observation,
whizzerick