The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop paint and body work on my '49 3/4 ton

Okay all, I am planning to do some body work/ paint my 3/4 ton.

I want a utility coat sot hat I am not afraid to use the truck, I have the all original 49 1/2 ton, so I am rigidly flexible on the 3/4 ton. The truck will be original in the mechanical/electrical sense, the engine will be the correct gray color. I like the Valspar hunter green color- like a faded forrester paint-
and The interior will be the Jim Carter interior paint that is original color.

My basic plans are to take a fender at a time(the right front and right rear fender are getting replaced) and media blast it, then etch primer, then spray some basic guide stuff on there to catch any dents, then sand, primer, sand again, then shoot the single stage valspar(tractor supply kind) in four coats, probably letting each coat get tacky in between coats.

then the hood

I plan to do one at a time, then the cab and doors in one job(not one day, together as one item)

Then the bed fenders and little sub rear fenders
then the box and tailgate,

then the running boards and inner fenders(in black)

I then will put in a new treated pine wood bed with painted black rails and hardware.

Like I said, I want it to look decent, but not be afraid to drive it.
Does this seem like a decent plan, I am new to body work(I do have a couple patch panels to put in on the cab- corners- anyways- plus retack the floor to the firewall in one spot.)

Thanks,
Sam

Sam, you are planning on more than I did.
Sounds like a good plan to me- eh?
Yeah it's a really good plan heir doctor.

Perhaps you are not the Austin Powers fan that I am.
I have yet to put in my patch panels, they are sitting in the shed. I painted my truck with Tremclad, which in the states is Rustoleum. The Tremclad colour is charleston Green, and I like it. I know it's not original, but its dark green, shiny and looks good. Plus its $27.00 a gallon, and I can buy it anywhere. I actually got my paint for free, so it cost me about $45 to paint my truck. That was spent on turpentine to clean my brush, and some penetrol to help the paint lay down. And a lot of sandpaper. I painted the truck with my favorite 3 inch brush, so I didn't have to mask anything, or worry about overspray. For me, the truck is a work truck, and a work in progress. What ever you do, don't be afraid to just do it, you can always do it over again, and at least you've tried. Anyone can pay somebody to do the body work. I brushed on three coats, and will do another one this summer. I have no garage, so I have to paint when the weather is good. My point is, you don't need fancy equipment. You need patience, time, and confidence. Oh, and good lighting, you just can't beat the sun for natural light. I painted my truck all at once, over a weekend, a long marathon type weekend.

Here are some pics.

Truck at work with 4000 lbs of firewood in it
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd45/HomeCrafter/IMGP0946.jpg

Here are some shots of the paint
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd45/HomeCrafter/IMGP0859.jpg

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd45/HomeCrafter/IMGP0857.jpg

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd45/HomeCrafter/IMGP0856.jpg

was that with wetsanding? It looks great!

Yeah, I wet sanded between coats with 400. Its nice, no dust, and the sandpaper lasts for ever. I just keep a little spray bottle to keep the panel wet. The sanding in this case is to provide "tooth" for the next coat to adhere to. I'm a wooden boat builder, so it's just like varnishing to me. I roll it in small sections with a high quality super short nap varnish roller, and then tip the paint with a high quality brush. I like the Purdy hand made brushes. If it's warm, and you mix in just the right amount of penetrol, the paint lays right down and there are no brush marks. I had a few runs of course, and a few brush marks. I waited several weeks for them to cure fully, and then scraped them flat with a razor blade. Then wait a few more days to make sure the paint is hard, and then just polish the spots in. When I have to do a touch up, I just give it a little 400, brush it on, scrape the edges to feather them, and polish it. No primer, no problem, don't have to worry about burning through.

All in all, you're plan of spraying would be way faster and easier I imagine. I only had a weekend to do it, and just did what I know.

I used cheap bondo to fair in small imperfections, and I don't care for it, I'll tell you that. I was in a hurry though, and boy does it go off fast! I'm going to paint my '49 pontiac next winter, and I'm going to use lead. It's so moist here on the coast, that I'm sure eventually the bondo will let go. Plus, it always post cures in the sun and shrinks further. I'm sure pros are better at it than me.

Christopher,
It's hard to believe that the paint on your truck wasn,t sprayed by a pro ,really looks like a nice job!

Crazy Canadians and their painting methods..... After reading that I was like "yeah, this is gonna be a dandy".... then I saw the pics... It does look pretty good!

Thanks. It looks fine, its far from showroom, or show.
Sam, do you spray all your coats at once so you don't have to sand?

Well, this will be my first time- I am thinking that I will spray, let it cure, then wetsand between coats- I am going to get a scrp fender and practice- Priming, sanding, painting, wetsanding, etc, before going to the truck body.

Don't wet-sand between coats! 3 coats is usually enough, if all is covered well. Don't let it cure between coats either, you want to spray the next coat when the previous coat is barely tacky, or barely not tacky. THEN wet sand it if needed and buff. It is apparent you don't have much knowledge about this. I'm not trying to be mean, but I think you should purchase a book about basic body work and painting before you start this project.

I am waiting for the weekend to purchase a book. You are correct, if it does not come in a metal can with a push button and a metal ball for mixing, it is pretty new to me.
So After looking on the site here, and discussing with a friend. I am going to practice on a piece of bare metal, with the exact primer, paint and components that I will use to paint the truck.

I will work on priming, sanding, wiping down the parts, then Shooting light layers of paint, then allowing to cure, then wet sanding, and so on- I have notes, but I am going to pick up a book on basic auto painting this weekend. When I get to the point that the practice piece looks good to me, and my buddy, then I will move ahead with the body parts of the truck.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

get a good resperator

Will do,
I have a I have a mask that my father used when he painted Equipment, it has two removable filters and has a great seal. They sell the same mask at the ditzler paint shop close to where I live, they also sell the replacement filters, So I plan on getting a box of replacements and just swapping them regularly.
I also have some safety goggles that I plan on using, the type that have the seal around your face.

Old car and truck nut, How about you come to Kansas to help out(friendly joking)
I looked at your pics and your truck is beautiful.
Some day I hope to get my truck looking that Nice.
What burgandy is that?

thanks yelostn78! Yeah, I'll be right over. The paint is cape maroon. It's the original color of the truck, not the nasty green that someone had slopped on top of it! It takes a lot of time and patience. The best tools you can get for beginning body work are flexible sanding blocks- called Durablocks. That's my tip of the day for you.

Thanks, It is on the list. btw, today is the 28th, where is my tip of the day?

Tip of the day... don't eat yellow snow.