Dupli-Color Paint Job - How To Thread

If you've seen pictures of my X before you'd know that the paint is questionable in some areas. It was fading and ugly and uneven. Most of this was occuring on the hood of the truck.

After many hours of research and weighing pros and cons I finally made an executive decision. I chose an inexpensive and readily available source to paint my hood.

Dupli-Color Perfect Match.

They offer OEM colors for Ford vehicles. Mine being Cayman Green.

This is how things started. Faded and not attractive.

I began my journey by sanding down the hood with 4 different grits of sandpaper.

60
I didnt have a picture of 60 grit.
80

120

220

Then I wiped it down with a wet cloth.

A few days later I sanded it again, wiped it off, and taped everything.

Then I shot two coats.

I let it dry for about 45 minutes and pulled everything off.

Sorry for the bad pictures. They were taken with my cell phone. Tomorrow Ill take some more in the sunlight. I also painted my grille and trim flat black last night. So Ill take some shots of that as well.

 

[wardbrandon28]

looks 100% better than it did, great job!

 

[lynchy wa]

X2, excellent.

 

[sean99]

Looks like a good match. Did you use a DA sander?

 

[HKUNZ]

Thanks yall. And no I hand sanded it. It matched very well. Im very impressed with the outcome. I thought it would be a little off but again, these photos are in the dark, and perhaps the sunlight will reveal blemishes and whatnot tomorrow.

 

[Maniak]

You didn't have to put a clear coat over it to get it to match? I thought it would look really flat without it?

This is something I really need to do as the blue paint on the hood and roof is no longer blue

~Mark

 

[HKUNZ]

Its not quite as glossy as the original paint. However with a little elbow grease and some patience I'm sure I get it close enough for my taste. The Green Beast is old so I'm content with anything better than the crappy oxidation it had before.

 

[HKUNZ]

I got out and took some pictures in the sunlight.

Pretty close to the original. Almost perfect match.

A nice even coat of paint.

Where the hood, cowl, and fender all meet on the drivers side. It matches quite nicely.

And the black grille and headlight trim.

 

[Maniak]

Ok, I'm sold. I need to do this now..

You can see the lack of paint on the hood and on the roof too.

truckhaven-26 by maniak_az, on Flickr

~Mark

 

[HKUNZ]

Go for it. They have the paint at AutoZone for like 6 bucks a can, and I used sand paper from Lowe's. I hope it will stand up to the intense heat of the south this summer.

 

[Anime]

I would definitely suggest finishing it up with a can of clear, the paint itself isn't meant to be durable as a surface, despite the glossy additive for appearances.


The new Dupli-Color stuff is kind of a ripoff, at least compared to the 11oz Truck, Van & SUV paint they used to sell before the Perfect Match stuff in smaller cans.

You can still get some of the less common colors through NAPA if you find out the color code for the Truck, Van and SUV paint in the 11oz size. The color code is the part number.

The hood, roof, cowl, and the tops of the fenders and tailgate seem to do this on vehicles that are stored outdoors. I guess it's hard to complain if the paint has lasted over 15 years. It's a tad expensive at $60-100 for enough cans to cover the affected areas, but it makes more sense than a complete paint job, and if the paint on the sides is still in great shape, why the heck not.

 

[BrooklynBay]

It came out very nice!

 

[HKUNZ]

Im going to put clear coat on it soon. I want to keep it looking nice for as long as i can.

 

[Paraphoe]

Nice work! Definitely clear coat that.

Reminds me of my own painting adventure.

http://explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291142

 

[TekMan05]

I need to redo the rear bumper and running boards on mine. What was your spray pattern technique. It actually turned out nice and will look even better with some clearcoat over it.

 

[HKUNZ]

Well considering this is the first time I've painted on a vehicle besides the grille, I didn't really have a technique. I just tried to mimic what I've seen on t.v. Pretty much just shoot lines, don't spray continuously, thin coats are better, and don't rush. I'd definitely do this again. In fact I'm planning on painting the roof of the truck over the summer, when its warmer out. I've got a friend who's ranger needs some help on the bed and were planning on tackling that pretty soon. When we do get around to that, I'll post pictures up.

 

[BigRondo]

That came out real nice.

 

[Corrupt_Reverend]

That turned out really well. One question though, is that a handicap bathroom rail on your bumper?

~Rev

 

[HKUNZ]

Haha no its a fishing rod rack, for when I go surf fishing. One time somebody asked if it was for shooting mortars.

 

[sean99]

Fish-on!! That is a good match... Any problem with sand scratches in the finish from using 220? For metallic i use 600.