Looking at the boards, it sounds like a lot of people are interested in a flat black paint job.
I've been thinking about doing a flat black paint job, especially since I had to replace a lot of the front end post-Bambi. This is a happy California truck, no rusty spots on the body or anything. We're pretty happy with how it turned out and hope that we can help those who were interested in trying this out for themselves!
Cost: $100-$125
The hardener and thinner we used cost about $50 of that, but the cost includes prep materials, paint and other misc non-tool things.
What we used:
Prep:
Screwdriver
Metric Socket Set
Torx Set (for the roof rack)
Heatgun or Propane Torch
2 Rolls of Tape
1 Roll of Paper
Body Filler
220 and 360 Grit Sandpaper (about 8 and 4 sheets, resp.)
Choice of Sanding Equipment (Orbital Not Recommended)
Denatured Alcohol
Clean Rags
Dust Masks
Duplicolor Sandable Primer (Flat Black)
Paint:
3 quarts Rustoleum Flat Black
10 oz Acrylic Enamel Hardener (We used Matrix MH-80 from a local auto paint supplier)
1.5-2 pints of Thinner (We used ProSpray Medium Thinner)
Misc:
Respirator
Siphon Feed $20 Sprayer from Harbor Freight
Air Compressor
Metal Gallon Paint Can w/ Lid
Paint Mixer of your Choice
Tack Cloths
You've heard it before, prep makes the paint job. After a good wash we spent day one breaking down, sanding with 220 and filling little knicks on the truck. Pull the front bumper, grille, headlight, wipers (front and rear) and taillight assembly. It's pretty easy, a phillips screwdriver will get you a long way. Pull the rack (and rails if you want, I just opted to tape them up). I was already missing the rear Ford emblem, so I pulled the XLT emblem to see how it looked.
One of the most hair-pulling tasks I dove into was pulling the pinstripe off the truck. Get a propane torch or heat gun and save yourself the anxiety! By the time I was on the last fender the tape was coming off in one strip. I have to add that there wasn't clear coat, from what I can tell, on the pinstripe.
Heat guns make a huge difference!
I started on the hood with 220 grit and worked down the truck from there. 320 gummed up pretty quick, especially since I was fighting a fair amount of gunk and sap on the roof, Goo Gone works wonders! It is an oily substance though, so be sure to used denatured alcohol to clean it up. I did a couple passes with the 320 grit because the 220 left some real harsh scratch marks that I didn't want to chance showing through the final paint job. You could leave the 320 out I guess. Quick tip on the pillars and other tight spots, taping first really helps prevent scratching up windows, rubber, etc.
We also primed over the sanded body filler.
Post Body Filler and Sanding
Taping is pretty straight forward, just remember that long pieces come off easier than little ones. Carefully cutting tape with an exacto knife can be a handy trick, just have extra sandpaper handy. Be sure not to cut into the rubber!
Front end is ready to go!
I'll just note here that I saw now advantage to taping off the mini-rails, but did protect the tracks on the main roof rails.
Once the truck is ready to go get blow off the truck with compressed air. Grab the rags and a few buds and wipe down all of the truck with denatured alcohol. You're pulling up everything the compressor missed now. Don't touch spots with your bare hands that you've wiped down to minimize oiling up the surface.
Deglossed, degreased and ready for paint.
Did we forget to prime?!
Nah, rustoleum doesn't require it. The only placed we primed were the bondo'd spots and some bare metal spots we didn't want to risk missing. The whole front end had been sanded and primed before (and again for) this paint job. We didn't start priming and then say "eff it" a third of the way though.
Ready to paint?
Mix up the paint products above to get a consistency close to milk. Mix in the gallon bucket so you can preserve what you don't use. Set the compressor to 50-60 PSI, actually, check your spray gun manual and follow that. I should note at this point that a 4 ga compressor will do the job, but you'll spend more time waiting for the pressure to pick up than you will painting. A 33ga compressor works wonders.
Get that respirator on and have some fun! Let the first coat dry for a full hour. Now, since we've been lacking that beloved paint booth and with it being Spring and all, those tack cloths are going to come in handy between coats. Wipe down any and all particles and dust that collects between coats.
We did three coats and ended up with a flat and slightly rough finish. The hardener takes the spot of a clear coat and, well, hardens up the finish to avoid the dusty residue that is the ultimate demise of an untreated flat paint job. Compared to just having the duplicolor flat rattlecans, this stuff isn't going to fade or discolor in the weather. Well, eventually.. but it'll be a long eventually. It'll bead water like a good wax! That hardener's good stuff. Anyways, check it out!
Tada! Nap time.
The emblem's adhesive is currently drying, don't mind the tape.
Looking back we finished up with a little under a quart of paint. If you wanted to only use 2quarts you could, but I like having the extra around. We did end up with a couple spots around the windows and what have you that got overtaped. The plan is to go over them with a fine paintbrush and fill in the extra spots. We neglected to (read: were not motivated to) paint the inner door jambs and other crannies in the same sitting. If and when we do, I'll certainly post up for you guys.
So grab a broken lawn chair and a cool brew, sit and admire your not-so-shiny-but-so-so-shiny new baby!
Note:
The last photo shows the shoddy shape the pillars are in. The plan is to hit them up, along with other misc parts, with some Krylon later in the week.
And don't mind the tire blowout damage too, anyone know where to find one of those little baddies?
Did I miss anything? Want more photos? Feedback is appreeshed!
I've been thinking about doing a flat black paint job, especially since I had to replace a lot of the front end post-Bambi. This is a happy California truck, no rusty spots on the body or anything. We're pretty happy with how it turned out and hope that we can help those who were interested in trying this out for themselves!
Cost: $100-$125
The hardener and thinner we used cost about $50 of that, but the cost includes prep materials, paint and other misc non-tool things.
What we used:
Prep:
Screwdriver
Metric Socket Set
Torx Set (for the roof rack)
Heatgun or Propane Torch
2 Rolls of Tape
1 Roll of Paper
Body Filler
220 and 360 Grit Sandpaper (about 8 and 4 sheets, resp.)
Choice of Sanding Equipment (Orbital Not Recommended)
Denatured Alcohol
Clean Rags
Dust Masks
Duplicolor Sandable Primer (Flat Black)
Paint:
3 quarts Rustoleum Flat Black
10 oz Acrylic Enamel Hardener (We used Matrix MH-80 from a local auto paint supplier)
1.5-2 pints of Thinner (We used ProSpray Medium Thinner)
Misc:
Respirator
Siphon Feed $20 Sprayer from Harbor Freight
Air Compressor
Metal Gallon Paint Can w/ Lid
Paint Mixer of your Choice
Tack Cloths
You've heard it before, prep makes the paint job. After a good wash we spent day one breaking down, sanding with 220 and filling little knicks on the truck. Pull the front bumper, grille, headlight, wipers (front and rear) and taillight assembly. It's pretty easy, a phillips screwdriver will get you a long way. Pull the rack (and rails if you want, I just opted to tape them up). I was already missing the rear Ford emblem, so I pulled the XLT emblem to see how it looked.
One of the most hair-pulling tasks I dove into was pulling the pinstripe off the truck. Get a propane torch or heat gun and save yourself the anxiety! By the time I was on the last fender the tape was coming off in one strip. I have to add that there wasn't clear coat, from what I can tell, on the pinstripe.
Heat guns make a huge difference!
I started on the hood with 220 grit and worked down the truck from there. 320 gummed up pretty quick, especially since I was fighting a fair amount of gunk and sap on the roof, Goo Gone works wonders! It is an oily substance though, so be sure to used denatured alcohol to clean it up. I did a couple passes with the 320 grit because the 220 left some real harsh scratch marks that I didn't want to chance showing through the final paint job. You could leave the 320 out I guess. Quick tip on the pillars and other tight spots, taping first really helps prevent scratching up windows, rubber, etc.
We also primed over the sanded body filler.
Post Body Filler and Sanding
Taping is pretty straight forward, just remember that long pieces come off easier than little ones. Carefully cutting tape with an exacto knife can be a handy trick, just have extra sandpaper handy. Be sure not to cut into the rubber!
Front end is ready to go!
I'll just note here that I saw now advantage to taping off the mini-rails, but did protect the tracks on the main roof rails.
Once the truck is ready to go get blow off the truck with compressed air. Grab the rags and a few buds and wipe down all of the truck with denatured alcohol. You're pulling up everything the compressor missed now. Don't touch spots with your bare hands that you've wiped down to minimize oiling up the surface.
Deglossed, degreased and ready for paint.
Did we forget to prime?!
Nah, rustoleum doesn't require it. The only placed we primed were the bondo'd spots and some bare metal spots we didn't want to risk missing. The whole front end had been sanded and primed before (and again for) this paint job. We didn't start priming and then say "eff it" a third of the way though.
Ready to paint?
Mix up the paint products above to get a consistency close to milk. Mix in the gallon bucket so you can preserve what you don't use. Set the compressor to 50-60 PSI, actually, check your spray gun manual and follow that. I should note at this point that a 4 ga compressor will do the job, but you'll spend more time waiting for the pressure to pick up than you will painting. A 33ga compressor works wonders.
Get that respirator on and have some fun! Let the first coat dry for a full hour. Now, since we've been lacking that beloved paint booth and with it being Spring and all, those tack cloths are going to come in handy between coats. Wipe down any and all particles and dust that collects between coats.
We did three coats and ended up with a flat and slightly rough finish. The hardener takes the spot of a clear coat and, well, hardens up the finish to avoid the dusty residue that is the ultimate demise of an untreated flat paint job. Compared to just having the duplicolor flat rattlecans, this stuff isn't going to fade or discolor in the weather. Well, eventually.. but it'll be a long eventually. It'll bead water like a good wax! That hardener's good stuff. Anyways, check it out!
Tada! Nap time.
The emblem's adhesive is currently drying, don't mind the tape.
Looking back we finished up with a little under a quart of paint. If you wanted to only use 2quarts you could, but I like having the extra around. We did end up with a couple spots around the windows and what have you that got overtaped. The plan is to go over them with a fine paintbrush and fill in the extra spots. We neglected to (read: were not motivated to) paint the inner door jambs and other crannies in the same sitting. If and when we do, I'll certainly post up for you guys.
So grab a broken lawn chair and a cool brew, sit and admire your not-so-shiny-but-so-so-shiny new baby!
Note:
The last photo shows the shoddy shape the pillars are in. The plan is to hit them up, along with other misc parts, with some Krylon later in the week.
And don't mind the tire blowout damage too, anyone know where to find one of those little baddies?
Did I miss anything? Want more photos? Feedback is appreeshed!
We're talking about previous paint experience right? A lot of rattle cans. It would make sense than an airbrush would be a much more similar experience with the whole air and paint... thing. Just getting that fluid motion down without ending up with heavy wet spots on both sides is key. We are going to pin stripe the truck with a lime green 1/4" double stripe vinyl. It's gonna look sharp.
