I need Advice on Paint for Bull Bars - Tow Bar.

[BWTGUY]

I scored big time last Sat-Sun at the local Pull apart. I found a 1994, 1st Gen donor truck with an OEM Brush Guard and a Draw Tight Class III hitch. Unbolted both and was told that I'd have to pay $25.00 for the Brush Guard and $20.00 for the trailer hitch. I paid my money and ran!

The Brush Guard was mildly scratched and so is in need of a steel brushing and paint. The trailer hitch also has mild rust (zero scale) so must also be painted. What I would like to know (I'm an absolute newbie about painting anything with wheels) is what kind of primer (if any) I need to put on first and what paint (Preferably Eddie Bauer Brown) for the finish. I'm open to any and all suggestions that are realistic/logical.

Add-On:
It is a Mink Brush Guard

 

[Anime]

Best bet for painting prep is to get yourself a drill and wire wheel, along with a regular toothbrush-style wire brush, and maybe some steel wool. Use the drill mounted wire wheel to get all the rust off, then use the smaller hand brush to get the tight areas and corners, and then rough up any other areas with the steel wool.

You can also sand down any rough spots with 300-600 grit sandpaper to get a smoother surface finish.

Then use either mineral spirits or acetone on a cloth to clean the surface. You can also follow up with 70-90% denatured or isopropyl alcohol for a super-clean surface. Clean until the cloth no longer gets dirty when wiped on the surface.

I'd suggest Rust-Oleum brand spray paint, using either their regular or automotive primer on any bare metal areas. You can get auto paint matching colors of Rust-Oleum in spray cans at Autozone, so check online to see if they have something similar to EB Brown, maybe even from a newer Explorer. If you want even more gloss to it, and protection, you can also get a can of clear coat to go over the paint.

After the primer is dry, apply the paint in very thin coats, giving the first coat time to dry before applying the next, and so on. You don't need to get complete coverage with each coat, just go slowly, and this way you can get 5-6 thin coats and have good coverage, which will be much better than 2-3 heavy thick coats of paint.

One the last paint coat is dry, repeat with the clear, giving a few thin coats until you're sure it's all over and everything is glossy.


If you aren't sure about your spray painting abilities, you can always get a few cheap $1 cans of spray paint at walmart to practice with, and just do some oddball stuff to practice your prep and painting before moving on to the bigger stuff.

Take your time and set aside a sunny afternoon on a nice day, and take your time rather than rush to get done, and you can do a great job.

 

[gmanpaint]

A grinder and a cup style wire wheel will make fast work of the rust. Then a cleaning, (I use lacquer thinner), and a sandable primer.

I agree on the Rust-Oleum paints. There automotive primer is cheap and does a great job. A simple sanding, dry clean, and either spray or roll on the topcoats. The quart cans are around $10, and hold as much as 6 cans of spray, if you want to save $$.