To paint the whole truck your looking at getting a Gallon. I ran short on my Red Explorer with one gallon but I painted everything separate.
Once you figure reducer, hardener, and primer, You will be close to $800 in paint materials and supplies.
I have painted three of my own Explorers, but no were near professional.
Absolutely correct, except you forgot about the base color. More money.
and that is a very conservative price. peal is very expensive. when i did my truck, if i didnt have the connections that i have, it probably would have been close to 2500.
Twenty five hundred is a bit closer to what I would think these day, and I still have a buddy at the supply shop in Elgin.
That Cadillac pearl has a base of silver, so add another $200. for that. That is also what they call a heavy Iridescent. So it will require many layors of clear to create the effect, add another $200. If you have no experience spraying that type of paint, dont even think about it. I have done many, it requires two people to walk the car and keep it wet. Iridesents will flash quick and if your color over base flashes, start over. The clear bites in and changes the look if not applied wet with no flash. Once again two people with guns. The amount of money involved in the paint to do this just scares the living crud out of me when I do it. Buy a nice lacquer with pear flake in it and clear it. Wont look like a Cadillac in the sun but your not risking $1,400 in material.
You need a bunch of experience painting cars to pull this off. I have been doing it for 20 years as a hobby with friends that do it for a living and nobody likes spraying those iridescents.
Ill dig up some pictures of the 37 Buick we did. Not counting primer it was 24 coats of paint to get the pearl nice. Me and Scott were sweating bullets the entire time, every gun full of paint cost about 120 bucks.
Lots and lots of experience required to do such a thing. That pear will sag, and then its toast, wipe it off and start over. Its such a fine line, keeping it wet enough to not flash but not so wet that it sags.
Might be cheaper to just buy a used Cadillac Escalade. They are good trucks. My brother is on his third, they can take a beating.
Good Luck,
Bob
