Do it yourself paint job?

[Iron Cowboy]

I have an old beater truck I use for back in the woods and hauling and such. I hate the color but a new paint job from body shop will just not be worth the money as it will get scratched up etc. right away again anyway. I would like to make it a flat black and it is currently that ugly almost neon green fords had 11 or so years ago. any advice or good products you have used that I can just spray on at home to look half way decent that wont scratch off and show the color underneath right away? In other words any help for a redneck paintjob that wont look too redneck

[Scott K]

I would camo it, its easy to do, and if you mess up, its easy to redo.

[IFallsRon]

Spring for a cheap airless sprayer. Do decent prep and prime. Follow the directions for thinning and you'll get good results.

[pinkfloyd4ever]

I C, I am in the same boat as you, we should pool our resources and combine on a job. I could live with a flat black finish also. I was planning on looking into it once the weather warms!

[Shack]

Spray Bomb dude! Rattle can it if it has any rust

If the paint is at all good (body also) and worth the time, you could take a DA sander and some 180 and scuff the paint, do like said about and buy a cheap air spray gun if you have a compressor, tape off head lights, door handles and all items you would not like to have paint on, buy some cheap tractor paint from Menards (mix it/thin it. It should have hardener in it. Read directions on back of can) and spray it outside on a sunny warm morning with no wind . Even better if it rained the night or day before, keeps down the dust.

You can primer over the old paint to help conceal DA scratches and hold the paint on better. Shoot it with some cheap clear after you let it dry and you will have a good looking truck

Or just skip out the tractor paint and clear and stick with just cheap black primer.

Good luck!

[Hafnutz]

Maybe one of them "Oh Oh better Get ..... " $200. specials would work. Materials wouldn't be a lot cheaper than that.

[Iron Cowboy]

can you still get a maaco job for $200 ? If so thats probably what I'll do. On a side note people never cease to amaze me..do a search for paint a car yourself once on youtube..guys with house paint rollers with no primer no sanding nothing.

[theoilman]

I've seen a couple of latex enamel brushed on - didn't look bad from over 50 feet away (inside 25 feet it showed!!!!!).

I did a full size van once with spray cans - it took about 18 cans, didn't look too bad even close, but an awfully tired finger. Did it inside a garage to keep the dust down (in open air dust will really make it look terrible).

Definitely mask off everything you don't want painted - you'll probably use 3 to 6 rolls of masking tape and a couple of Sunday papers.

Definitely get a good respirator/mask; cheap dust masks don't work!

[deadeye]

Ya, if it has got rust at all, just rattle can it. Bondo makes a sweet trigger handle sprayer for a rattle can. Makes the job so much better. Get a couple cases of paint and when your done, save a couple for touch ups and return the rest.

Maaco would be worth a call, but if there is dents or anything they are probably going to turn down the super cheap special.

Personally, I think flat black is awesome. It just looks so serious. Im thinking my talon is going to get that treatment this summer.

[BK19]

implement paint althugh it sines pretty good and i dont think they have flat black or do what tony stewert did on the big hd commercial

[Tyler23]

i would also go to like johndeere they got medium gloss black that sticks to anything and stays there. and its cheap.

[hunter101]

Tyler is right also caterpillar has some good black paint as well and its easy to spray.