I'm New and I THINK I Can Paint My Truck. Any Thoughts?

[theaddictedchef]

Hello out there.....

I'm new to this forum.  I have a '73 Chevy 4x4 and I have done some painting in the past but never a whole vehicle.  I am pretty sure I am in over my head, but I think I can do it.  I have the tools, the time, and the desire to try it.  The way that I think about it is, what's the worst that could happen?  If I mess it up, I just send it to the paint shop.  Am I in over my head?  Has anyone thought the same thing? 

[thirsty]

I think I can do it.  I have the tools, the time, and the desire to try it.

Done deal then!

Many people here can help you out if you get yourself into any trouble.

[theaddictedchef]

I think I just need to hear a couple of people say that the world won't end if I take this on.  I have an idea about where I want to start and I am going to get the motivation, and then just get out and get it done.  I KNOW that once I start, I am going to do a good job, I just think I might not know what the whole job is going to entail.  And, I want to do it right the first time.  Thanks for the reply.  I will post pictures as soon as I start this.

[Captkaos]

You are already ahead of the game if you think you can and have the tools.  The worst thing that could happen is you have to paint it again, and that is just more practice.

[blazing816]

I have paint pannels and cars before in my garage. The best thing to rember that 90% of a good paintjob is prep, if you do not prep well you will never get a good paint job even if your a pro at painting. Also I usually do about 5 or more coats of clear because when you wet sand it when you are done, you usually sand off about 2-3 coats...and you want some left. Thats my $.02

[mikek20]

look at it this way. if you dont try it, how will you ever know if you could have. Sandpaper will take anything off. Dont be scared, you've goptta start somewhere. My first paint job was in my garage, i was very worried at times. But theres plenty of help to seek on this site. Lots of great people on here! You can do it.......

[bake74]

You are already ahead of the game if you think you can and have the tools.  The worst thing that could happen is you have to paint it again, and that is just more practice.

     That is my thought exactly, you could "orange peel" it all over, then you will just have to sand it down and do it again.     
      Better yet you would learn from that experience.

[BigHemi353]

I do not have the patience at all to paint. . . my paint guy is a good friend of mine and its just easier for me to take it over to him. He told me that what most people dont understand is that they are paying him to learn how to paint on their vehicle/tractor/semi/ or what ever else they throw at him. What started as a hobby led into a business for him. He's 24 and does a fantastic job.  Give it a shot, learn from your successes/mistakes and go from there. Good luck!

[PromiseKeeper]

get it ready and then get yourself some cheap paint and get a feel for the gun on something else first. Paint a shelf, a barrel, anything. Do some reading, ask lots of questions. By the time you get proficient with shooting primer, you'll be well down the road on the learning curve.

[Edahall]

The only way to really learn is to go do it and learn from your mistakes.  And mistakes are correctable as well.  However, it's very important that you have good tools to start off with.  Hopefully, your compressor puts out lots of air and you've got a decent gun.  If your compressor doesn't put out enough air, it's a guarantee that you'll get lots of orange peel.  If you're looking for a decent gun for cheap, take a look at this.
http://www.harborfreight.com/high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-66222.html

That said, here are some pictures of my Suburban that I painted myself outside under the shed. 

[Magic1]

Man that looks pretty good!

[Trimmy]

Go for it!!! When I was in high school I did 2 years in auto collision and its really not hard it just takes time and like everyone has said you can easily redo it if your not satisfied.

[rhino]

like you I was not sure I could pull it off. but I tried it anyway. I tell you what. I impressed myself. So much so that i decided to do it again.

My first paint job was a custom mix of house of kolor silver and my second paint job was black. They tell me these are the two hardest colors to paint. I dont know because they were the only two colors iv ever painted. I can say there was tons of prep work ech truck had about 5 months worth,( im slow though) but squirting paint wasn't that hard. Nerve racking but not to hard.  my best advise is learn what every product is (i.e. epoxy primer urethane primer polyester primer etc) and what its specific purpose is and when to or not to apply it.

First paint job



second paint job



I think im gonna try red next

[theaddictedchef]

That looks amazing.  After seeing these posts, I am nervous, but I can do it.  I got a quote from a guy that wanted $1800 just to shoot it.  No body work, just shoot the paint.  For $1800 I can take 5 months of prep and get it done!  Problem for me is that in 5 months its going to be 110 degrees outside and I'm not going to want to move off the couch!  I oughta get started right now.

[Edahall]

That looks amazing.  After seeing these posts, I am nervous, but I can do it.  I got a quote from a guy that wanted $1800 just to shoot it.  No body work, just shoot the paint.  For $1800 I can take 5 months of prep and get it done!  Problem for me is that in 5 months its going to be 110 degrees outside and I'm not going to want to move off the couch!  I oughta get started right now.

Does that quote also include the paint?

I spent a total of $400 to paint my Suburban and that included epoxy primer, 2k primer, base coat paint (silver and green) and top quality clear.