Paint Match Question

[diesel920]

So after an unfortunate trailering incident, I am in need of a new tailgate. I'm having trouble finding one that is already red and not trashed.

Does anyone have experience going and buying the right color code paint and giving one an aerosol overhall? I was wondering how close anyone thought I could get it to match the rest of the body by sanding, painting, and clear coating. Although the truck is spotless as far as rust, it has had a paint job at some point in its life so it's not exactly a show truck.

In other news, if anyone has a line on a tailgate that will fit a 1998 ECSB...I'm all ears!

 

[haroldwca]

I wouldn't bother painting anything with a spray can, if that's what I understood you to mean. It will not last. Not even for a couple of months. If you want to do it right, drive your truck to an auto body supply shop. They can use a hand-held gadget to determine the correct color mix. They also can look up the factory paint code if your truck still wears the original paint. You should be able to buy a small quantity of paint, but you will also need the appropriate activator, which can only be bought in containers of certain quantities, but is far less expensive than the paint itself. Finally, you will likely need a small amount of reducer, but it is also not nearly as expensive as paint. To spray the tailgate, you would normally use a spray gun and compressor. A cheap spray gun can be bought at Harbor Freight, often for well under $20. If you don't have access to a compressor, you can buy a small sprayer from one of the home improvement stores. I'm not talking about a hand-pumped garden sprayer. The item I'm describing looks like a large baby food jar with a super-small can of hairspray on top. The container is compressed gas, and it will atomize the paint-activator-reducer mix well enough to spray onto your tailgate. Be advised that this mixture is not much thicker than water. It will spray easily, but it will run if you spray too thickly. Thinner even coats will work much better. An easier option might be to take the tailgate to a local body shop. It will cost you several hundred bucks, but it will last. The spray can method is cheap and lasts about as long as it sounds like it will.

 

[Macs Garage]

Seems like most paint in that era have some metallic in them. Hard to get it to lay down evenly. I have used the spray paint on my cab corners knowing I would redo it when I put rockers on. Two years later and I still haven't gotten to it. Looks okay yet from 20 feet. I wouldn't attempt to do a tailgate size though and expect it to look good.