So you wanna paint that truck of yours...Material list

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mchlgriffith

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good info but i wouldnt put 5 coats of clear thats asking for trouble. even three coats of clear is borderline
 
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Is it do-able to paint the bay of your truck engine while all the components are still in tact? Or do I need to strip it all off. My truck is blue, and I am wanting to paint it a cream white, and don't want to leave the engine bay the only thing that is blue. But I've never pulled an engine out before.
 

Jrgunn5150

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Is it do-able to paint the bay of your truck engine while all the components are still in tact? Or do I need to strip it all off. My truck is blue, and I am wanting to paint it a cream white, and don't want to leave the engine bay the only thing that is blue. But I've never pulled an engine out before.


Sort of? I mean, you can mask and tape everything, degrease it all, and do an ok job. Not great, and you'll miss areas, but the casual person won't notice that it's different when you open the hood.

I usually just paint engine compartments black for that reason.
 
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Sort of? I mean, you can mask and tape everything, degrease it all, and do an ok job. Not great, and you'll miss areas, but the casual person won't notice that it's different when you open the hood.

I usually just paint engine compartments black for that reason.


Thanks. Yeah I wish i would have found my truck in a more neutral color like black, grey, or white. It would bug me if i didn't see a good paint job on my truck and could still see areas of the blue. Is there a thread on here where I can learn the basics to dismount my engine? I've also seen old hot rod builders who remove the cabs while the engine is still in tact. Is that possible for a single cab c1500? I'm trying to go for quality, but at the same time, in a route that won't cause me a giant headache lol.
 

Curt

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Is it do-able to paint the bay of your truck engine while all the components are still in tact? Or do I need to strip it all off. My truck is blue, and I am wanting to paint it a cream white, and don't want to leave the engine bay the only thing that is blue. But I've never pulled an engine out before.
Sort of? I mean, you can mask and tape everything, degrease it all, and do an ok job. Not great, and you'll miss areas, but the casual person won't notice that it's different when you open the hood.

I usually just paint engine compartments black for that reason.
This. You could paint the engine bay with everything still there, but the end result probably won't be that nice. There'll be parts that were missed because of the masking process, or even getting paint on parts you didn't want paint on. Considering you'll be changing from a dark blue to a cream white, if you miss any spots it'd stick out like a sore thumb.

EDIT: Welcome to the forum! I see your also in Nor Cal, what area are you in?
 
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This. You could paint the engine bay with everything still there, but the end result probably won't be that nice. There'll be parts that were missed because of the masking process, or even getting paint on parts you didn't want paint on. Considering you'll be changing from a dark blue to a cream white, if you miss any spots it'd stick out like a sore thumb.

EDIT: Welcome to the forum! I see your also in Nor Cal, what area are you in?


Yeah I might have to do some research on how to strip the engine then. I got a buddy who's a professional painter, so not worried about that part. I just want to bring the truck to him properly: stripped/masked/sanded...etc.

I was born and raised in Monterey Bay...currently residing in Sacramento!
 

Curt

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Yeah I might have to do some research on how to strip the engine then. I got a buddy who's a professional painter, so not worried about that part. I just want to bring the truck to him properly: stripped/masked/sanded...etc.

I was born and raised in Monterey Bay...currently residing in Sacramento!
You could try asking for help in this section: http://www.gmt400.com/forums/engine-performance-maintenance.13/ . Don't forget to include in the description: the year and model of your truck, what engine it has in it, auto or manual. Also, if you have anything custom under the hood, don't forget to mention that as well. I'm probably forgetting a few things, but those are the basics to get the ball rolling.

Cool to hear that you've been local all your life! Been in California my whole life as well. Was in the bay area but then moved to the east bay several years ago.
 
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You could try asking for help in this section: http://www.gmt400.com/forums/engine-performance-maintenance.13/ . Don't forget to include in the description: the year and model of your truck, what engine it has in it, auto or manual. Also, if you have anything custom under the hood, don't forget to mention that as well. I'm probably forgetting a few things, but those are the basics to get the ball rolling.

Cool to hear that you've been local all your life! Been in California my whole life as well. Was in the bay area but then moved to the east bay several years ago.


Will do thanks so much!
Yeah it's hard to leave Cali. If you know of any truck meets/shows in Nor Cal, keep me posted!
 

TechNova

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Always use refinish products from the same company. Do not mix brands. There is extensive research in compatibility within a brand and no
research for mixing brandshould always be applied over prs.
Filler operly prepared bare metal, read the instructions. Almost every dent has a high spot, you can't fill a high spot so straightening is required before filling.

Read the tech sheets for all coatings. A YouTube search is not a training class.
Proper material order is: etch or epoxy for bare metal
primer surfacer for scratch filling
sealer wet on wet - right before color.
basecoat
clear proper amount according to tech sheet.
notice no midcoat listed. Not needed and can cause problems. part of the adhesion of paint is chemical adhesion, putting foreign substances
on from outside the paint manufacturers system can block that adhesion.
each tech sheet will explain proper prep, mixing and use and grits if sanding is required.

In 30+ years of refinishing, almost every paint failure I have seen has been operator error, either the painter made a mistake or
they failed to follow the instructions on the tech sheet.

Yes, primer surfacer will absorb water. Not in the time frame of wetsanding but over repeated exposure. I have seen it many times on stalled projects someone brings in. Left in primer while they were working on it and driving it. A quick hit with the DA shows rust underneath.
Primers, all 3 categories (primers, primer -surfacers, primer -sealers) also have no UV protection an degrade in the sun.

Doing any of the steps wrong does not guarantee failure but does increase the odds significantly.
Do you want to take a chance with your labor and material dollars?

an air supplied respirator is the only approved system for paints with hardeners. Your health, your choice.
 

MatSLO

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How about the amount of paint needed, at least a rough figure?

For a 4-door OBS Tahoe (respraying the whole body in same/similar color as it is now) , how much of color paint and how much of clearcoat should I buy?
 
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