I have a 2005 Crossfire. The clear coat is failing in a bad way. It’s black in AZ sun. I paid $3200 for the car a few years ago. Its not worth repainting. A real paint job would total the car,, price wise. It’s still a good car mechanily, just looks like ****. Wrapping is almost the same coast as paint. I’ve heard of using plastic dip. Any good ideas?
Ideas on cheap car finish??
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nadogail
Well-known member
I have a 1999 Chevrolet Express 1500 Cargo Van, apparently General Motors bought some crappy white paint. After trying to scuff sand and cover the roof with rattle can Appliance White and having the white paint peel off again , took it to my nearest Macco shop and had them shoot the whole van with their "Better Grade" white paint, that has been a couple of years and the van still looks good. I don't remember the cost of the painting.
The van has the 305 V8 and will pass anything but a Gas Station, it now has about 125 thousand miles and the Pan and Heads have never been removed.
The van has the 305 V8 and will pass anything but a Gas Station, it now has about 125 thousand miles and the Pan and Heads have never been removed.
The (in)famous $50 paint job! or: How to paint your truck/car with Rustoleum and a Roller (part 1)
The idea is that oil-based enamel paints from your hardware store can be ROLLED onto the vehicle if you thin heavily with mineral spirits and use a high-quality foam roller. The mineral spirits help it level out while it's drying and its supposed to make the paint cure faster so you can wet sand...
dannix.net
IndyGarage
Well-known member
You can paint a black car in your driveway with a 15 dollar harbor freight gun and probably $300 in supplies. If you take your time, it could look really good.
I would not use rustoleum. I would go with a low cost base/clear or even a lower cost single coat. Just make sure you have a good mask and practice spraying a panel before you do the whole thing. Scuff it with 150 grit. clean it off good. Mask it real good prime it and spray it.
Amazon has several single-stage 2k paints - Speedo Kote, Eastwood, etc.
I would not use rustoleum. I would go with a low cost base/clear or even a lower cost single coat. Just make sure you have a good mask and practice spraying a panel before you do the whole thing. Scuff it with 150 grit. clean it off good. Mask it real good prime it and spray it.
Amazon has several single-stage 2k paints - Speedo Kote, Eastwood, etc.
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jsaw
Well-known member
I service a van for a guy that drives for a delivery service. His van Has a 6.0L with 535,000. We replaced the transmission at 300,000. It is getting pretty rough . He brushes on white rustoleum to touch up the paint. It looks OK from afar.
AldeanFan
Well-known member
Buy the cheapest automotive paint you can and spray it in a tent in your driveway with a harbour freight gun or equivalent.
MushCreek
Well-known member
I'm planning a similar route for my old F-250. I wish I knew what kind of paint my old Ford tractor has on it. At almost 60 years old, it's chalky, but will still buff up. I'm sure it's nothing fancy, but it's thick and tough.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
If the clear is failing in AZ sun, plastidip will probably last a weekend.
mrbill55
Well-known member
Regardless of what you do for paint, you'll still need to remove the failing paint, as you never know if the clear coats chemical bond is failing off the base, or if the bases chemical bond is failing, causing the clear to flake off. Or worse, the car has had previous paint work, and the materials were not the best quality. Sand it and paint over it will not save the failing paint from continuing that process, sooner or later your new topcoat will pop off, as the older materials continue to fail underneath.
Hope you find this helpful.
Bill S.
Ohmthis
Well-known member
OP, what part of the car is the clear coming off? I’d guess it’s the roof, and the tops of the fenders, both front and rear. I second (or maybe third) the idea of using a inexpensive single stage paint and the purple HF gun if you have a decent compressor. You could tape the undamaged areas off at say a body line and paint a two tone on it or similar so you don’t need a match. If it’s just the roof, cover the car with plastic and trim to expose the roof. Then just spray the roof. You’ll need to sand the damage off before you can reflag. If you sand to metal, you’ll need to prime that part. There a few YT video channels about nothing but paint. Check them out.
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MP&C
Well-known member
Single Stage | SPI
Utilize Southern Polyurethanes' Single Stage products. Learn about their high-quality, versatile coatings designed for durability and excellent finish.
www.southernpolyurethanes.com
Single stage polyurethane from SPI, a quality paint and a good price. 5 quarts sprayable for about 280.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
There is tractor paint you can roll or brush on, it’s pretty tough.
MushCreek
Well-known member
I'm not sure where to get good tractor paint, though. The house brands from places like Tractor Supply don't have very good ratings for longevity. I doubt even the equipment manufacturers have the good ole stuff from the 50's and 60's.
IndyGarage
Well-known member
I love SPI but it's probably overkill for this job.Single Stage | SPI
Utilize Southern Polyurethanes' Single Stage products. Learn about their high-quality, versatile coatings designed for durability and excellent finish.
Single stage polyurethane from SPI, a quality paint and a good price. 5 quarts sprayable for about 280.
SpeedoKote is about $35 a quart and the OP only needs about 1-2 Quarts for a Crossfire. People complain about the price of paint, but HVLP uses about 1/4 what you used to use.
bcschief
Well-known member
One of the big car magazines did this to a Ford Falcon about 20 years ago and it turned out pretty nice with lots of time and sanding it out between coats of paint.
Like most things it's the prep work!
californiamilleghia
Well-known member
was there ever a follow up report on what it looked like 5-10 years later parked outside ?
four.cycle
Well-known member
When I was running our Yelm store, Mr. Smith (who actually lived in Roy) re-painted his Opel Kadett with 6 cases of "Bright Beauty" canary yellow spray paint.
Twelve cans to a case. I gave him a hell of a discount on case quantities - one case at a time because he could only work on weekends.
Took him all summer to repaint that car. He even did inside the door wells. Turned out nice.
I took his daughter to see "H.M.S. Pinafore" live on stage and she hated it. Not girlfriend material.
Twelve cans to a case. I gave him a hell of a discount on case quantities - one case at a time because he could only work on weekends.
Took him all summer to repaint that car. He even did inside the door wells. Turned out nice.
I took his daughter to see "H.M.S. Pinafore" live on stage and she hated it. Not girlfriend material.
bcschief
Well-known member
Not that I know of, but old school paints do require maintenance buff and wax.
RPH
Well-known member
Old school method. Exterior house paint, roller, and brushes for detail work.
Out for less than hundred bucks.
Out for less than hundred bucks.
californiamilleghia
Well-known member
I doubt there is such a product , but is there anything that dissolves the bad clearcoat ?
Would be nice
And not the same subject but yes I also have a 2005 white Chevy Express van with flaking paint .........
Would be nice
And not the same subject but yes I also have a 2005 white Chevy Express van with flaking paint .........
MushCreek
Well-known member
Yeah, the clearcoat on my '95 F-150 is coming off in sheets. Of course, not all of it, just certain areas. Doesn't seem to be sun-related, though. It would be a nightmare to get it all off to repaint the thing.
NDJ
Well-known member
Now thats interesting. Only black , white, red though. I wonder if the white could be tintedSingle Stage | SPI
Utilize Southern Polyurethanes' Single Stage products. Learn about their high-quality, versatile coatings designed for durability and excellent finish.
Single stage polyurethane from SPI, a quality paint and a good price. 5 quarts sprayable for about 280.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
As with any paint job, the quality of the finish depends on the preparation.
Sanding is a must. Blow it off. Wipe down with new, lint free rags and thinner.
You can actually get a good finish with something like Rust-Oleum spay cans.
Sanding is a must. Blow it off. Wipe down with new, lint free rags and thinner.
You can actually get a good finish with something like Rust-Oleum spay cans.
Tractor/Implement paint is usually an alkyd enamel. Thinned properly it can be spray. Add some enamel hardener and it is almostcaschsrdxas epoxy paint !
rsanter
Well-known member
Earl sheb or whatever other cheap paint places.
Do some prep work yourself, remove things that's you can then let them do their thing.
Do some prep work yourself, remove things that's you can then let them do their thing.
lzenglish
Well-known member
Here is a possible get by idea.
Everbrite Coating will Restore Faded Metal to Look New Again
Everbrite Coating restores the color and luster of painted metals, anodized aluminum and architectural metal. Stop rust, corrosion, tarnish and oxidation.
www.everbritecoatings.com
LZ
PS: I have one of their starter kits. When i experiment with it, i will post results, be it good, bad, or otherwise.
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lzenglish
Well-known member
Dear Old Dad Forced Me to Help Him do this on our 4 Door International Truck in the 60's.
We were the talk of the Neighborhood, and had to fight to regain our Honor. LOL !!!! It really would not have been so bad, but nothing was masked off, and color was PEA GREEN.
LZ......1970, 250, Bultaco Pursang, Back in the Day.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Someone mentioned poppy’s wipe on clear coat in the other thread.
Skiff Builder
Well-known member
I paint my boats inside and out with B.Moore Superspec Urethane Alkyd. Similar to Rustoleum. Roll and tip- 3 coats. Lives outside all year, salt and sun, no cover. I'll get 5-6 years with washing with dishsoap/water/bleach if needed. No waxing or anything else. Will use oxalic acid or oven cleaner to remove waterline scum end of season-no ill effect to paint.
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manwithtools
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Every white Chevy Express van I've ever seen that was more than 5 years old had peeling flaking paint, particularly the hood.I doubt there is such a product , but is there anything that dissolves the bad clearcoat ?
Would be nice
And not the same subject but yes I also have a 2005 white Chevy Express van with flaking paint .........
californiamilleghia
Well-known member
did you use hardener ?
Thanks everyone for your input! Hood is by far the worst! Bought from what I thought was a private seller, but turned out to be a car dealer. At his home?? Definitely has had previous paint work done, I’m sure the cheepist available. I don’t look forward to sanding this hood!
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Wow, that is ugly. A rattlecan job would be a big improvement.Thanks everyone for your input! Hood is by far the worst! Bought from what I thought was a private seller, but turned out to be a car dealer. At his home?? Definitely has had previous paint work done, I’m sure the cheepist available. I don’t look forward to sanding this hood!
Ohmthis
Well-known member
Damn! Yeah, that’s a full respray to me. Look into the SPI that Robert suggested earlier. If you can get it sanded down, ask around a paint materials supplier. There may be someone who would cheaply paint it for you if your not willing to.
I have a friend that is a retired paint guy. He wants nothing to do with it! Maybe could get him to spray it
Skiff Builder
Well-known member
Have not used hardener yet. I am going to order some as I am near completion of a new boat.
Has anybody else here used enamel hardener? Wondering how it changes the workability / sheen of the paint for roller/brush/pad application.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
He's smart
You've a lot of work to remove the trim, badges and lights. Go slow and take your time sanding and remember the prep is key, painting is art. Re-watch a few video's and remember you don't need high dollar purchases to be successful but will need lots of elbow grease.
Love the pics, show some along the way as you get closer to painting.