OK. Time for the Primer & Paint Discussion

Well folks I am about half done with the bodywork and started thinking about paint, mostly color of course. As I was working I started questioning the types of primer and paint available today and was wondering what combination would work best on our early vans. With so many choices out there today with ACRYLIC ENAMEL, ACRYLIC LACQUER, URETHANE, EPOXY or STANDARD PRIMER and all the CLEARCOATS out there. I was wondering if there is a clear winning combination for our old vans.

So, would love to hear your opinions, experiences and issues you have had with primers, base and clear coats.

Let me know your thoughts,
Thanks,
Dan

its whats under the paint that makes a great paint job so choose wisely and make sure whatever you use is "compatible" with your final choice of paint. not all primers and sealers will work together with paints so ask now before buying and spraying. best advice from my limited knowledge is stick with ONE supplier for all your chemicals like dupont or sikkens or whatever. NEVER MIX SUPPLIERS.
most stuff now is enviromentally friendly "waterborne" only for the treehuggers. the harsh chemical stuff is going for disposal and recycling.

Not a pro here but I have painted three Bikes and my 61 pickup all with House of Kolors stuff from primer to clear I find it very easy to use if you follow the tech sheets

House of Kolors website has a downloadable file of how to use their products metal prep sandpaper grits mixing procedures spraying techniques etc very detailed information.

Been looking at House of Kolors stuff and like what they have. Still looking for any ideas on what type of paint and primer combo works best on our vans. Anyone?

No offense intended, but I think HoK may be too much gloss for these vans and trucks depending on what you're hoping for... For example, my brother is wanting to restore the Fargo A100 closer to factory, with the muted tans and greens... Now I may go with a modern finish like HoK, but it's good to know how to get different looks.

I'm learning from this thread to, so I wonder if someone else will throw other paint system options into the ring here.

Thanks for starting this interesting topic.

House of Kolors worked great on my 66. It was candy apple red. The tru fire and dragons was also HoK. Most of the classics here are covered with HoK paints.

go with a good company, like DuPont, Sherman Williams, PPG or HOK if u wanna spend the dough

dont buy the cheap stuff

use urethane

and use the same product line.

i paint *well did untill i was lost my job* so if u have any questions lmk

Thanks guys.
Guess I'm looking for a clear winning combo and advantages of using urethane over acrylic or vice-a-versa. Any suggestions on primers? Anyone stands out that works better with urethane over acrylics?

Thanks,
Dan

I have been painting autos, boats, and motocycles for over 15 years ( some hobby, some main income). Personally I have had good luck with Valspar, DeBeers, the old ICI, and PPG ( although I think it's WAY too expensive and will only use if owner pays difference, but it's good stuff!! ). For filler I like anything Evercoat - Rage, Rage gold, and USC brands. Primers are all pretty much the same, just be sure your compatible with your system and don't go cheap - you get what you pay for ( urethane, acrylic enamel, etc). Pesonally for my van I am going a single stage urethane. It looks good, is strong, can be easily cut and buffed if desired (easier than clear), and can be cheaply tinted down for less sheen if desired. 3 coats and your done!!
That's just my .02

Thanks Malibu, that's the kind of info I'm looking for. I have painted a few things over the years, boats, MC's and a few MG's as well. But nothing with this much flat sheet metal so trying to get as much info as possible before ordering.

Thx,
Dan

Hey Dan guess i will but my two cents in here too. I got good news and i got bad news the bad news is it's all about the money , the good news is if you got lots of money there's no bad news . there
's way more to it then what kind of paint that's the easy part !!! the very first thing is who's going to be doing the work ?? are you doing it or are you sending it out ? if your doing it just how much work are you willing to put into it and do you have the right tools , some of these new paints you need the right gun to put it on right and then there is the (( H O U R S and H O U R S )) of sanding and then more sanding and then the hours of buffing after all the sanding .... what you want to ask your self is what kind of paint job are you looking for something that looks nice or a show paint job ??? like i said it's all about the money remember before all this clear coat two stage stuff most paint jobs lasted a good 10 plus years if it was taken car of . all this fancy two stage stuff don't last much longer and cost 5 times the price .
If you want a show paint job and your willing to pay two to fifteen thousand for a paint job then there is nothing better then house of kolor if you want a real nice paint job for cheap money ppg single stage with hardener and if your wanting it two colors then clear it and but hardener in the clear too and then if you want even more shine sand and buff the clear . less then a 1/3 the price and should look just as nice . but thats my two cents

J,
That's some good two cents worth of advice, thx. The one thing I have now is time and with the temps starting to drop (Into the 80's) just a little I can start spending more time in the garage on her. Not building a show stopper but a "Daily Driver/ Fishing van" but do want it to look nice. I will be painting her myself with PPG AU Single stage. Figuring this will make repairs and touch-up's easier later on in life.

Good thread going here....BUT don't forget....It's what's below the paint that counts the most...you can paint a turd with the most expensive paint you can find and it will look like a painted turd Bodywork is key...every wave....every dent...any flaw will rear up once you paint... even after hours of searching for flaws on my van I found several after the paint went on. My van was my first paint job and very happy with it and was a fun experience...If I had to do it again I would of thrown another gallon of primer on it and spent more time block sanding.

Good luck and can't wait to see see pics of your van with some paint on it

YES!!!!

Sanding and body work is the key. My van looks good from 15 feet away. Looks absolutely like crap any closer. Who ever painted it painted over every small defect. If you look down the either side it's a joke! But there was a lot of shotty work done, for example I was told when I bought it that it needed an exhaust and the heat did not work. The exhaust had three loose nuts, the heater motor, the hot wire was not connected.
My point, pay attention to detail, sand sand sand sand-paint!
I hope to start my body / paint very soon. Your van will look as good as the hard work and detail put into it.. good luck.

Thanks everyone. Finished most of the small dings on the sides but going to soda blast the entire roof and front-end from the back of the doors forward next week. Have a bit of metal work on the windshield frame and under the front bumper area. Also decided to delay spraying for a month or so and "Tunnel" it and possibly do the license plate and gas filler conversion while I have it all apart. The Tenzo racing seats are in the shop getting reworked.

Dan