How much paint?

[kaw550]

I am getting ready to spray single stage paint and I am not sure how much I need. I was hoping to buy one gallon.

Would a gallon be enough for the exterior only? I have not devided what to do with the inside of the doors and winshield frame.

 

[allenfahey]

Is a gallon enough???... is that a sprayable gallon or do you still need to add hardner and reducer to it? What color are you painting it? What brand or mix ratio is the paint. What type/brand spray gun?

for example 2 quarts of black in Speis would make 3 1/2 quarts of sprayable paint. (mix ratio of 2:1: + 10-15%) Since black covers good, 2 coats would be plenty to do the outside of a Bronco less the top with a SATA and a 1.3 tip. For a color like yellow you would need every bit of that gallon. The cost of paint is very expensive so you don't want to buy more than you need but a gallon will definatley be enough no matter what color you paint it.

 

[kaw550]

as referring to a gallon of paint, before reducer and hardener. My gun is a generic HVLP with a 1.3 tip.

I still have no idea what color.
I am planning on painting the top at later date.


I have the windshield and doors prepped but I have not decided if I am going to paint them black or match the exterior.

 

[TN1776]

In my experience, a gallon is a ton of paint. I may have used about a quart so far. That quart covered my entire tub, 4 times! I still have a bunch of small parts to paint yet (hood, tailgate, doors, windshield frame, grill. I'm shooting DuPont Imron 5000 which is mixed 3 to 1 (paint to catalyst).

If you've got a paint shop close by I'd recommend buying a quart at a time.

 

[kaw550]

Are you happy with the Imron? How is the gloss?

I have used Nason Fulthane in the past but my local shop only carries it factory packaged colors.

I did not take it down to bare metal and I covered some of a previous owners bodywork so I am only expecting to get a few years out of it.

 

[allenfahey]

The problem with buying it a quart at at time is how acurate did they mix the paint? You might have a slightly different color to the adjacent panel. Not a big deal with base coat since you can blend it but it could be with single stage. You can blend some single stages but you need clear to do it.

Generic paint guns will use more material and it will have more orange peel than a quality gun.

 

[TN1776]

I am very happy with Imron so far. People say it doesn't color sand and buff well but I beg to differ. I've had a few experienced body guys ask if it was clear-coated. Its probably not paint you'd want for a show car but I like it so far.
My Bronco is the first vehicle I've ever even tried to paint and I got decent results. You can view my project at the link in my signature line below.

 

[Indybronco]

A gallon of paint will be more than enough to paint your exterior and then some. I'm assuming you've yet to mix it with reducer. This may very well double what the amount depending on what the mixing is.

 

[Broncobowsher]

When I painted my truck in the side yard several years ago...
Bought a gallon of industrial paint. Used a little reducer, not a lot. Came out to probably a gallon and a half of sprayable material. Shot it through a Harbor Freight HVLP gun. That gallon and a half of sprayable material was enough to do the outside of the truck and the roll bar. Not enough for the hard top (which I wasn't planning to paint anyway) or the inside of the bed.

Your results may vary.