Paint - Best/Most Economical Manufacturer

[LowCountryEB]

I am getting ready to paint my 74. I am going with teh 2001 Ford Chrome Yellow. My paint guy told me to check out Sherwin Williams paint. I did. However, I am not experienced with auto paint. Which company makes a good durable, reasonably priced paint product? I often see everyone talk about PPG. Does that stand for Pittsburgh Paint? What does it stand for exactly and where can I get it? Also, how does it compare to Sherwin Williams and others??? Thanks.

 

[Unregistered]

Don't paint it yellow!!!!!!!!!

 

[LowCountryEB]

Why not?

 

[Skuzzlebutt]

For inexpensive yet durable paint, buy from a tractor or heavy equipment dealership.

PPG

 

[2badrotties]

PPG is Pittsburg Plate Glass. You can go to their site www.ppg.com and find lots of info. You can also find other sites like www.valspar.com and www.dupont.com They all have useful information and maybe a location finder. The SW paint you asked about is available at NAPA stores. All of the above make a lot of different types of paint from cheap ( straight enamel ) to acrylic enamel ( better ) and urethane ( best ). All paint can be sanded and buffed and made to look like a million bucks even cheapo enamel as long as you use hardner.

 

[67ster]

With all the labor involved in the prep. why even consider using el-cheapo paint ? There is some no name stuff on e-bay for 20- 30 bucks a gallon , acrylic enamel , probably rejected from Earl Scheibs .Seriously use good paint unless it's just a quickie .

 

[Unregistered]

Well. That is what I am asking. Who makes the best??? Sherwin Williams? Dupont? PPG? Who?? And should I go with acryllic or what? And clear coat? Help guys, I have never done this before. Thanks!!!

 

[67ster]

I think they are all pretty much competitive and much the same on quality . Du Pont has a line of medium priced paints called Nason ,worked OK for me , I used urethane and it's great but it takes special primers and careful prep. . You HAVE to use a respirator because of the deadly VOCs . Should be done by a pro .

 

[2badrotties]

Yep, it is all about the same. Funny thing is - the cheaper the paint, the more sins it will hide ?:? . The cheap straight enamel will cover sand scratches, tiny stone chips, better than high grade urethane. If you are doing a straight color, PPG's Concept single stage urethane is nice stuff. If you go with base coat/clear coat it is all about the same but the cost of a gallon of clear will shock you. I have used just about every base coat / clear coat system out there and they are pretty close to the same. NAPA makes some nice clear called " Econo-Body " clear that works good , does not die back a couple months down the road, and is cheap ( about $62 per gallon with catalyst ) and you can use it over any base coat. All you really need to do is go to a autobody supply store, they will help you. They also have tons of " product information " sheets for free and you can take some home and read them.

 

[Rustytruck]

What ever you do dont mix cheap thinner in the paint use what is recomended by the manufacturer. Also thinners/reducers come in different spray temp ratings for the ambiant air you will be spraying in. I have had great luck with acrylic enamels and Hardners and for the most part any name brand will do as long as you use their system. I dont spray ureathanes or metallics or clear coats on a off road used truck, too much work to try and get a marginal repair a couple of years down the road. On a street truck where insurance is going to pay for repairs go for the gusto. Dont mix and match paint , hardners, reducers/thinners to save $$$. Unless you plan to youse a high end primer starting from bare metal concider using a paint sealer to seal over your old paint and turn the truck a uniform color berfore spraying paint. it will make your truck look much better if you spray a light color and will stop paint compatability problems with your old paint.

 

[munsonbw]

I just repainted my '68 with Sherwin William's economy line. I used BC/CC. The reducers, primers, and clear were "Refinisher's Select" and the base was "4th Dimension". I was very happy with the product, especially compared to their regular line.

If would use a 2K primer, it will fill 80 grti scratches, which means you can save a LOT of time on bondo and other "heavy duty" body work.

My total order ended up being about $500. This was for 3 quarts of Chevy Victory Red (reds are about the most expensive color), 1 quart of white, 1 gal of 2K primer, 2 quarts of etch prime, all reducers and catalysts, prep solvent, body filler (Rage Gold is great stuff!), DA paper, wet/dry paper, paint suit, respirator, and a few other things. As you can see, unless you already have a well sanded coat of primer down, the other stuff adds up FAST. If you were going to paint just the outside and no top, 2 quarts of base and clear will probably get it. Yellow should run you around $25-30 a quart for the 4th dim. stuff and clear with hardner about $45-50.

I ordered all of my stuff from Paints Plus at www. paintsplus.com. Ask for Gino and tell him Ben Munson sent you. He is very knowledgeable and will only sell you what you want/need.

Cheers,
ben