How much paint?

[csuengr]

In the next week or two, I'll get to paint my Cherokee. I just need to figure out how much paint I need. I will paint the outside of the body plus door and tailgate jambs (two door), firewall, cowl cover, both sides of the hood, one side of the outer and inner fenders, one side of the grill support, both sides of the core support, little pieces, plus touch up. The guy at the paint store recommended one gallon. This is mixed 1:1, so two gallons sprayable. To me this is a bit much, and at $507 a gallon (Dupont premium) kinda pricey. Plus more money for clear. I have the money saved, but plunking down $900 for paint and clear still hurts. TIA.

[tyrodtom]

It can depend on what color you're painting, what you're painting over, (primer spots, or all one shade of sealer, or old paint)
You're painting base coat clear coat, that usually doesn't take as much paint, but you spraying a lot of different inside parts, and that eats up paint.

If you decided 3 qts would do, you'd pay qt prices, 3 qts at qt prices might just be just a few bucks less than a whole gallon.

[csuengr]

Should have mentioned I will be painting over completely primered metal. No old color.

[tyrodtom]

What color are you painting ? and what color is the primer ? What type of primer are you using ?

[csuengr]

The color is dark blue metalic, factory color. PPG shopline 2K primer surfacer in grey.

[Tripwire]

If you have not painted before, you will need two gallons, some for practiceand some for future repairs, mine was almost 500 a gallon. Be sure to go to paintscratch.com and check their prices they have great service

Dont forget your clearcoat as well.....

[Blake]

$500 per gallon?

I usually spring for the $100 stuff

[tgreese]

The color is dark blue metalic, factory color. PPG shopline 2K primer surfacer in grey.

If you are painting all over, you will save some money by using a pre-mixed color. The Kirker paints are well regarded http://www.smartshoppersinc.com/colorchartview2.HTML and TCP Global also sells pre-mixed colors http://www.tcpglobal.com/RestorationShop/ - but the Kirker stuff seems to be the favorite of the pre-mixed types. Take a look at the AutoBody101 forums http://www.autobody101.com/forums/ for some discussion of these paints.

[blakeusa]

Yea and don't forget the rags, reducer, mixing cups, masking tape & paper, sanding blocks, body filler and or metal ready, and then the polish.

And the spray booth and did I miss epoxie primer.

That is why a good paint job can run 4-6K +++ no problem without body work, but they all need body work- even those that look like they don't

For a daily driver or rat truck you can get away with a lot less, but you get what you pay for or how much DYI you can do.

[csuengr]

Yeah, it has epoxy primer under the 2K. Spray booth will be covering the garage in plastic and venting with a fan. Just have to find new filters for the respirator. I have paint I can practice with, I just have nothing to practice on. I have been figuring out that FSJ's are hard to work with. No nice flat places or gentle curves, other than the roof and hood, but they have their own issues. Everything is an abrupt compound curve, deep valley or some sort of protrusion. I have written out a painting plan for the body that will keep me from dragging a sleeve or air hose through wet paint. I have mad masking skills, but painting is another issue.

[Blake]

I always spray the garage floor down with water just before painting so it cuts down on the dust. Works great.

[Tripwire]

I kept all reciepts, including buying the gun and air filter, plus all the small piddley stuff, it came to almost three thousand, so i saved half of the estimates and learned a new skill in the process

Plus i did not blow up my house or kill myself..........

[threepiece]

I used to paint cars for a living at a collision shop and at home. Some of my best work was done outdoors. I don't know what the conditions are like in your area but around here there is often a period of time in the morning before the sun gets too high, the wind starts to blow and the bugs come out when conditions are great for painting. The trick is to have everything ready the night before and leave the car/parts inside for the night so they don't accumulate dew.

[csuengr]

Unfortunately, it is cool enough now that the gnats are out again, so being outside isn't an option. And considering our wind gauges are cinder blocks on a length of chain, I want to be able to "control" the breeze.