Posted by Tim James on May 21, 2000 at 12:49:05:
I recently acquired an M37 that's in pretty good shape. There's no real rusted areas just surface stuff laying in the scratches and knicks here and ther but primarily in the cargo bed and tail gate.
As for knowledge of paints, painting, equipment, supplies, etc... I know nothing -- only what I've read. The paint on my rig is old and faded but doesn't seem to be built up. Currently it's Air Force White but would like to put into either Semi-Gloss OD or any color with Gloss just so long as it's easy for a paint dummy like myself to work with.
The only equipment I have right now is a small 125 psi compressor, random orbiting sander, and a belt sander.
All my work will have to be done in the open (No space in garages) so priming will have to follow sanding in stages to prevent flash rust. Since my paint is faded except for scratches, do I have to take everything down to the metal? or can I apply some type of an etching prep to bond the primer coat to the old paint/metal?
I've been hearing a lot about POR-15, can this be used on exposed sheet metal as a primer? I see that they have a Bull Nose Red topcoat but they really don't explain if you can use it on sheet metal or if it's something best relegated to the under carriage etc...
Likewise, almost everyone had told me that POR-15 is good stuff but that it is best applied with a brush or foam roller -- which is okay by me provided it doesn't leave marks especially say on external sheet metal since it's virtually unsandable. Obviously if the primer job isn't right the topcoat can't look right either.
This is where all the confusion starts coming in -- every guy who sells paint has the "best" there is. Not having ever done any kind of auto painting before, they can say just about anything -- I don't have to believe them just don't really know the truth from the fiction if you know what I mean.
I'm kind of leaning toward painting the truck either all black, all Dark PW Green, or Military #24087 -- the Dark OD Semi-Gloss which is period for the truck but I think I'd like alittle more shine than it imparts. By painting the truck all one color I think this would make life simpler for me -- since I really don't know what i'm getting into here.
If anyone can clear me a path through all the BS and tell me what I need in terms of tools, supplies, and especially primers, and paints, it would be very appreciated.
Also, let me know what I should mask off that may not be the most obvious to a newbie like myself and where you would start when priming/painting on the truck so as not to be complicating the process any more than it probably will be.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Tim