Rustoleum Paint Job

[Starmountainkid]

You can either use rattle cans or roll Rustoleum. Rolling, you have to thin the paint first. From Youtube videos, there’s more sanding involved in rolling, as little bubbles and imperfections occur. So I used rattle cans.

First I sanded the whole car down, then painted it with Rustoleum primer. Then I sanded the primer.

I started with the inside of the trunk and inside of the hood and the door jams. Next, I painted the sides of the car. This was a learning experience.

The main thing is, you have to be very careful to over spray the previous stroke with the next stroke with the can. Otherwise you’ll leave gaps between strokes.

The large areas to paint are more difficult to paint well (roof, trunk and hood. I painted the hood in three sections). I will have to give those a second coat to make them come out smooth without gaps, as well as the rear sides of the car, as I wasn’t expert enough then with cans when I painted those first.

It turned out ok so far, as I’m not looking for a concourse paint job anyway. Where I painted well, it looks good and shiny. One thing is, I’ve read you can’t paint the car again with auto paint, as I guess the two types of paint are not compatible with each other.


I used the darker shade of red Rustoleum. Warning: make sure every can of Rustoleum is the same shade of paint! Also, I didn’t want to spend a lot of $ on this car, since I’m 71 years old and I figure I may drop dead any minute anyway lol. Just joking I hope!


It was work but fun to do on an old car that’s not in the best of condition to start with. I don’t drive much anymore, and I don’t intend to spend much time or money mechanically on the car. I’m satisfied, and the car overall looks good for me, and I even get compliments. I’d recommend a really pro paint job instead of Rustoleum for most owners, though.

[Yonkers320is]

That looks pretty good

[goinstrong]

One of my son's friends (mine too) and I rattle canned his E21 in preparation to sell it. We got larger "guns" to put over the cans so our finger didn't wear out. We used 18 cans, and it looked pretty good considering everything, but maybe not quite as nice as yours! Fun job, though I prefer using a paint booth.
Tim

[tomscat1]

Here is a famous old article:
http://www.rickwrench.com/index79mas...llarpaint.html

[Thecatmilton]

I'm planning on getting a $300 paint job from Maaco. I don't want to get a really nice paint job as I don't want to be too upset if it gets damaged. From what I have read and been told, as long as I mask it off myself it should be fine. The last place that painted my car got paint on the trim, seals, and on half of the passenger door handle. They also didn't paint under any of the trim or licence plate either..

I briefly considered a rustoleum paint job, but I don't know how well it would hold up with daily use in the Texas sun.

[gabmwdrvr]

Looks good from the pics. I just did mine with Dupli Color paintshop, about $300 worth of paint (primer, base, clear) and came out nice:

https://youtu.be/iORlCpRZ7jA

Inexpensive alternative though I assume the Rustoleum is cheaper.

[dups]

Macao charges an extra.$400 to put the car through their stripping machine.
Starmountain, did you take off ALL OF THE old paint first? If so,.with what? I picked.up a few wire wheels and I'm thinking on starting on mine soon.

[Damatheus]

The roll on method of Rustoleum can turn out some pretty nice looking paintjobs if you really put in the work. Wet sanding, buffing, etc.

This is a picture of a hood that a guy painted using black Rustoleum, rolled on.

Hood_final_polish_006.JPG

[gsumzzz]

maaco has done some nice spray jobs. if you can prep the body (remove as much as possible/ tape all potential over spray gaps) and do good body work, maaco gives great value. especially if you r contemplating spraying at home.

[Starmountainkid]

[quote name='dups']Macao charges an extra.$400 to put the car through their stripping machine.
Starmountain, did you take off ALL OF THE old paint first? If so,.with what? I picked.up a few wire wheels and I'm thinking on starting on mine soon.[/quote]

No, I didn't take all of the paint off (yellow). I just sanded it smooth as I could wet sanding it. There were some areas where wet sanding I could not get a completely smooth finish, and after painting you can see those areas plainly. The results you get depend on the surface you begin with.

There are various videos on Youtube about Rustoleum painting.

The original paint on the roof seems to be about 1/8 inch thick (!), that's where I had a problem. There were several rust spots on the roof, and after sanding those spots down, I couldn't sand the rest of the roof level with the spots I sanded. I'm no expert on all this, though I think the more time and energy you put into it the better the result.

I did not use clear coat. I'm afraid it would just bubble up and peal after a year or so. Also, I'm not sure how Rustoleum stands up after a year of hot sun beating down on the trunk, roof and hood (I don't have a garage), though it may be ok

gabmwdrvr's post about Dupli Color paintshop looks interesting. That may be a better way to go. I suppose there's Youtube videos on that method, too.

[goinstrong]

Including tape, paint, tarps, etc., our total was under $100, so this is a very inexpensive way to go. We have prepped a car (one of my other sons) for a friend, and towed it to Maaco for the paint. The body work was so good that the owner offered my son a job on the spot. That paint job was years ago, and still looks new, so Maaco can be a very good option. If you go with the $300 job, know that they are spraying over anything not covered with single stage paint. Hope this helps!
Tim

[sbcrockett]

good to know who to call when I have some panel work that needs prepping

[dups]

Could the roll on method be done with a paint specifically made for cars(Urethane)? Could I thin it a little so that I would only need a quart? This one is about $130 shipped. Thanks.
61qpGdVBJUL._SL1000_.jpg

[gabmwdrvr]

Don't quote me on it but I think on a urethane like that you HAVE to thin it and maybe even use a hardener. They are not meant to be used out of the can. On the lacquer I used (DupliColor paintshop) it comes pre-thinned/ready to use. Takes about 3-4 quarts each step to do the car at $20-25 a can.

[dups]

This one is "ready to spray" says it could do a hood. I guess it's not realistic. Rustoleum has 2 "Hunter greens" I guess I'll try one of those.

Swatch looks.close...on tablet that is.
9aeaf38b-2878-46d1-9e6d-29ef6c33aaf9_400.jpg61qpGdVBJUL._SX522_.jpgnew310.jpgFB_IMG_1420991844378.jpg

Certainly not the same. Dammit.
Anyway, I started sanding the trunk.