1985 Toyota 4Runner

I have decided to paint my 85 4runner and am looking for advice from expert body folks and from those who have experience painting. My 4Runner was show-room quality before the paint got messed up and I have decided to paint it myself.

First off, I am painting using a Devillbiss hlvp sprayer. I am using 1.3mm nozzle for the paint and 1.0 for the clear coat. I am painting over excellent PPG paint. Here are my steps...please feel free to add input/advice:

1) Rough up existing good ppg paint using 3m scotch brite pads. For areas that need primer (very minimal) I am using Rustoleum automotive primer (spray can) and then primer sealer.

2) I plan on painting over the existing roughed up ppg paint mentioned above. Is this ok to do? If so, do I need anything in between the old paint and new? For paint, I was thinking a grade lower than PPG. I want exceptional quality and durability but without the ppg price. Any suggestions?

3) I plan on painting 3 coats of enamel all within 30 minutes of each other. Is that acceptable? My gun settings will be 30 psi at the compressor and 10-15 psi at the gun. I also plan on painting the vehicle with most parts on. I will take off the fenders and hood and paint those off the vehicle but at the same time as the rest of the vehicle.

4) After the base dries, what do I need to do to prep for the clearcoat? If I have orange peel, can I sand down the paint using 800 grit and then clearcoat or do I need to go all the way to 2000 grit?

5) I plan on clearcoating 1 day after applying the base enamel. What brand clearcoat is good? How many coats of clearcoat do I apply? What settings should I use for my gun?


Thanks for any insight. I will post pics when completed.

JARED

 

I'm not experienced with painting so much, but my father is taking his fourth semester at the local JC in automotive painting. What I can chime in on is this:

1) The number of coats of clear is not "concrete" so to speak. Think of it as armor for the paint. 2 or 3 coats... beh ok but won't hold up to loose tree branches. In the case fo my 4Runner's hood, he used like 7 or 8 coats (mainly for practice, haha free paint job!) and that has no paint imperfections whatsoever.

2) Spray guns are all different based on model and wear. You need to get a decent size piece of plywood and spray in one area. Be judgemental about the density so to speak. Is the paint going on to light or to thick? You can't just have someone tell you to turn this screw that many turns... its kinda like a carburetor.

3) HVLP (High volume low pressure) just turn the pressure control screw all the way up. If my dad's instructor is correct, the low pressure thing is wack and you want a good 90lbs. running through that gun.

4) Experiment with small, removable parts. The general consensus seems to be that finishing a paint job requires rubbing in compounds and wet sanding and what have ya. But as you practice with clear spray you can severly reduce orange peel by calibrating that spray gun correctly and darn near forget about wetsanding.

 

Check out the post.https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...rshell-213103/

 

IMO it all comes down to the prep you do before you paint and the wet sanding you do after you paint. But at the end of the day you are just going to take it through those really narrow trails and get all kinds of little scrapes and rubs. Just make it look nice and wheel the heck out of it. 4x4's should be fun not mall crawlers. Don't make it more than it is..... But that is just my opinion.

 

I have done my fare share of painting, could go as far to say a professional, I spray industrial paint for a living. When I did my 4 runner I used base coat instead if enamel for a base, base should be cheaper. I used Omni by PPG, I have had good luck with it in the past. For the clear I like Keystone low voc clear, it really lays down nice. However DuPont has a cheaper paint line called Nason , which is good stuff also. Just depends on what‘s in your area. By using a base coat paint you will be able to put the clear on in as little as 30 min in some cases, depends on the temp. I would follow the manufactures instructions for how many coats of base and clear to put on. The thicker the paint is, the more likely it will chip. I tend to put 3 extra coats of clear on when I wet sand and buff. Just make sure you don’t rush the coats, the paint will need time to flash off. Just follow what manufacture says. As far as hvlp guns, I have a few, Sata, sharp , and some knock off of the sata from northern tool . I have tried to spray with the 10 to 15 psi they say, just want atomize the paint good. So I tend to spray in the 40 to 50 psi range. You can try it at 10 to 15 psi, but I would practice on something other than your truck, but I think you will get a lot of orange peel with that low of pressure. About the prep, I would just wet sand the whole truck with starting with 400 working to 800 before laying the base on. Rattle can primer will be ok for what you are doing, I would just let it dry for a few days before paint, just scuff it before you paint. What I do when I spot prime is to spray my base over the primed areas first, then do the whole truck after the primer is covered, it will take less paint that way. That’s all I can think of on a Friday. I would do some web surfing before I start, someone may tell you something total different that what I said, results will dictate the procedure, so what works good for me , may not be the best way to do things.