How much paint

Gerry · Post by **Gerry** » Tue May 05, 2009 11:08 am

How much paint will I need to paint my M37. I plan on using semi-gloss black for frame and late WWII semi for the truck. Also how much primer for everything.
Thanks,

TOM R · Post by **TOM R** » Tue May 05, 2009 11:44 am

depends how many coats and how you mix it up

MSeriesRebuild · Post by **MSeriesRebuild** » Tue May 05, 2009 3:06 pm

Gerry wrote:How much paint will I need to paint my M37. I plan on using semi-gloss black for frame and late WWII semi for the truck. Also how much primer for everything.
Thanks,

I don't know how you are going about it, so this is what I do know. Body parts, not the frame & frame components, if painted disassembled so all sides of every piece can be accessed will take 4.5 gallons. we usually get 5 so in the event a little extra is needed we have it. If you are painting a fully assembled truck, you won't need as much simply because you won't be able to access many of the surfaces. Frame & frame components, at least 1 1/2 gallons.

You need to mix strictly by the manufacturers instruction to the letter. Using more reducer than called for only makes more liquid that is a weaker consistency. What I'm trying to say is this; many believe that adding extra reducer makes more paint out of a gallon. Not true, a gallon of paint is just that, all reducer is just a carrier & evaporates quickly. If you make 2 gallons of sprayable liquid out of 1 gallon of paint, 1 gallon is all you apply. The more you reduce, the thinner each coat will be. More coats for a decent cover will be needed. Mix according to instruction, apply according to instruction, you will be glad you did. At least 3 coats of properly mixed & applied paint will do a good job. More or less than 3 coats & the job quality will suffer. Adding hardener to the mix is a plus.

Gerry · Post by **Gerry** » Tue May 05, 2009 3:55 pm

Charles.
Thanks for the insight. I am doing a frame off so I guess I need the 5 gal.
Of that how much would be the black for the frame? What are the benifits of hardener? will it still match the spray cans for touch up?
Thanks for your time,

MSeriesRebuild · Post by **MSeriesRebuild** » Tue May 05, 2009 6:55 pm

Gerry wrote:Charles.
Thanks for the insight. I am doing a frame off so I guess I need the 5 gal.
Of that how much would be the black for the frame? What are the benifits of hardener? will it still match the spray cans for touch up?
Thanks for your time,

Go back & read my message, 1 1/2 gallons for frame & frame components, 4.5 gallons for all body panels if totally disassembled & painting all sides. These amounts are what we use, most folks do less, we don't cut corners. You'll have to decide for yours.

Hardener will make the paint more scratch, chip, & damage resistant, also will add gloss unless you mix in some de-glossing agent. All agents blended into the mix means use less reducer or the mixture will be too thin.

We don't paint trucks with spray cans, will the shade match a job done right? I highly doubt it would be a perfect shade match regardless of how you do it. Aerosol simply isn't high quality workmanship, it is what it is.

Nickathome · Post by **Nickathome** » Wed May 06, 2009 3:44 am

I see that you are doing a frame off, so my comments my be a moot point at this stage, however when I painted my truck , I was painting a fully assembled vehicle. I did not paint under the hood, the frame, or inside the cab(will be painting inside the cab in the fall if time permits). I sanded as much of the chipped paint as I could and then sprayed a coat of primer to give the new paint something to stick to. I used about 2/3's of a gallon of primer and probably that much in OD to get the truck all one color. As Charles said painting the whole thing you miss some areas so you will obviously not use as much paint.

One thing I can say though is get a good brand of paint like Gillespie, not that garbage Aervoe. That paint blows. Also get a decent reducer and only use what the paint manufacturer recommends. If I remember correctly Gillespie coatings mentions a 2 to 1 paint to reducer ratio to get good coverage. This worked out well for me.

Gerry · Post by **Gerry** » Wed May 06, 2009 5:55 am

Charles,
Thanks again. Sorry I missed the frame info. You have been a great help.
Nickathome,
Thanks also. I plan on using the Gillespie paint.

TOM R · Post by **TOM R** » Wed May 06, 2009 6:31 am

we did a quick shot on ours and did paint the hard top but not the inside of the cab and used 1 gallon or less with the aerovoe and a cheap gravity feed gun also shot the inside of the bed

k8icu · Post by **k8icu** » Wed May 06, 2009 4:25 pm

Get six gallons of paint....you'll find you'll need it for odds and ends as the project goes along. A little bit extra doesn't go to waist in this hobby.

Gerry · Post by **Gerry** » Thu May 07, 2009 4:25 am

How much primer do I need. How many primer coats are needed
Thanks,

MSeriesRebuild · Post by **MSeriesRebuild** » Thu May 07, 2009 8:28 am

Gerry wrote:How much primer do I need. How many primer coats are needed
Thanks,

Top quality high build primer will require 3-4 medium wet coats generally. It also depends on the build characteristics of your primer & how well you did the prep work; a properly prepped surface will require less. If you leave lots of imperfections, simply put, it takes a lot of build to cover up imperfections. I don't know how you expect the end product to look or what quality job you hope to end up with; prep work is of utmost importance. Don't be fooled, whatever you take a short cut on WILL show through on the end product, that never fails.

Gerry · Post by **Gerry** » Thu May 07, 2009 8:41 am

Charles,
What do you use for a primer. I have read so many different opinions on what to use. This is my first time painting and didnt want to get into epoxy primers if I dont need to. Where is the best place to buy it. Napa?
Thanks, Hopefully I wont have too many more painting questions.

MSeriesRebuild · Post by **MSeriesRebuild** » Thu May 07, 2009 2:38 pm

Gerry wrote:Charles,
What do you use for a primer. I have read so many different opinions on what to use. This is my first time painting and didnt want to get into epoxy primers if I dont need to. Where is the best place to buy it. Napa?
Thanks, Hopefully I wont have too many more painting questions.

Depends on what you are going over the top of. If you are dealing with bare metal after blasting, you will need to use an etching primer for max adhesion. If you are sanding a good foundation & priming over that, I like the newer water borne primer. You use that straight from the can, just stir & pour into your gun, apply & pour any unused primer right back into the original container for the next use. As pricey as it is; it's really economical to use, no waste, no other ingredients to buy. Saves lots of time also since no mixing is required. All major paint dealers have a water borne product available these days, what we have used is the top of the line from NAPA, the Martin-Senour brand. It is a high build formula.

How much paint

How much paint

Re: How much paint

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