Paint Shop ?'s

[Dan.308]

I've got a 99 F150 Supercab w/ Flare Side Short Bed. It is the factory black still and did not come in a clearcoat, just a high gloss black. (BTW baked in the FL sun for 5yrs) Now that I've got some fading and chips and a few shopping cart dings I want to repaint. I don't want to spend $3K+ to have a pro do it. I've worked on everything from headlights to taillights and even ran a shop before so now I figure its time to tackle body work and paint. I've got a 25 gal compressor w/ 2 stage 1.5 HP farm duty motor and twin cylinder iron pump. I can keep up the air just fine for any HVLP gun.

How resistant is the Paint Shop Lacquer to chemicals/gas with the new solvents?
Does it ever harden like enamels?
I'm going to stay black, do I need to prime everything or just over the repairs? I don't have any peeling so I'm not really concerned about lifting.

I want to add several coats of clear as well so I can do plenty of buffing. About how much paint will I need overall?
Should the color be boxed or will it begin to dry when its back in the can waiting to be used?

Sorry, it's alot but didn't see answers to my questions yet. Thanks!

[Dupli-Color-Specialist]

Sounds like a huge undertaking with a truck of that size. Well it is certainly workable. To answer your main question...Is it resistant to solvants? It is resistant but if gas or any other solvant sits on the paint for an extended period of time it will affect the paint. Most lacquers are affected by gas if left unattended. Also lacquer paint is not as 'hard' as your typical 2 part catilized OEM finish so you may have some scratches/chip come a little easier.

For your priming question. You don't need to prime the entire truck, only areas you go through to the bare metal. I am going to suggest using filler primer for any repairs so get rid of any sanding marks. We offer that in an aerosol FP101. You can just shoot the color over top of the filler primer and your OEM paint after all repairs are complete. You must scuff your OEM finish with a 3M scotch brite pad first to help any new paint stick to it.

Your air compressor will be just fine for this application.

You are going to need a decent amount of paint and LOTS of clear. I am going to say 5-6 quarts of black and 8-10 quarts of clear. This is all depending on your spray technique and how many coats you want to go with. since you are going black over black then you may not need as much color as I mentioned.

I hope this helps.