air compressor

[Brain75]

I bought a kit of 60-600 assorted grits (5" round to go on my 5" machine) - the 600 I was almost out of at the very end because that is what I used the most of at the end, after rough, after primer, after base, and once very quick and light after clear before moving into 1000 and then buff. 2 months body (October and November), 3 days paint (too old to get up at 6a and still be spraying at midnight so broke up each stage with an overnight but less than 24 hr dry).

a.k.a. when little blue says 320-400, my paint called for 600 so I did 600

 

[Shran]

I don't think I would do an inflatable paint booth. Big problem I had with plastic "walls" when I painted my truck was that all your overspray sticks to it and it only sticks by static electricity so when it dries you have powder that flakes off all over. Dirt sticks to it too. It was manageable with just plastic on the walls but I would think overspray stuck to the ceiling will cause big problems... especially if you use the booth more than once.

As for prep what everyone else said is what I will also echo. Set your expectations very low...seriously. I had months of prep into filler, pulling dents out, a million coats of primer, and I can still see the edges of filler in some spots, plus scratches from sandpaper, dust embedded in the clear, some runs, light spots in the base coat... my expectations were set way too high and it all still just pisses me off.

I'm sure this goes without saying but be really careful with any spray lubricants and stuff like that in your shop while you're prepping the truck. It is so easy to get fisheyes and stuff. Even those waxy tack cloths that you use right before painting can leave residue. Wash with dish soap & water and a good rinse and a VERY light touch with a tack cloth before shooting your color coats will go a long ways.

 

[97ranger22bronco]

the booth that I'm looking at has an exhaust fan that, in theory, is supposed to take care of overspray, but who knows.

My plan is to take the truck all the way to bare metal to, hopefully, give a bit cleaner of a starting point. Body work will still be needed for sure though, I'm gonna order both fenders from LCM as mine are bent to the point of no returrn from previous drivers/owneers.

I got the SCT tool from Eastwood that has good reviews to remove paint/surface rust I've done the aircraft paint stripper path before and it was not fun at all...