im using acreylic and doing a base coat clear coat. im using the technique of priming and sanding for low spots and high spots. i will be doing it right and having it come out mint. no flasws, no runs, no low/high spots, no nothing. this is the first time i am paint a truck but i have painted many other things and im very good at it and also i like doing things like this. on another note i will be having a guide from a man that owns a body shop and is the painter!!

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Starfire Acrylic Enamel Auto Paint - Sapphire Blue Metallic - 1 Gallon: Automotive Paint, Auto Paint, Car Paint



this is the color

 

it wil probably take close to 1-1.5 gallon MIXED and that would be 2-3 quarts of base. most base coats are mixed 1:1 ratio with reducer. to be on the safe side i would get 1 gallon and that will mix to 2 gallon. that way if you ever need it to touch up you will have the exact paint. no 2 mixes are going to be EXACTLY the same. also you will use more paint if doing door jams and inside the bed etc.

most clear coats are mixed 41 4 part clear, 2 parts reducer and 1 part hardener. make sure to get the correct reducer for the temperature / humidity. MOST of the time you can get away with a Medium reducer, but if it is COLD you might want to look into the fast, and if it is HOT you might want to look into the slow.

base/clear is WAY more forgiving than a single stage as you can run the clear and rake and sand and buff the run out. on a single stage, if it is a solid color then you can rake sand and buff a run away but if it is a metallic or a pearl you have to go back to square one.

 

All this info is right on the button, i'm shure Ben paints so i would go with his numbers.

Dar

 

sorry, had to fix the dang smiley face that automatically got put in there somehow....

ya i've painted my fair share of stuff over the past few years.



EDIT ---- forgot to address the clear. 1 gallon should do it as it will reduce out to about 1.75 gallon. depending on the area, application method (HVLP or suction gun) that should do a truck with 2-3 good coats of clear. what I like to do on something i want to look FLAT and smooth, take some good 2K primer, spray it, let it dry, block it and make sure it is good and flat, then do the base coat. i normally do 5-7 coats or until i have about a pint of paint left over in case i have to do some touchup. let the base "dry" it will take about 30 minutes in normal weather, faster in hot weather and slower in cold or humid weather, then start applying the clear. i will apply 1 gallon and then let it cure. turn the heat up in the booth and leave the lights on for 12-24 hours and then roll outside to allow the natural UV rays to help out. give it atleast 48 hours to completely harden then you can rake out any runs etc. then take and wetsand with 1000 grit the whole vehicle with a block, making sure that the clear is flat and is not sanded through to the base coat. then after washing the vehicle, drying it and inspecting to make sure that all the clear has been sanded and there isn't any shiney places it goes back into the booth and gets atleast 1/2 a gallon more clear. repeat the drying process, then after that wetsand with a block, using 1500-2000 and then buff to a show winning shine.

but for a beater you can just prime, sand, base, clear and roll with it. *MOST* of the time that looks better than a factory paintjob done by a robot....