• Welcome to For E Bodies Only !

    We are a community of Plymouth Cuda and Dodge Challenger owners. Join now! Its Free!

Paint and primer ?

budascuda

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2017
Messages
1,104
Reaction score
567

I like Sikkens products, but not sure if the line is still available in the US.
 

Ele115

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2021
Messages
96
Reaction score
58
Location
S. Fla
That's kind of like asking what is the best car to buy, so if you want as unbiased an answer as I can give here goes: Avoid the bargain brands. Pay for a name brand and you'll pay a lot....but you don't want to redo a paint job or body repair in a year or two. Re-doing one is NEVER fun actually and it's a lot more expense and work than it would have been to pay for the good stuff and take your time. Pick a product line and stick to it. Mix and match in PBE products is not something you want to do. If you want to paint a car with PPG, use their sealer, their primer, their clear...all of it. The big brands are pretty much just personal preference and what a guy is used to. Collision repair is also a bit different than restoration and custom work. You are trying to blend OEM colors, not total resprays or color changes. I had better stop now
 

Righty Tighty

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2021
Messages
305
Reaction score
116
Location
Sahuarita, AZ
That's kind of like asking what is the best car to buy, so if you want as unbiased an answer as I can give here goes: Avoid the bargain brands. Pay for a name brand and you'll pay a lot....but you don't want to redo a paint job or body repair in a year or two. Re-doing one is NEVER fun actually and it's a lot more expense and work than it would have been to pay for the good stuff and take your time. Pick a product line and stick to it. Mix and match in PBE products is not something you want to do. If you want to paint a car with PPG, use their sealer, their primer, their clear...all of it. The big brands are pretty much just personal preference and what a guy is used to. Collision repair is also a bit different than restoration and custom work. You are trying to blend OEM colors, not total resprays or color changes. I had better stop now
I’m following this thread and that’s actually a very helpful tip to stick with the same brand for all the stages. For me (someone who has never painted a car) it’s tempting to try to find a less expensive primer which could be one brand, then find a deal on paint (another brand). Seems like good advice to stick with the same brand for everything.
 

Cudachuck

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2021
Messages
184
Reaction score
23
Location
Arizona
That's kind of like asking what is the best car to buy, so if you want as unbiased an answer as I can give here goes: Avoid the bargain brands. Pay for a name brand and you'll pay a lot....but you don't want to redo a paint job or body repair in a year or two. Re-doing one is NEVER fun actually and it's a lot more expense and work than it would have been to pay for the good stuff and take your time. Pick a product line and stick to it. Mix and match in PBE products is not something you want to do. If you want to paint a car with PPG, use their sealer, their primer, their clear...all of it. The big brands are pretty much just personal preference and what a guy is used to. Collision repair is also a bit different than restoration and custom work. You are trying to blend OEM colors, not total resprays or color changes. I had better stop now
I am going to go with 1 of the high impact colors (leaning to green). Would you suggest PPG? I have never paint a car so any advice will be appreciated. Im thinking for starting with an epoxy primer. Does it matter what color primer I use?
 

Cudachuck

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2021
Messages
184
Reaction score
23
Location
Arizona
I’m following this thread and that’s actually a very helpful tip to stick with the same brand for all the stages. For me (someone who has never painted a car) it’s tempting to try to find a less expensive primer which could be one brand, then find a deal on paint (another brand). Seems like good advice to stick with the same brand for everything.
I guess we will learn together..lol
 

Ele115

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2021
Messages
96
Reaction score
58
Location
S. Fla
I have nothing bad to say about PPG. I really don't recommend a particular paint. The name brand ones that you really pay for are really going to give you the same results (Except maybe Shirley Wilson -I can't recommend them) given you do good prep and other factors don't come in. I have used DuPont (now named Axalta but the same chemically) PPG, Spies-Hecker for ages and all do pretty much the same thing. I love Glasruit, but most people can't get the hang of it because it takes a long time to get used to. It will resist fuels really well so I like it for boats and Jet Skis. If you're new to this, get the hang of it on auction cars or something you can afford to screw up. Possibly buy the cheap stuff if you aren't experienced too. Paying thousands for materials that may end in not very good results may not make sense if you're new to this. With the name brands you are paying for a warranty and racing teams. You actually get neither. The warranty is for shops that are in their contracts like big collision shops. The big paint companies meet every year outside of the US and compare next years price increases. They don't do this on US soil, so it isn't price fixing. You'll notice they all increase their prices by the same rate, so even if you switch, the increase is the same. If you are in a contract, you probably can't switch anyway. I just mention this because when you go to price materials, you will probably get some serious sticker shock.
 

Cudachuck

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2021
Messages
184
Reaction score
23
Location
Arizona
I looked at the ppg, spieheckers, glasruit and tamco websites and i guess i need more help then i thought...lol

Kind of thinking there would be an all-in-one kit with all the primers and paints needed for painting the car from the 1st coat of primer to last coat of clear. Didn't realize there was so many options.

Would someone be able to help me out that has painted a car from bare metal to finish. What you used at each stage? From what i read above it makes sense to use the same company for everything. I was going to use PPG paint and going to call them up but i don't want some sales guy selling me things i don't need. Thanks
 
Back
Top