Paint A Car With Rustoleum?

[jrelliott]

You can go to Fleet Farm or Tractor Supply and they carry some implement paint and also a limited number of colors in vehicle paint and hardner.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Before spray cans, Chief painted wheels with a Hudson, constant spray insecticide sprayer. To remove OLD ROCK hard tires and to strip the old paint, he would "cook" them on a bonfire! PO' FOLKS HAD PO' WAYS! Bill W.

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I am one of those home Model A hobbiests that if I can't do it in my driveway or garage it doesn't get done. Years back I built up a Johnny Cash version 1928, 29, 30 Woody Huckster from some of my left over parts left over from my other Model A projects. I determined to build it just for to be a "Work" truck so I could use / abuse it. It was going to be done for low dollars......

I used the local Farm and Fleet Tractor Enamel with hardner for the fenders, radiator, splash aprons, and running board. From the beginning I planned it to be a twenty footer paint job. I figured that if I ever had a scratch or bump I could then just go to any local store and buy the exact same Rustoleum replacement color.

I painted the primed body metal with a Ford Tractor Blue enamel with hardner added originally. After it was painted my Wife and Daughter did not like the color. (Note to self, In the future, always consult the live in decorating experts before starting a paint project.) They then picked out the Rustoleum Navy Blue that is close to the Model A Washington Blue color.

I then repainted it all over with their Navy Blue. I am attaching a before and after picture during this process to show the two different blue colors... Firewall Ford Tractor Blue and Cowl area Rustoleum Navy Blue.

I used an old Bink's siphon spray gun with a small air compressor for the painting. The Rustoleum flowed out real good with some cheap paint thinner but you have to have the patience to let it dry before any attempt to wet sand and for buffing it out. When I did finally got around to polish it out a couple of months later, I used some 3M "FinesseIt" compound with a power buffer on the paint job, it really popped into a great hard shine that most people assume is the auto body stuff...

This Huckster was NOT built to be a show car by any standard but at a parade or a cruise night show it gets more attention with positive comments then my other traditional Coupe and Tudor Model A's. People just like Trucks!!!

Now it is a few years down the road and it still looks good with no rust or bubbles anywhere. But just recently I was going to buy some extra Rustoleum Navy Blue in a small can for keeping on hand for some stone chip touch ups but all of the local and chain stores seem to stock only a Rustoleum Royal Blue color instead of my Navy color. Some stores have the spray cans only in Navy Blue. The Navy Blue is still available from Rustoleum but I have to now have the stores special order it in the small cans... I taped off the stone chip area and shot it with the Rustoleum Navy Blue rattle can and the chip just dissappeared.

I know that this Rustoleum paint job is not for everybody in the Model A world but for the small amount of money I invested for this Huckster I am very pleased how it looks and would do it again..

Woody with 1929 Ford TriMotor.jpg

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[Purdy Swoft]

I painted my september 29 strip down with Rustoleum. I used universal super wet look hardener and synthetic enamel reducer from Smart Shopper. I used a low cost Binks look alike gun to spray this one. I don't use my more expensive paint guns when spraying a souped up enamel paint mix. I posted pics on the safe paint thread of a model A pick up that I painted with Rustoleum and Kirker urethane activator. The urethane activator gives a much harder finish but neither is safe to spray or handle without an air supplied suit and gloves . Rustoleum will fade quickly if some type of hardener or activator isn't used. It is also best to thin Rustoleum with synthetic enamel reducer rather than mineral spirits if you want the best gloss. I use mineral spirits to thin enamel used on frames and running gear. Mineral spirits gives more of a simi gloss and looks more original for running gear. If I use urethane activator with Rustoleum, I thin it with urethane grade reducer. I do the same prep work with Rustoleum that I would do with any paint. .I wouldn't expect any paint to hold up if applied to a surface that hadn't been properly cleaned and sanded..

[PetesPonies]

Looks good. When spraying solid colors, you can get away with enamel paints. That's why I suggested machinery or tractor paints if you are on a budget. However, understand that you will not find UV protection in these low end paints, especially Rustoleum. Just something to remember.
I mixed up some Rustoleum and Tractor paint along with some enamel hardener when I painted my Model A block. It sure turned out hard as hell

[Doug in NJ]

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Originally Posted by TomW

You might try Interlux "Brightside" one part polyurethane enamel. It's much more durable than Rustoleum, and will look sprayed if you use a small dense foam roller. (available at marine stores) It also sprays quite nicely, even for a novice like me.

We used the same paint on our kitchen cabinets (which we took out and sprayed in the driveway on a big tarp). It has stood up to kitchen grease, etc. MUCH better than anything from Home Depot! I also used on a banister, and it did not get gummy from handprints like other paint I tried.

Marine supply stores have lots of nice stuff that is too nasty for Home Depot to sell!

Doug

[Doug in NJ]

Originally Posted by PetesPonies

Looks good. When spraying solid colors, you can get away with enamel paints. That's why I suggested machinery or tractor paints if you are on a budget. However, understand that you will not find UV protection in these low end paints, especially Rustoleum. Just something to remember.
I mixed up some Rustoleum and Tractor paint along with some enamel hardener when I painted my Model A block. It sure turned out hard as hell

Tractor Supply sells little cans of enamel hardener for their tractor paint line (from Valspar). It says it will work with any alkyd enamel.

Doug

[Purdy Swoft]

Thanks Pete, I do keep mine inside, now that I have a building to store them. I painted our 31 coupe in july of 1993 with black Sherwin Williams single stage urethane. My daughter has the coupe now, it has spent most of ninteen years outside or in an open shed and it still cleans up good. Single stage urethane has went up quite a bit since the early ninties. I painted our roadster with acrylic lacquer in 05.

[Bruce Adams]

Krylon black gloss in the rattle can looks like it was done in a body shop or dipped by Henry. A couple of very knowledgeable fellows, one who is credited as a contributor in Judging Standards, in the Long Island Club did their very nice fenders with this to everyones amazement. I am trying to get the nerve to do mine. I understand it is lacquer and goes on over old lacquer.

[Terry, NJ]

Check out "Magnet Paints" Around since 1915, Inexpensive, Tough, Made in US! Magnet paints are for heavy machinery, dumpster bodies, trucks, Etc. Favorable on the VOCs. Check them out!
Terry

[Iron Shaper]

I have use rustoleum paints on all my tractor restorations and now on my model a. Spray it on with a Harbor freight $10 spray gun. Goes on nice, but does need to be kept out of the sun. It cost alot less the auto paints. My model a is a driver ,not to worried about the paint job. But the rustoleum will last long enough. I am sure that Henry did not put alot of effort or money into a model a paint job either.
Just my 2 cents

Walter

[ronn]

Charlie has it right with MAACO- do all of the bodywork yourself and they'll give it a real nice spray for around 500 beans....

[30Ford]

I just bought a base / clear ,for my other car it retailed for 750 plus tax,,,I got it for cost plus because my son worked there,,,,might get paint from a body shop or a jobber that screwed up a gallon ...a lot of the time it saves them disposal fees

[Art Bjornestad]

Right after WWii you could buy a can of enamel that was thinned so that you could apply it with the supplied powder puff. The result was great for about a year.

[tamagrouchy]

My Rustoleum Roadster < link to picture, still looks presentable. I have to touch it up every once in a while, but I bought it 6 years ago with this paint job and it looks like it was painted a LONG time ago. Maybe some day I'll make it pretty, but my kids still like to climb on it, and I don't cringe when people touch it at cruise nights.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by Art Bjornestad

Right after WWii you could buy a can of enamel that was thinned so that you could apply it with the supplied powder puff. The result was great for about a year.

Art,
You've got a great memory! I had forgotten about that.
Wonder if that's what the movie "STARLETS" use They all look the same when "painted" up Wonder what they look like when they get out of the sack in the A.M? Probably look like me when I scare myself in the mirror & think we have an ugly INTRUDER. Ever seen a pic of Oprah before make-up & hair-do? SCARY! Bill W.

[Dodge]

I bought a car that was sprayed with Rustoleum gloss black paint the left outside
for about 4 yrs. It did fade but has a great patina, looks like the paint is original
80 yrs. old kind of nice look. Car looks unrestored.
I have painted cars and boats with acrylic enamel paint with a hardner in it with
a foam roller. I let it dry and wet sanded and polished them. Everyone that saw them
thought they had been sprayed. (about 3 coats with a roller) also a foam roller with
acrylic paint you go thru about 5 or 6 roller in the process as the paint softens them up.

[Mike V. Florida]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qPJTTRWttQ

[ursus]

Forget about Rustoleum! It doesn't hold up well under the weather. Check out the relatively inexpensive single stage urethane paints that the boat guys use. They can be either sprayed or applied using the "roll and tip" method in which the paint goes on with a 4 inch roller and immediately brushed over with a foam brush to level it out. One supplier, Jamestown Marine, has an array of products, some with a hardener, and videos showing how it is done. A friend painted his 36 foot sailboat using the roll and tip method and the results were amazing. The good part is that no respirator was needed and all the paint goes on the surface and not in the air.

[Purdy Swoft]

I sprayed this one with Rustoleum on the cab and bed and used Kirker ultra-glo acrylic urethane single stage on the fenders..

No oil base or synthetic-alkyd enamel will hold up well or keep its gloss if used without a hardener or activator. I used the same Kirker ultra-glo urethane activator with the Rustoleum that I used with the Kirker paint on the fenders. The Rustoleum-Kirker combination worked well and saved lots of money. Kirker sells one of the lowest priced single stage urethanes that I know of. I painted my speedster with Kirker acrylic enamel with hardener in 1995 and it still retains its shine .

Dodge makes a good point about Rustoleum and patina if left outside. If no type hardener or activator is used it will fade quickly, even quicker if thinned with lacquer thinner or acetone.

I plan to use Rustolem without hardener, thinned with lacquer thinner on my 29 tudor. I want the patina look. If used in this manner it will have good gloss at first but will fade quickly. Purdy.