I'm on a really tight budget and my car is solid, except for its paint job, which is about the sixth worst I've ever seen. I recalled somebody mentioning tractor paint and checked it out. Here's a quote I found:

"I've got JD tractors around here that are 30+ years old with it painted on the cabs, no chalky effect. As far as the durability, like I said, come take a look at our tractors, not a mark, nearly 30 years old of being a loader tractor on a cattle ranch in North Dakota. It has stood up to mud, gravel, sand, cow crap, snow, pressure washers, probably had just about every fluid imagineable spilled on it inadvertantly, still not a chip, flake, or signs of rust. I dont know what you would call that but I call it pretty dang durable."

I'm planning on a gloss red, and this paint seems to be much more durable than more expensive automotive single-stage paints (which need constant care and fade in a few years from what I'd researched). I have access to an HVLP gun and compressor. This job would be just under 60 bucks counting the quart of black, gallon of red, and hardener. Way better than the $110 I was looking at for SS from TCPGlobal.com.

Logically, tractor paint should be great for cars. Since it's usually going on a tractor, which nobody will likely ever wax, and which will be out in the sun many many hours of the day, and getting bumped into by farm stuff, it makes sense that it would have to be quite fade resistant and durable or it wouldn't be much good to anyone.

I'm going off to college in a year or so, therefore my financial situation will only get worse. Try not to tell me to wait and buy BC/CC.

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1988 Metallic Red Pontiac Fiero CJB T-Top Coupe, # 784 of 1252

Don't be stupid, spend the extra $40 and buy some automotive Single stage paint. Also if you plan on painting your car again in the future you need to know that you can not paint anything over oil based paints other than oil based paint. There is a scale for resistance to fading, tractor paint is a 6 and automotive SS is 87, and the scale is out of 100. Just remember to wax your car when your done, and spend the time on prep work, sand with 370g heaver will show and finer will chip off.

It's great stuff. I used the Van Sickle brand CaseIH red with their hardener and thinner with a Wagner Control Spray HVLP gun and it turned out great. Plenty shiny with the hardener and no runs, but a little orange peel where I was trying to be careful not to put it on too thick

Two years and counting and it still looks great. Sorry I don't have pictures.

The stuff seems pretty forgiving but you still have to do decent prep to get good results. Won't be show quality, but I couldn't justify a pricey paint job on a $500 car so I tried it and I'd do it again.

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Fleet Farm has some pretty nice tractor paint. High quality.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a lacquer guy, but, I've painted cars with enamel before. Nothing wrong with it. If you want to change it to fancier stuff in a few years, you just sand and prime and you are off to the races.

Implement paint won't give you as high a shine but it is good and solid. I'd say go for it.

Arn

I was checking out Valspar's line of regular (not restoration) tractor and implement paints from Tractor Supply. Anybody use that? What would be an appropriate primer to use? The ones that work for tractor paint are generally only for metals. I'm not looking for a deep show shine, just want to rid myself of the awful hood, roof, and decklid oxidation and general paint chipping and fade. Pics would be awesome if it's not too much trouble deceler8 Thank you for your responses everyone else.

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1988 Metallic Red Pontiac Fiero CJB T-Top Coupe, # 784 of 1252

[This message has been edited by Fiero1K (edited 05-31-2010).]

I painted an 85 Silverado a few years back with I/H red and it turned out great IMO. Had just a bit of orange peal but nothing that couldn't be wet sanded and buffed. Had a pretty good shine too. Only problem I had with it was I must not have used enough reducer in it and it took forever to dry. Very durable stuff.

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Sad to say this is the best looking part of the car so far!

Donnie

I'v hears very good and very bad thingsa about paiont a car with tractor paint. but i have only heard them towards a mostley metal car... id say save up yopur money and take it to a reputable maacco. i did it with my 87 and it came out really nice for what i pained. few imperfections here and there but it wasent an $8000 paint job.

quote Originally posted by Fiero1K: I'm going off to college in a year or so, therefore my financial situation will only get worse. Try not to tell me to wait and buy BC/CC.

Cheap solution or terrible idea?
TERRIBLE idea. If you're going to the trouble of prepping (it's a lot of work to do it right), then spend a few extra $$$ & use base/clear. I tried not to tell you that....
If you paint it with tractor paint you - or a future owner - will HAVE to strip all of it off to do a quality paintjob. Therefore it makes your car worth MUCH LESS after you go to all that trouble to paint it.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

I'm with the bomb squad: if you see me running, try to keep up!

[This message has been edited by Tha Driver (edited 06-01-2010).]

Depends what you are looking for I guess. We paint racecars with tractor supply implement paint thinned out and sprayed. It looks decent when it is finished and is durrable, but like others said, you can get automotive paint for not too much more.

quote Originally posted by pontiackid86: I'v hears very good and very bad thingsa about paiont a car with tractor paint. but i have only heard them towards a mostley metal car... id say save up yopur money and take it to a reputable maacco. i did it with my 87 and it came out really nice for what i pained. few imperfections here and there but it wasent an $8000 paint job.

Dude... just how fat are your fingers, or could you not feel them when you typed this?

quote Originally posted by Tha Driver: TERRIBLE idea. you - or a future owner - will HAVE to strip all of it off to do a quality paintjob. ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver"

Spoken like a true professional. If a guy brings his Porsche into the shop and wants a premium $10,000 paint job, sure you're going to strip it to bare metal and go from there. For the home guy with a Pontiac or a Chevy, with limited budget, you don't have to remove an enamel paint job in order to repaint. You just clear off the wax, sand it smooth and prime, or in the case of some paints, paint right over the scratch coat.

Implement enamel is strong and serviceable paint. It doesn't fade much, and it stands abrasion well. It is pretty hard and resistant to petroleum products. It also goes on well. It is not a finicky paint to apply. For an economical home paint job there are far worse choices. Like, for instance, an expensive acrylic base/clear that is sensitive to temperature, humidity, and requires baking.

I'd say your implement paint is a good home brew for a reasonable paint job.

Arn

quote Originally posted by pontiackid86: I'v hears very good and very bad thingsa about paiont a car with tractor paint. but i have only heard them towards a mostley metal car... id say save up yopur money and take it to a reputable maacco. i did it with my 87 and it came out really nice for what i pained. few imperfections here and there but it wasent an $8000 paint job.

Alcohol.....improves your spelling with one 12-pack!

My blue fiero was painted with tractor paint (new holland blue) back in 2005 and has held up pretty decent. I have driven about 40K miles since then and the paint has been very resistant to paint chips or peeling (even after a side swipe episode with a focus). It had a bunch of orange peel and in 2007 I finally got around to color sanding it and that made it look 100x better.

I will probably do the same on my red fiero eventually...

For me it was the perfect solution to having a multi colored fiero and it has held up pretty decent.

Edit, firewall at work killed access to photobucket over the holiday weekend... here is a pic of my tractor painted GT:

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 06-01-2010).]

I would expect that " tractor paint " is just enamel paint in tractor manufacturer colors. There really isn't anything different between paints other than the type of paint.....lacquer, enamel, urethane. So, if it is in fact enamel paint it's just labeled differently for the farm market. Enamel car paint and enamel tractor paint is the same type of paint......and should hold up just fine.

If it isn't enamel paint, let us know....

Mark the paint guy

Pics would be great those who have painted Fieros with it as well as some info on reducer, hardener, and primers you used, if you can remember.
I checked Tractor Supply's line of Valspar Tractor and Implement paint. It is a heavy duty enamel. Here's what I'm looking at as far as paint goes.

*Valspar Tractor & Implement High Gloss Enamel, Ford Red, 1 gal. $32.99
*Valspar Tractor & Implement High Gloss Enamel, Gloss Black, 1 qt. $11.99
*Valspar Enamel Hardener, 8 fl. oz. (enough for the above paint?) $14.99

Total(w/tax): $63.57

That's really good for complete paint for trim and body with a bunch to spare. Cheaper than cheap SS by a lot.

Then I think I'll need some primer for durability reasons. Is epoxy primer appropriate for this situation? Best price I could find for that was $36.95 for a kit making 1.5 sprayable qts, bringing the total to $102.74.

Epoxy is all the rage for restoring old metal. It is hard when done, but it is a two part mix and on a plastic body panel you just don't need it. Regular red oxide primer is all you need.

The big trick is thinning it. Better too thin than too thick. There should be thinning instructions on either the can or at the store.

Going to 25% thinners (enamel reducer) is a start and you can go further than that.

Arn

[This message has been edited by Arns85GT (edited 06-01-2010).]

http://www.8ntractors.com/f...primer_1705_prd1.htm

would that work for primer?

http://www.spaceagepaint.co....aspx?id_product=273

will this for reducer?

quote Originally posted by Arns85GT: Epoxy is all the rage for restoring old metal. It is hard when done, but it is a two part mix and on a plastic body panel you just don't need it. Regular red oxide primer is all you need. The big trick is thinning it. Better too thin than too thick. There should be thinning instructions on either the can or at the store. Going to 25% thinners (enamel reducer) is a start and you can go further than that. Arn

"Regular red oxide primer " Is laquer primer; about the worst you can use on plastic & especially the very flexible bumper covers - it WILL crack when flexed, unless you use a flex agent additive & then it may still crack. PPG epoxy primer is the way to go.
I still wouldn't use plain enamel tractor paint (or even acrylic enamel) just to save a hundred bucks or so. And I have less money here than anyone else. Hell I even used epoxy primer on my pickup frame, but I did use acrylic enamel w/hardner on it (I didn't care what it looked like), since I had some on the shelf for a couple decades. Even made a webpage for it too now: http://angelonearth.net/pickup.html
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

"James Lewis - get away from that wheelbarrow; you know you don't know nutin' 'bout machinery!"

A friend of mine uses this paint on a regular basis. He painted my truck and one of my fieros as well. As long as you do the proper prep work it'll turn out to be a very nice paint job and you can save alot of money doing it. If you want a real shine be prepared to put some elbow grease into it and it'll look great.

quote Originally posted by Tha Driver: "Regular red oxide primer " Is laquer primer; about the worst you can use on plastic & especially the very flexible bumper covers ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver" "James Lewis - get away from that wheelbarrow; you know you don't know nutin' 'bout machinery!"

Funny, red primer is all my Fiero has got to date and no cracks. Go fig eh? Or is it a case of some exaggeration or repeated urban tales? I suppose that all that lacquer applied to those custom Corvettes is trashing all their body panels? Red primer goes well under urethane, enamel, acrylic and lacquer.

Oh, I know, the lacquer is cracking in the sun and creating spider veins all over those expensive hoods. You seem to think that anything old school is trash, and I don't like using stuff that is meant for a paint booth with full respirator and heat lamps. This is not an argument to win or lose. It is preference. Why don't we give it a rest?

Arn

quote Originally posted by Arns85GT: Funny, red primer is all my Fiero has got to date and no cracks. Go fig eh? Or is it a case of some exaggeration or repeated urban tales? I suppose that all that lacquer applied to those custom Corvettes is trashing all their body panels? Red primer goes well under urethane, enamel, acrylic and lacquer. Oh, I know, the lacquer is cracking in the sun and creating spider veins all over those expensive hoods. You seem to think that anything old school is trash, and I don't like using stuff that is meant for a paint booth with full respirator and heat lamps. This is not an argument to win or lose. It is preference. Why don't we give it a rest? Arn

I'm just sayin': you bump something (or push against it with your leg or something) & it WILL crack the paint, actually quite easily. I prefer not to take the chance.
I've shot a LOT of laquer back in the day - on show cars & street cars. No real reason to use it today, unless you're restoring an OLD car that came with it originally.
I've also stripped a LOT of cars (most recently the hood on my BMW) with a razor blade that were shot with laquer primer. Just not the best adhesion for urethanes & enamels.
I don't have a paint booth or heat lamps.
Most of my custom work is "old school". I plan to run scallops and spiderweb panels on my pickup truck. (BTW I might add that you use laquer for the spiderweb, although I plan to shoot it over base color & clear it with urethane...)
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Some people say the glass is half full. Some people say the glass is half empty. I say it depends on whether you're pouring or drinking.

Are urethane primers useful for this application or will they not adhere to the enamel? What was tge fiero primed with originally?

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1988 Metallic Red Pontiac Fiero CJB T-Top Coupe, # 784 of 1252

[This message has been edited by Fiero1K (edited 06-01-2010).]

Most urethane primers will work just fine. The question is whether it will work with the paint you are buying. Manufacturers use different solvents for their paints and some are not compatible with others. The people to ask are the tech support guys and gals that make the paint.

As for lacquer primer, it's fine for the Fiero repaints. I prefer not to use lacquer primer as the lacquer primer dries by the thinner evaporating from the primer and bonding to the parts. It will flex just fine but the problem that you can run into is the primer shrinking while drying. When you have sanding scratches in the surface that the primer fills those scratches will begin to show after a time because the primer shrinks into the grooves and if there is paint and clear on top of it it pulls it into the depression.....the sanding scratches will appear over time. Not a big deal if you are priming a smooth surface before painting but if the scratches reappear you can wetsand a bit and repolish. I prefer epoxy primer myself but I'll still use lacquer occasionally.

Mark the paint guy

Bump, still wondering if these will work, or if there are reasonably priced alternatives.

quote Originally posted by Fiero1K: http://www.8ntractors.com/f...primer_1705_prd1.htm would that work for primer? http://www.spaceagepaint.co....aspx?id_product=273 will this for reducer?

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1988 Metallic Red Pontiac Fiero CJB T-Top Coupe, # 784 of 1252