Yes, I did it, I painted my 84 Fiero with Rustoleum and a roller. Before doing so, I read and researched this method and decided to do it...and I'm pretty happy I did. Years ago I painted a clunker I owned with spray cans--gloss black. Only in the rain would the clunker's paint job look uniform and appear "not cloudy" or without a splotchy shine to the paint but I sure spent a lot of money trying, ugghh. All these years later I still laugh at the thought of my attempt at rattle-canning anything, let alone a car. After purchasing my Fiero, my boyfriend decided he was some sort of "professional" on prepping the car before painting--NOT! He had a hand-held grinder with a wire wheel of some sort out gouging the hood---when I realized what he was doing and after seeing the damage he had done--well, let's just leave it at me being less than happy with his attempted "help". Not only was my "new" car already in serious need of a fresh paint job--it took forever to smooth out the numerous areas he "prepped". It took about a month of sanding and painting and even more sanding--but--all in all---super happy with how it turned out...and my boyfriend didn't think it would be do-able with painting a car with the Rustoleum and Roller--so he took his 67 Chevy Chevelle one of those leading "affordable" paint places that claims to paint your vehicle for almost nothing--yeah--and the paint on his car has numerous runs, over-spray and the entire car is as smooth as, well, orange peel. He now thinks he might try painting his truck---after he does some "preppinng"--this ought to be good--he is a PROFESSIONAL.
I'd love to see some photos. I researched the method, too, for my '87 coupe and even tried it on a couple of panels. I gave up because I couldn't get the mixture right.
OK here is a pro tip from a pro (me) I use Rustoleum paint every day at work and replaced our entire paint line with it at my work on the paper machines we build. Paying 20 bucks a can instead of 65 was the main motivation to try it and the results have been stunning for us in cost and durability. Before this we used a product called Crotech dtm Arcylic Enamel. AKA JUNK! After a years of machines rusting out cause it is basically latex wall paint( not my idea to use in first place) I had enough and wanted oil based enamel that could stand up to the humidity in a Mississippi Delta river Paper mill or in the jungles of South America so I figured what the hell the cost was worth the experiment. Rustoleum on its own is ok but dries way to slow and is subject to sun fade and chemicals so you have to modify it a bit. After messing around I figured out a mix of 1 gallon of paint to 6 ounces of acrylic enamel hardener like you would use in a autocryl like Nason farm implement paint Does not really matter the brand you use of the catalyst . then you thin it down ( this is to spray it with gun) 1 and 1/8 quarts of omni ms 251 multi purpose solvent( or similar) with 4 ounces of mek ( methyl ethyl keytone). mix the hardener in it first let it induct for about 5 minutes then add the solvents. it will dry typically overnight and be totally hard in a few days and over a week or so become tough as nails and have very brilliant shine to it. I have been using it since December so still playing with it in all sorts of temp ranges but the past 2 weeks it's been 91 in my booth 65 percent or higher humidity and dew point just as bad or higher and the stuff still drys like a champ. It can be tinted to any color you want it in at any Menards. the mix is almost impossible to run when sprayed. 2 coats builds like crazy for a car I would probably thin it another 4 ounces and do a third coat waiting a half hour in between coats to maximize it flowing out. I typically use around 200 gallons a machine this stuff cut that down by 50 and I could not be happier ( got me big raise) Sometimes the best thing is the least likely. It may not be Dupont Chroma base but if you want a cheap paint for a cheap car this is a great option.
I painted the underside of my hood with it, and intend to spray my engine bay with it when I do my swap. It's good stuff, but I'm not sure I would want to do an exterior in it, especially if it was going to see extensive sun. The only part of the exterior of my car that's painted with this stuff is the engine vents, which have held up well so far, but the car is garage kept and rarely driven.
Only problem is that because it is oil based, if the hood, roof, and decklid were sanded down to the bare part, the oil may absorb into the fibers so later on down the line it will be complete hell if not impossible for you to use real automotive paint and get adhesion. You may have to replace the hood, decklid, and roof panel with a used set before repainting with real automotive paint.
I have a few spare fenders and door skins lets do a experiment..... Will grab some leftover paint from work tomorrow spray it and let it sit in sun exposed outside for a few months and so on.
I have a few spare fenders and door skins lets do a experiment..... Will grab some leftover paint from work tomorrow spray it and let it sit in sun exposed outside for a few months and so on.
<quote> Three year update... "Hard to believe that three years have gone by since the Corvair got the $50 paintjob. No chalking, no flaking, no peeling. The gloss doesn't seem to have faded that I can tell. I've waxed it all of three times now..."
A friend of a friend of mine painted his car with Rustoleum and a roller - actually a couple of them - and they turned out so well I did some touch-up on an old car with it. Results have been great, has held up for years. Here is his site, including a 3-year followup:
I used his method - Rustoleum thinned with mineral spirits - and have zero complaints. The key is thin coats with a color sand between. It's time consuming for a whole car but crazy cheap.
For appearances really it would all be about the sanding and buffing.
How is the UV resistance?
Uv resistance would be enhanced with catalyst and thanks guys ya saved me some work testing lol. I ahve done sample studies with and without catalyst and for sure you get a much harder scratch resistant paint with it in it and more gloss. It is also more resistant to chemicals as well like blue lock tight.
I'm prepping to do a krylon rattlebomb job on my daily driver. So far the test piece that was primed, painted and cleared looks good. I hit it with 600, 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit paper (wet) but still need to buff to see the final result. Fingers crossed it'll look good from 10 feet. As long as you prep and take your time it should turn out really good.
------------------
ARCHIES JUNK IS FASTER THAN SHAUNNA'S JUNK
12.3 is faster than a 13.2
[This message has been edited by FIEROPHREK (edited 08-23-2016).]
Uv resistance would be enhanced with catalyst and thanks guys ya saved me some work testing lol. I ahve done sample studies with and without catalyst and for sure you get a much harder scratch resistant paint with it in it and more gloss. It is also more resistant to chemicals as well like blue lock tight.
One would be using a real spray gun then correct? Or can you catalyst with a roller or spray can?
One would be using a real spray gun then correct? Or can you catalyst with a roller or spray can?
roller yes. store bought spray bomb no..\
You can always get automotive grade enamel and roll it on,, just not metallic colors. but with macco offering 499 paint job's.. if I didn't roll on house enamel I'd drive it in and have automotive paint put on.. and most can't do it for 499.00
Many forget how bad older automotive paint really was.. it wasn't uv resistant , and it didn't last, it was soft.. or it was rock hard and chipped easily .. one only has to look at the underside of a deck lid and the sun baked top to see ,they did fade and bad.. This is why when you want to match the oem color correctly you go off the "jams" as the outer color is way off from when it was sprayed..
This is a great topic,as I've got 3 cars to paint eventually,and I think I'm going to try this method on one to see how it turns out. One question that I have and need to do some research on is the body work /prep. issue. I know the car panels are composed of different materials and was wondering if anyone has written a thread pertaining to body work techniques on the different panels.....what filler to use on each panel....etc.
When I worked in a machine shop part of my job was painting. While I used guns not rollers I did use Rustoleum for some of the work. I also used aerospace finishes which are wicked sticky and a pain in the rear to clean up... Anyways, the Rustoleum was mostly on machinery but I also did several flatbeds 2 of which were for the shop itself. It wasn't terrible paint to spray and gave a pretty decent shine. I didn't have to worry about color sanding and polishing on that stuff because well, it was going to get beat up. Still on the flatbeds on our delivery trucks the paint held up very well and 5 or so years down the road I didn't notice any major fading. At the time I also had to spray some machines with automotive finishes. I found the automotive paints easier to work with even with the mixing of catalysts. They just laid on easier. That's not saying I never tried Rustoleum on a car, I have. I've only ever sprayed it on cars I didn't plan on keeping super long term so I know it held up well for 3 or so years but after that I have no idea. I once got a single stage from paintforcars.com that I personally liked the Rustoleum more. That thankfully wasn't for one of my cars but I think when it comes to actual automotive paints I'll stick with the base and clear. The drying time of Rustoleum is really the only big complaint I would have about it. Seems like it takes about a month to really cure fully when sprayed. For an inexpensive paint job, Rustoleum is usable but I'd still spray it rather than roller. Spray will just go so much quicker and so much easier. You can pick up a spray gun without to much investment from a swap meet, eBay, pawn shop or so on. Sure some will be used and probably need a good cleaning plus new o-rings but it will still make the job easier than rolling.
One would be using a real spray gun then correct? Or can you catalyst with a roller or spray can?
I am running a sata gun with 3 gallon pressure pot setup as I paint very large items but the same mix works for a cup gun and with a little less thinner could be rolled just fine too I would imagine.
This is a great topic,as I've got 3 cars to paint eventually,and I think I'm going to try this method on one to see how it turns out. One question that I have and need to do some research on is the body work /prep. issue. I know the car panels are composed of different materials and was wondering if anyone has written a thread pertaining to body work techniques on the different panels.....what filler to use on each panel....etc.
I have been testing this setup this week for flexibility and so far it takes a heck of a flexing. We make guard doors out of pretty thin sheet metal for the skins I think 18 gauge and my parts chick got the bright Idea to taco one of them not paying attention. I was afraid the paint would have cracked and get, well..... like a rubber bumper in a accident but nope it took it like a champ. One thing I have noticed tho is adhesion to raw aluminum stuff sucks. the paint sticks really well to steel sheet metal but aluminum surfaces need to be sanded for proper adhesion. As I was messing with mixes today to combat humidity 80% temp 79 yuck, I added 5 ounces of MEK to the mix and got the paint kicking where I can touch it and it not being sticky in a little under 4 hours. By morning I will be setting the parts down on nylon strips I have ( think subway cutting board material at sub shop) to store them as they are 4 inch thick wall tube 10 feet long. I stack them up pretty tall and well hundreds of pounds on top of each other the stuff does not leave squish marks where the plastic was in between the tubes. If I remember tomorrow I will try to take a few pics I have to kinda sneak them in cause we have a no pic rule at work. So, with all that I would imagine on Fiero panels a good sanding of 220 grit is going to be your best bet. with 3 coats sprayed or more if you choose.
[This message has been edited by jetsnvettes2000 (edited 08-24-2016).]
Only problem is that because it is oil based, if the hood, roof, and decklid were sanded down to the bare part, the oil may absorb into the fibers so later on down the line it will be complete hell if not impossible for you to use real automotive paint and get adhesion. You may have to replace the hood, decklid, and roof panel with a used set before repainting with real automotive paint.
It's been 3 years since I painted it and I don't plan on repainting it with real paint.
[This message has been edited by DancerQuest (edited 12-27-2017).]
Please don't mind these .....Guys......They get going and say things that are not all together...perfect. I'm a guy and I have it on good authority (Several ex-GFs) that I can insert BOTH of my feet in my mouth....Apparently it is my "best" talent!
It would be nice to see a picture of your paint job- and obviously, your car......although, I actually can NOT post pics here! One of the guys on here can help you with posting pics...as long as you were not trained in the Navy as an electronics tech (I'm so embarrassed.....)
I painted my entire car with aerosol cans and a great clear coat Aerosol product called 2 k max that has a built in Gardner that you have to activate before use. It took me 2 weeks of prep and removing panels to do it right and it’s better than any 4K or less paint job with no overspray anywhere. Cost me about 1200 Canadian for all materials including prep,tape and primer and adhesion promoter which is key for plastic panels!
Photos please.
