I have been thinking about the cheap paintjob.

[regularman]

I was looking for some black basecoat to paint the rockers on the midget and was serching ebay. you know they will sell you a gallon of cheap arylic enamel paint on there for $40 plus 15 for shipping. I bet that stuff could be used right out of the can with no thinning and applied with the roller. That enamel always took a long time to dry after I sprayed it even with thinner so I bet that stuff would self level and work out as well or better than the rustoleum. I would buy a light color (for obvious reasons) and try it out and you would probably still have over 3/4 of the gallon left over to try again or spray it. some of the colors look good.(at least in the can). I serched under "paint enamel"

 

[Trevor Jessie]

There are occasions when cheap is good. If I spend countless hours straightening a car body, then cheap paint is not an option. If it is a daily driver that I'm just trying to get 4-5 years out of until time to fix it right... sure.

...just food for thought.

 

[Speedy_Pete]

For that price it's got to be worth a shot.

 

[spritenut]

I had (given to me) 2 gals of that paint they sell cheap.
It was red enamel. When I was finished painting the car with about 20 coats so it covered the primer, It was so dull I had to clear coat the car anyway.
It's cheap paint for a reason. You get what you pay for.
In my case I paid nothing and got nothing but trouble.
I think I still have the other gallon if some one wants it.
Free please come take it. It's tough to ship paint.

 

[Shealey]

Take $65.00 and put it in the bank. Then when you have another impulse to waste another $ 65.00 put that in the bank. Depending on how impulsive you are pretty soon you'll have enough money to have a nice car.

 

[bugimike]

I had (given to me) 2 gals of that paint they sell cheap.
It was red enamel. When I was finished painting the car with about 20 coats so it covered the primer, It was so dull I had to clear coat the car anyway.
It's cheap paint for a reason. <span style="color: #FF0000">You get what you pay for</span>.
In my case I paid nothing and got nothing but trouble.
I think I still have the other gallon if some one wants it.
Free please come take it. It's tough to ship paint.

This is especially true in the world of paints, and it may not necessarily show so much in how the paint <span style="color: #3366FF">looks</span> so much as to how well it <span style="color: #FF0000">lasts</span> over the long term!!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

 

[zimmy]

im gonna use the farm type rustoleum.....
its cheaper than ur cheap stuff at only $36/g .
search for the color u want..z

 

[Morris]

Now that I read this thread, I feel guilty for bringing the whole cheap paint job thread up.

Kim, you are spending many, many hours getting your body perfect. Cheapo paint is fine for a beater like mine. It will never be a show car. But your car has real potential.

Also, I found Automotive Lacquer Base coat at Advance Auto for $20 a quart. Maybe no better than what you are getting, but I bet 2 quarts would do the whole car.

 

[jlaird]

A gal did Miss Agatha all over inside and out and bottem etc. Had some left over even.

 

[regularman]

Don't worry, I am gonna spray mine. I have over $300 in stuff I bought already. I was just thinking back to before I decided to do the restoration. My car was painted gold (there should be a law against that) and if I had opted not to do the resto, then the cheap paint would have been an option. Just one other point here, enamel is cheap as in economical, I have had good luck with it lasting and wearing well. If you were to go buy a gallon at a paint store, it probably would not run more than $70 or so for a gallon. So the paint sold on ebay is probably about right cutting out all the middle men. I bought a gallon of metalic brown enamel and painted my mustang II in 1987. It cost 29 bucks(brown had red in it and that made it cost more at the time). The paint was still good and had plenty of shine when I gave the car away because of transmission problems back in 1992 and was just tired of it and had too many cars. I have never had a problem with enamel the way spritenut says he did, I would be suspicious of paint being given. I would have bought enamel for my midget, but once I saw the yellow, I had to have it and it was only in basecoat/clearcoat.

 

[regularman]

Now that I read this thread, I feel guilty for bringing the whole cheap paint job thread up.

Kim, you are spending many, many hours getting your body perfect. Cheapo paint is fine for a beater like mine. It will never be a show car. But your car has real potential.

Also, I found Automotive Lacquer Base coat at Advance Auto for $20 a quart. Maybe no better than what you are getting, but I bet 2 quarts would do the whole car.

I need to check advance for some black then,I never thought of that. I need some to do the rockers. I plan on driving this car. I have found that its impossible to have a trophy and use it too. I will use mine, but not quite as hard as I did before. It will be my summer daily driver and switch to the Kia 4wd in the winter.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

One other source for paint is Tractor Supply. They've got all of the Farm Implement Colors in enamel finishes as well as other formulations that carry the usual if you use this without a respirator warnings you will die. Gallon for something like $20.00 last time I looked.

 

[racingenglishcars]

I have almost always managed to get mis-matched colors at the local automotive paint store. It was top quality paint and would go for very cheap prices but it usually wouldn't match anything. Oddball colors is the word. Though I have gotten a couple gallons of plain red. It matched VW Mercedes, Alfa etc. My Amazon is painted with it now. For my BE I expect to pay the going price.

 

[Speedy_Pete]

It was painted GOLD??? Was it on Pimp my jalopy?

 

[regularman]

It was gold and had dark blue stripes down the sides. It was done well but I hated the colors and that gold paint was absolutely impossible to work with as far as body work, nothing would stick to it. I don't think I have a single pic of it.

 

[Shealey]

This is the second post I read today about paint. I'm really confused and starting to get concerned.

Is this a thread supposed to be a joke? I don't get it. Why would anyone intensionally want their car to look like an old piece of farm equipment? I understand the concept of being thrifty. But there is a difference in being thrifty and just plain cheap at the expense of being the butt of the joke. Can you imagine pulling up at the local British outing with a car full of brush marks with dirt imbedded in the dull lifeless paint? Cheap wouldn't even come to mind. People would need to talk to you just to see if you were smart enough to have a drivers license.

Come on.... Really... How many guys think boat (which is very expensive) or tractor paint is an acceptable finish for a classic british sport car?

So again, is this thread supposed to be a joke? Sometimes it's hard to tell with flat text.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

I never make fun of anyone willing to put forth blood sweat and tears to enjoy a little British car. Nobody is suggesting that this is better than a professional paint job. They are just saying it is better than letting a car rust away.

 

[zimmy]

welll, i guess if i had a 59 Bugeye instead of a 74 midget,
i might be a little more concerned with the paint method....z

 

[terriphill]

To be honest, I see Shealey's point, but I've got LOTS of our money tied up in the motor...still need a whole list of stuff AND if I don't pay attention to the paint soon....well you know what happens in a state with 100% humidity 5 months a year. The point is I agree with zimmy...1st its a 77 midget...daily driver and NOT a garage queen show car. 2nd..I will spend the money some day having a beautiful paint job (I hope) but until I can afford the real thing, is it possible to achieve a passable and decent looking paint job at an affordable price? Particularly if I'm willing to do the prep and sweat equity. I've paid for one of those econo/Maaco paint jobs and to be honest I belive I could have done better with a can of rustoleum. So, in the end...what do want? what can you afford? is it possible to have both?

 

[regularman]

Looks like someone didn't see the orange charger in that other thread /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif