heart attack at paint store--what is a reasonably priced paint

[Ziffer]

Went to price out paint for my roadster and thought I was paying off the national debt.

What is a good quality paint that will not break me financially?

I need a dark blue and was looking for enamal but they recommende acrylic epoxy. Priced laquer and it is just as expensive. Was PPG paint but 1.5 gal with hardner and reducer for $1000.00 seems crazy.

Any thoughts on other manufacturers etc???

thanks
Z

[oldrelics]

I use TCP Global. They have all types and qualitys of paint.

[deuce lover]

I just bought a qt of dk blue(color matched) urethane,hardener and reducer for $74.It is PPG Shop Line.

[Big John]

price it at macs antique auto sit down first.......john

[zzlegend]

I wont use anything but PPG. Lucky that I had 2 gallons of paint from a couple of years ago, so I just went and bought hardner and reducer. Painting my roadster this week. But a gallon is about 300 dollars out here in Calif. if I were to go buy it today.

[mike42]

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Ziffer......12 years ago I had my 1949 F-1 painted Crimson Red.....in those days it was
$ 250 a gallon. I paid $ 3,950 to have it painted in 2001 ! I was shocked as hell....last time I had a car painted it was by Earl Scheibe for $ 29.95 ! Did I just date myself ?

[barnfind]

On the very low end - Ford Blue enamel with hardener at TractorSupply.
Less than $50 for a gal. Mix with black to tint it.

Doubt you want to use if on roadster though it might work on interior panels.

[wga]

Check Summit Racing, Eastwood. NAPA are now stocking Martin Senour paints and they have decent prices. Barret Jackson (auction guys) have a line of paints, http://www.martinsenour-autopaint.co...t-Jackson.aspx

If you use a base coat / clear use a quality clear coat, one with UV blocking. I used an el cheapo clear and learned the hard way. Peeled in 6 months. Sanded off the crap clear and used a clear from Southern Polyurethanes.
http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/ Excellent results, and going on 5 years.

[Kahuna]

X 2 for TCP Global. Great stuff and service.

http://www.autocolorlibrary.com/

[Seth Swoboda]

I use the PPG base/clear. PPG has many different lines of paint. I prefer their Shop Line paints. It is less expensive then their top of the line Deltron. Omni is their cheapest, still a good paint. I just go middle of the road with Shop Line.

[BlueSunoco]

I always heard that red was always more expensive. The new Chevy's and Ford's with that pretty ivory white Titanium adds a thousand bucks to the sticker price just for that paint job, advertised as triple coat. Sure looks good though........

[MARVIN, CT]

Painted my roadster with some left-over black Dupont Centari. A very forgiving paint for an amature, but had to go to R.I. for hardener. Marvin,ct

[Ross6860]

Originally Posted by BlueSunoco

I always heard that red was always more expensive. The new Chevy's and Ford's with that pretty ivory white Titanium adds a thousand bucks to the sticker price just for that paint job, advertised as triple coat. Sure looks good though........

+1

I paid nearly a couple hundred almost 20 years ago for material to paint a motorcycle frame

I picked Guards Red. Told him I wanted the most durable paint I could get since it would have oil, gasoline, road tar, bug guts, etc on it routinely.

The guy behind the counter chuckled before he even looked it up. Told me reds were definitely the most expensive pigments, and I picked one of the most expensive paints they carried. It was some type of PPG two-part epoxy with a flow-out additive. I'm a terrible painter and it came out pretty well, and was plenty durable. So I got what I paid for.

On a car body, I'll pay someone. I know my limitations.

EDIT - It was not quite that expensive back then. It was PPG Delstar Acrylic Enamel (I still have the can, why? I have no idea).

[Old Henry]

I let Maaco paint mine. Easy and cheap and has lasted very well.
Next best thing to Earl Scheibe.

[39 STD]

2x on PPG Shop-Line. Not all PPG paint dealers carry it but higher volume dealer will.

[BillM]

I used some Martin Senour (NAPA) Crossfire single stage urethane which was way less $ than the others and liked how it sprayed. Color sanded and buffed out nicely.
The paint line that Summit Racing sells looks interesting also. I like that the hardeners and thinners are common to the primers and the top coats. No custom mixed colors though.

[34pickup]

Try these people:
http://www.paintforcars.com/acrylic_enamel_paint.html

[Zeke...PA]

I used paintforcars acrylic enamel with hardener added, was able to color sand out my mistakes. Also used it on my A, at about $50-60 a gallon, what the heck it's in the garage most of the time. I used BC/CC on my Chebby $$$$$. I'm happy with acrylic enamel, will last my life time. And I'm definitely not a points guy. Zeke

[Walt Dupont--Me.]

One of the best and cheapest paint job I did on a 66 Ford winter beater I had years ago was Porch and deck enamel brick red. I figure if you could paint a porch and walk on it, it would be good enough for a winter beater. If I knew it was going come out so good I'd have done a better job patching the rust holes. Walt

[deuce_roadster]

I was told by 2 different PPG suppliers that acrylic enamel has been priced UP to drive it out of the market, same with lacquer, they don't want to make it anymore. Single stage urethane is cheaper now. Look for DuPont Centauri to disappear too. The store I go to locally bought up all the tinting bases from the other stores in this half of the state as they are still mixing it but for how long? I have been painting cars for myself and others since the mid 70s and it is pretty incredible what it costs now. It is like buying perfume these days. It cost me a grand in materials to paint a mini a few years ago with the primers and topcoats. It is just nuts.