Home car-painting advice?

[TheRealFatShady]

Sick of all the scratches, dents, dings, and scuffs on my Taurus. Besides, have two rust hole on the wheel wells, and I'm sick of the light blue attractive so much attention.

It isn't a fast car, so I want it flat black, with a wired in kill switch to shut off all the lights with it still running.

So today I got to work with a roll of sandpaper.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/videogamer2005/0911101646.jpg

Any suggestions for painting this at home?
I really want flat black as opposed to gloss or satin, but I don't believe it's sold as an automotive paint.

Thanks

[portland250r]

you can easily get flat black automotive paint go to your local paint shop and they can order some if its not in stock.
i would get ppg or dupont.
ppg has a flat black.

[TheRealFatShady]

PPG seems to be highly regarded, though I've heard the same for Dupont.

On something like that, would I use any cheap spray can primer first, and then some sort of clearcoat with a flattener to prevent shine after the actual automotive paint?

Thanks

[newrider3]

If you're looking to save some money, go to a John Deere dealership, and pick up some Blitz Black. It is their house brand flat black, they also have primer and thinners to go along with it. Used by many hot rodders, supposed to be pretty durable, seeing as it is basically implement paint.

[harryredtrike]

if you use automotive paint use automotive primer.same manufacturer if at all possible.dont use can primer and auto paint.you can get a reaction that looks like orange peel.so you want flat black and auto lights???ARE YOU GOING TO ROB BANKS???

[3wheelmecca]

The ultimate midlife crisis mobile for the cheap person/rat rodder. I would suggest Blitz as well, or Van sickle Implement paint. I would use a fast reducer for where you are living, gives a good dry time with no runs.

[bigbadktm]

dont forget to wet the floor a lil to keep the dust from kicking up into the paint

[dickieg89]

you should paint it like the general lee

[Dirtcrasher]

Get me the wiring diagram, I'll kill all the lights :naughty:

[TheRealFatShady]

May do that, DC. Replaced all bulbs and fuses to get my lights back in the back of the car. Can't figure out pulley/guide which is failing to make the serpentine squeak, but that can come after paint.

To the guys recommending John Deere Blitz black, is that a flat or satin black? Could have sworn I've read both while researching it.

[dickieg89]

why do you want to kill the lights?

[bigbadktm]

should get a pulsing light like kitt from knight rider then kill all the lights but that one...lol

[SYKO]

I wish everyone would quit using flat black as a cover all..... a true semigloss or flat color will show more imperfections then any glossy paint job. I put 100's of hours into a chevy truck with many mods for a customer and the flat black I used on that truck was well over $500 just for the paint. The tractor paint that everyone is speaking of works ok only if you spray it with a good gun at a constant perfect patern and flow other wise it will blotch or streak, also its lead based paint and that will effect any consecutive paint you want to apply later. Not trying to put you down or anthing Ive painted nearly every type of car under the sun even a taurus but if your going to all the truble to fix the problems and sand it why not paint it something better then flat black.

[code200k]

couldn't you just turn the lights off via the stock switch? X2 on painting it like the general

[TheRealFatShady]

I wish everyone would quit using flat black as a cover all..... a true semigloss or flat color will show more imperfections then any glossy paint job. I put 100's of hours into a chevy truck with many mods for a customer and the flat black I used on that truck was well over $500 just for the paint. The tractor paint that everyone is speaking of works ok only if you spray it with a good gun at a constant perfect patern and flow other wise it will blotch or streak, also its lead based paint and that will effect any consecutive paint you want to apply later. Not trying to put you down or anthing Ive painted nearly every type of car under the sun even a taurus but if your going to all the truble to fix the problems and sand it why not paint it something better then flat black.

I was actually hoping to get a flat black finish, as opposed to a gloss reflective one. I figure I can probably get a cheap automotive gloss paint + clear for the car for maybe $200 or less if I'm not concerned with it being perfect, but I really like the flat black idea.

And for the lights, I can't turn off the running lights up front and brake lights, I want it to be able to go completely dark in an instant.

[leviblue]

$159 Macco job. Why waste the time and energy on it. Prep it yourself and give it to them. Otherwise cheap paint does not mix well with others. Hate to see you spray the hood and it lifts. If your dead set on doing it at home PPG is easy to use more so than RM or Sikkens. Hang your plastic tight and wet the floor down,( keeps the dust down), but not too much. If your your using black then watch the humitity cuz it'll blush. Don't wanna see any imperfections in your job then paint it white

[Mr_RPM]

sounds like your going with a stealth bomber idea, friend did it with a 87 chevy 3/4 ton cargo van. all flat black with light cut outs.
she will be stealthy lol =P

[Dirtcrasher]

Your starting to scare me my friend, give me a call soon!! Hope all is well..........

[dma550]

Agree with LeviBlue. Go MAACO cheapo, it will be 10X better than just about anything you can do at home. You'll also not kill off half your lung capacity breathing in clear coat fumes. Last home job I did was a F/G fairing set and although I used a decent quality gun, dust got into almost all of the paint. So, instead of paying MAACO $200 to paint it, I paid $150 for paint and reducer, $45 for a harbor freight gun, probably $20 in plastic, and spent two days doing it and buffing it out.

[SYKO]

sounds like your going with a stealth bomber idea, friend did it with a 87 chevy 3/4 ton cargo van. all flat black with light cut outs.
she will be stealthy lol =P



was your freind picking up kids in that van?........sounds suspect to me....

[Mr_RPM]

was your freind picking up kids in that van?........sounds suspect to me....

lmao we make fun of him bout it all the time. ok so the driver is bout 260-300 lbs (mainly tall with a bit of chub but in a tough way) shaved head to almost bald, huge long goatee type beard. shorts with old nasty work boots. oh and he is 20

the van is decently loud with a 350 in it and burns oil bad.
he has no clue how bad it looks (as in the whole picking up kids thing)

he spray painted the rear windows black, has a couch in the back and tons of garbage and a very nice stereo.
theres a rust hole in the side and we call it the glory hole
but he fits in the druggie category much much better than the little kid one thankfully lol haha

we call him big john

[TheRealFatShady]

lmao we make fun of him bout it all the time. ok so the driver is bout 260-300 lbs (mainly tall with a bit of chub but in a tough way) shaved head to almost bald, huge long goatee type beard. shorts with old nasty work boots. oh and he is 20

the van is decently loud with a 350 in it and burns oil bad.
he has no clue how bad it looks (as in the whole picking up kids thing)

he spray painted the rear windows black, has a couch in the back and tons of garbage and a very nice stereo.
theres a rust hole in the side and we call it the glory hole
but he fits in the druggie category much much better than the little kid one thankfully lol haha

we call him big john


HAHAHAHA!!! Like the 'non-rape' van Jack Black drove in School of Rock? I need pics!!!

[TrailerRider]

IMO, you should not flat black that gen3. I am a taurus junkie, I love the tauruses... all of them. We need motor spec, well I need them. Does it have the 'tec motor? I see no 24v badge but if your preping for paint then it would have to come off. You should paint it a nice centinal black and mod your lights to have the centinal lights...

This is a gen 4 but the black is pretty mucht he same between the cents and gens.
http://www.mach1registry.com/news/Taurus100.jpg

Here is the mod for a Gen 4 but you might be able to apply it to a gen 3.

[bigboy_toy85]

ha.. well id just do it with a rattle can.. me and a friend painted his old crappy dodge truck with rattle cans and a rifle.. ha. we got bored so we bout like 20 cans of spray paint. lined them up on his truck.. and shot them. when they expload they disperse the paint..

but really, since you have a light colored car i would go ahead and you an auto motive paint, i belive its like a PGP or something like that ( believe they do have a flat black paint). 2 to 3 coats should be more than enough, but black is a very hard color to paint and make it look good, if you get dust on it while your painting it you will see very speck of dust