Repainting my 1980 Custom deluxe

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Jt1776

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Location
ROCHESTER HILLS MI
First Name
Jerry
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
Custom deluxe
Engine Size
305
I'm getting ready to paint my truck. Do I need to prime it ,and what type of primer to use. I'm not looking for a show quality paint job. This is my first time I'm painting a truck. I spray my furniture I make so I'm familiar with a sprayer. What are the proper way to to prep and paint. Do I put a sealer on before or after I prime. Last question where can I find the paint code for my truck. Thanks jerry from the motor city
 

bucket

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Engine Size
350-454
There's LOTS of variables that determine what you need to do before paint. What finish is on the truck right now and what is the condition of it? Are you going to fix any dents or rust?
 

Jt1776

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ROCHESTER HILLS MI
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Jerry
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
Custom deluxe
Engine Size
305
I fixed all the rust as best you can do without cutting pieces. It's in really good shape, it's about 90% rust free. I'm not really restoring it. This is just my work truck. But as I go I'm wanting a better job. Here is a couple of pictures. Thanks
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80BrownK10

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350
Just prime bare metal or bondo work you have done. Roughed up all the existing paint good to give it a place to adhere to, then shoot it with paint. If you do base clear paint you will put a few coats of color down then lay the clear down. If you go single stage paint you just put several coats of paint down.
 

Jt1776

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Location
ROCHESTER HILLS MI
First Name
Jerry
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
Custom deluxe
Engine Size
305
I bought a qaurt of Por 15. I was going to spray that over my problem spots. I'm not trusting I got all the rust.i thought I had to prime over the old paint. Thanks
 

bucket

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K5 thru K30
Engine Size
350-454
If you have sanded the paint with coarse grit sandpaper, you will want to prime those areas as well. The type of paint you are using will determine how coarse is too coarse.
 

Poppy 87

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I bought a qaurt of Por 15. I was going to spray that over my problem spots. I'm not trusting I got all the rust.i thought I had to prime over the old paint. Thanks
Read the application instructions carefully prior to spraying the por 15. Dwell time and temperature is critical before top coating
 

Jt1776

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ROCHESTER HILLS MI
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Jerry
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
Custom deluxe
Engine Size
305
I sanded it with 220 sandpaper, and it the feels really smooth. If I don't need to prime it that saves me money and time. Now I'm having a hard time finding my paint color. I have went to numurist websites and can't find my color. There is no color for Camel Metallic. Thanks for all the help from everyone.
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82sbshortbed

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Nice dog
 

Bextreme04

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Your paint color codes are 65 for the primary color and 60 for the secondary. This site has both colors,https://www.automotivetouchup.com/touch-up-paint/gmc/1979/all-models/ one shows up as "Camel Metallic" and the other as "Neutral". There are often other numbers associated with these old paint codes. You'll see on this site it links your color code 65 to 8058 or WA8058. If you take those codes into an automotive paint shop in your area, they should be able to give you the right color.
 

nabeshin

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Grae
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1976
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K10
Engine Size
400
How did a Michigan truck avoid getting super rusty?
 

Jt1776

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Location
ROCHESTER HILLS MI
First Name
Jerry
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
Custom deluxe
Engine Size
305
The truck is from hickory NC. It only has 118000 miles. And thanks for the paint codes. Plus my 2 blue heelers say hi
 

Jt1776

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Location
ROCHESTER HILLS MI
First Name
Jerry
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
Custom deluxe
Engine Size
305
Great looking Truck. It must be a late 1980 I see the square headlights. Mine is a early 1980 model it was the last year for round headlights. It should be painted as soon as the paint Store opens. I will seen some pictures.. Thanks
 

dhenderz

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Dennis
Truck Year
1977
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
327
For what you're trying to accomplish here is my advice. I would spray the entire truck with a primer/sealer like Southern Polyurethane's epoxy primer (with reducer to thin it to be a sealer - call them for a copy of their tech manual). Choose the SPI epoxy color to best align with the final color you plan to choose. In this case I would probably choose gray.

Then I would simply spray it with single-stage urethane paint. For what you are trying to accomplish there is absolutely no reason to spend the money on base/clear. It will cost you twice the money. For the paint I would either go with Summit or Eastwood. I have used both for quick, low-cost resprays and they work fine. For that matter you could probably also grab the primer/sealer from either Summit or Eastwood. I am generally using SPI these days, but the others will be fine as well.

The reason you want to spray the entire truck with sealer (1 coat is all you need), is to achieve a uniform color and holdout as your base. Otherwise it will take more paint (ie: more coats) to achieve a uniform color match with your actual paint. Paint does not have the pigmentation now like it used to. For that reason it does a poorer job of covering disparities in base color.
 

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