Paint & Surface Prep

When you’re painting an old truck, the spray gun is the easy part. The real work happens before the first drop of paint ever hits the panel. If the surface isn’t right, the paint won’t last. That’s just how it is.

First thing I do is strip the truck down. Trim, mirrors, lights, emblems—everything that doesn’t need paint comes off. It’s slower than masking, but masking leaves hard edges and a bigger chance of overspray. If the old paint is cracking, peeling, or hiding rust, it comes down to bare metal. I’ll use sandblasting on heavier parts like the frame, but never on body panels. A blasting gun can heat the steel too much and warp it, and once that happens, you’ve made yourself a lot more work.

Rust is the next enemy to deal with. You can’t cover it and expect it to stay gone. I hit light surface rust with a wire wheel or sander until I’m back to clean metal. If the rot is deep, it’s a cut-and-weld situation. Filler over rust is a waste of time—sooner or later it’ll bubble back through. I always check seams, cab corners, drip rails, and under panels. Those are the trouble spots that bite you later if you skip them.

Once the metal is clean, it’s time to straighten everything out. A good filler job isn’t about smearing on a thick coat, it’s about thin layers and a lot of blocking until the panel feels right. A guide coat will show you the high and low spots, and you keep going until they’re gone. On these old trucks, the body lines are part of the character. You round them off with a DA sander, and it won’t look like the same truck anymore.

Primer is the foundation. Bare steel gets epoxy primer to seal it and give the paint something to stick to. If the panel needs more leveling, I’ll spray urethane primer over that and block it smooth. Every coat needs the right flash time before the next one goes on. Rush it and you’re trapping solvents that’ll come back to haunt you.

When it’s time to paint, I keep my distance and overlap consistent, moving across the panel without stopping. A run takes more work to fix than a dry patch, but either way, sloppy spraying shows. Base and clear, or single-stage, it doesn’t matter, the process is about control and patience.

Once the paint’s on, I let it cure. You can cut and buff too soon and end up dragging the paint instead of polishing it. I also tell folks not to wax for at least two months; paint needs time to fully gas out before you seal it up.

In the end, a good paint job isn’t about tricks or shortcuts. It’s about doing every step right, from stripping it down to letting it cure. Skip one, and it’ll show. Take your time, and that finish will still look right years down the road.