update on dina

[Dreamscape]

Ruthi, Yes a single stage will shine, but not as deep as bc/cc with clear. You need the weather and temp to be at least 65+ with low humidity. Lots of suppliers out there, check your local auto paint store. They might sell products such as Dupont or PPG. A lot of OTR trucks are painted with single stage, shoot the primer, then 2-3 coats of paint. Whatever you do and whatever brand you use get to be real good friends with the supplier and use all the recommended supplies for like products. The guy who did your body work will know what I'm talking about.

Paul

[ruthi]

Paul, we are leary of using clear coat, because of the possibility of it peeling, and then the paint dont look so good.But, just one shot to get it right, so we want to do it right.  As far as the guy who did our body work, I dont think he is THAT familiar with the products out there. When he was young, he messed around a little with body work and paint, but, not a lot. But, with that being said, he did a very professional job of fabricating what we wanted changed on the bus, and getting all the fiberglass work done. We are impressed. He did it way beyond our hopes, and the money involved was good too. So, that is why I am finding out all that I can so that the painting is done the best it can be.

[Dreamscape]

Ruthi, Go visit and make friends with an auto body shop that you can trust. You never know, you might find someone who is looking for a side job. With this economy it shouldn't be hard to do.

PS, If the clear coat is applied properly it should last for rmany years. There have been many improvements in the paint industry over the last few years. A quality shop that applies it wouldn't if they knew it would be a problem.

Paul

[wayne]

Is there anywhere I can go to see some pics of this project?

[ruthi]

Paul, normally that would be a great idea, but........ There is only one shop in this little town, and they are very expensive, and not real helpful. They do body work too, and we had no luck finding someone to work on that project. Maybe it is just this area, dont know, but finding someone who wants to work, is hard to do. It is really quite bum fuzzleing, given the economy. We cant even find help to work on the road. Have had a couple of guys, but, didnt put forth any effort at all. We usually research projects, and then go for it ourselves, lol. I have a lot of pictures that we have taken all along the way since the beginning. Size limitations prevent me from putting them on the boards. I guess some put pics in other places, but I dont know how to do that. Can anyone tell me, and then how to put a link to it on here?

[TomCat]

Ruthi,

I'm hoping someone will pop up and give more information, but I seem to recall a prison body/paint shop in the lower half of Florida that has a very good reputation when it comes to refinishing buses.

HTH

Jay
87 SaftLiner

[Dreamscape]

Ruthi, Here is a link to a video I made on how to post pictures using Photobucket here on the board. You can also setup an account an then include the link to your PB page Look at my signature line, that's how I do it. Just copy and paste the link anywhere you want, it's free BTW.

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=13997.0

Jay has a good idea, but in most cases you are at the mercy of the institution on when the work gets done.

Take a trip to Mexico, I've heard of a guy who does pretty good work there. Do a search as I forget his name and contact information.

You might be better off going to a larger town, where do you live?

If you come by Abilene TX I know of a guy who owns a body shop that does super work, he's a one man show. He's going to shoot ours this coming spring or summer. I'm going to do the prep and I'll push him around on a scaffold.

Paul

[luvrbus]

Ruthi,  take your bus to any large truck dealer most have paint booths and will 2 color the bus with a good enamel  paint for around 4 grand.  
Where the big bucks for painting come from is the stripping, fading, blending, and the graphics and with paint that cost 500 to 1000 bucks a gallon.
I would venture to say Mike Wilson in Oregon the best there is would do a 2 color basic enamel job for 4 grand for a fill in between jobs.
Check tour bus operators in your area they don't spend big bucks on their paint.
I look forward to you getting the bus on road and tell us how it handles with all the modifications that have been done and how the suspension handles it


good luck  

[JackConrad]

Ruthi,
I'm hoping someone will pop up and give more information, but I seem to recall a prison body/paint shop in the lower half of Florida that has a very good reputation when it comes to refinishing buses.
HTH
Jay
87 SaftLiner

I am pretty usre Pete "Daytona RTS" Pappas had his coach painted several years ago at a correctional facility in FL. Maybe he will chime in.  Jack

[ruthi]

Paul, thanks for the info, I will try and look at that tonight and see if i can figure it out. I would love to have all my pictures in one place. Right now, I have a bunch of the beginning stages of the bus on my computer, some on sd cards and some still on the camera. It would be nice to organize them in order. Another question.... As far as painting the bus ourselves, can you use a 2 and half gallon pressurized paint bucket with the paint gun to spray, or do you have to use the small one that comes with it? Another dumb question, but, hey, I am learning, Is base coat/clear coat the same thing? I know clear coat is what goes on the final product, just kinda confused about it. You said around 1000 for single stage, how much more are we talking about to add that?

[ruthi]

We checked with one tour coach place and they said it cost them 5000 to have their coaches painted one color.

[JackConrad]

Ruthi,
I'm hoping someone will pop up and give more information, but I seem to recall a prison body/paint shop in the lower half of Florida that has a very good reputation when it comes to refinishing buses.
HTH
Jay
87 SaftLiner

I am pretty sure Pete "Daytona RTS" Pappas had his coach painted several years ago at a correctional facility in FL. Maybe he will chime in.  Jack

[Dreamscape]

Paul, thanks for the info, I will try and look at that tonight and see if i can figure it out. I would love to have all my pictures in one place. Right now, I have a bunch of the beginning stages of the bus on my computer, some on sd cards and some still on the camera. It would be nice to organize them in order. Another question.... As far as painting the bus ourselves, can you use a 2 and half gallon pressurized paint bucket with the paint gun to spray, or do you have to use the small one that comes with it? Another dumb question, but, hey, I am learning, Is base coat/clear coat the same thing? I know clear coat is what goes on the final product, just kinda confused about it. You said around 1000 for single stage, how much more are we talking about to add that?

Ruthi, BC/CC is this. Base coat is the main color or combination of colors, it looks flat when dry. The clear goes on to give it shine and depth. The single stage is an all in one, although not much depth in appearance like the clear would be.

You can use the pressure pot, but a good one is spendy. Most just use a regular gun, just have to be fast on the refill. I'm speaking of DIY's. The big shops will have the correct equipment.

I bought two guns at Harbor Freight, one for primer, one for paint, 25 bucks each and worked great. I started out with a Devilbiss, didn't work that great. Had a HR pressure pot and gave up on that too.

The main thing is make sure you use the right tips for the material.

The 1K for material was everything, cleaner, sandpaper, paint and primer. It all depends on the brand and color choice, as the reds will be quite a bit higher.

Call a paint shop, tell them you have a bus to paint and ask them how many gallons of paint of either choice it would take to shoot it. If this is your first time, I'd recommend hiring it out. A bus is big and if you don't know what you're doing, you will have to redo it. Don't ask OK!

Paul

[ruthi]

Thanks for the info. We do have a good pressure pot, as well as a gun. Sounds like you know a lot about it.  BTW, did you know the folks at B & R bus, just out of Abilene? Winters,Tx? We bought our gmc from one of the owners there. They closed up shop several yrs ago. We got our Dina from the same guy. Just wondering.

[ruthi]

Who did your paint? It looks good.