paint products for paintng a bus

[eaglelover15]

Can you guys tell me what is the best brand of paint for the base coat ,clear coat system is I am having my coach painted and he is planning on using the PPG paint system 1 base and 6 clear  ok or not  thank you   

David

[Ray D]

You will get a lot of different responses buty my vote goes for "Nason" products.  Reasonably priced, forgiving and easy to use.  Then maybe "Dupont".

Ray D

[edroelle]

I was told the best primer is made by PPG. 

Ed Roelle
Flint, MI

[kingfa39]

have used them all, had no problems with any of them, seems like a lot of clear, wondering why?? painted mine with acrilic enamel witn hardner, still looks good after 10 tyrs outside
Frank allen

[buddydawg]

I am painting my 5308 with PPG AUE-100 it is an acrylic urethane enamel mainly used for painting equipment and such.  We use 200-300 Gallons per year at work it and can be used over bare metal if it is prepped correctly.  I think I paid around $55-$75 per gallon including activator.  As far as primer goes House of Kolor makes the best epoxy primer I have used.  I also use Mar-Hyde Ultimate 2k polyester primer.  Base coat / clear coat paint jobs are allot of work on vehicles the size of buses. If you are using allot of graphics, metallics and such it will be worth it, otherwise a one stage paint will do just fine.

[tekebird]

really your best products are the super toxic two part stuff like Emeron (Sp?)

seems I alsways find buses done with a base/clearcoat, pealing...likely due to poor prep or mayby something to do with a couple thousand rivets

[TomC]

Freightliner OEM paints both with PPG and Dupont Imron.  Good LUck, TomC

[Don4107]

I had a boat painted with what I remember as PPG Durethane over ten years ago.  Still looks wet.  Don't know if it is still available.

Doing a base clear coat on something as big as a bus can be a problem if there is a narrow window of time to cover the base with the clear to get the right adhesion.  Our first bus was clear coated by PO and is a total mess now with the clear coat failing.  Have a couple cars with problems with the clear coat breaking down too.

Good luck
Don 4107

[RTS/Daytona]

I used the less expensive PPG paint call OMNI - very good paint - fairly cheap

My RTS is only 35' - I estimated the surface area to be preped and painted to be 750 sg ft.

The RTS was painted by the  imates at the Tomoka State prison in Volusia County - PRIDE) did an absolutely great job.

1 gal MP170 epoxy primer
1 qts MP175 epoxy primer hardener

5 qts MD180 2k sealer
1 qts MH166 sealer slow hardener

4 gal MBC 33766a Acrylic Basecoat (light Pewter)
1 gal MBC 33764B Acrylic Basecoat (dark Pewter)
5 gal MR187 slow reducer

5 gal MC161 High Solids clear uretance Clear
5 qts mh168 slow topcoat hardener

1 pnt MX193 Flex additive
1 pnt MX194 Fisheye remover


Yeild --> Approx 3 coats color - 4-5 coats clear


The paint cost approx $1200  (in 2004)  - labor cost for the prison to do my paint job was about $2200

[rcbishop]

Pete...do they still do bus painting?  What about a time frame?

Thanx
RCB

[Dreamscape]

I will use the PPG system when I get through prepping our Eagle 01. Plan to do it in four sections because of the size, and I'm doing it myself. If you have help it would go faster. Anybody want to help? 

We'll see how it all works out.

Good Luck and let us know what you chose and how you liked the outcome.

Paul

[NJT 5573]

I'm an Imron fan, but if you are doing alot of graphics, clear coat will cover up all the tape marks. I have 1 truck that was painted in 1979 with Imron. It may have lost a little but it still looks sharp. That is along time for a paint job but its the same paint Boeing still uses for a reason. It has been around a long time and if its not still the best, at least it sets the benchmark for a quality job.

[jackhartjr]

Larry, can we still use Imron in the states?  I thought I heard we couldn't?
Thanks
Jack

[Dreamscape]

Go to this link if you want to know about any kind of paint and the procedures.

http://www.autobody101.com/

Lots of questions and good answers.

Dupont still makes Imron, so someone must still spray it. I have heard that a lot of shope won't touch the stuff. You have to use a fresh air repsirator system. It's just plain nasty stuff.

http://www.performancecoatings.dupont.com/dpc/en/us/html/prodinfo/dic/Imron3-5HG.pdf

There are lots of easier to use auto paint out there. Go to a auto paint distributor or make friends in a shop and get answers to all of your questions.

Paul

[NJT 5573]

Jack, I don't know if EPA has rules that keep it out of private hands. Maybe OSHA has some strict guides. Its been a few years since I personally purchased Imron but Tom C. sells Freightliners and he stated above Imron is one of the two paints you can select from on a new truck build sheet.

I have been talking with Manuel Amador in Los Algodnes, B.C. (Yuma), and he will strip and shoot mine reasonable w/Imron.