Anybody Paint there 4x4 Van lately? Cost?

PCO6

Adventurer
Not a van and much smaller but I decided to paint my Jeep LJ and trailer myself. Both will take a bit of a beating and are likely to be modified in some way, so I didn't want to take them in for a "proper" paint job.

I used Tremclad which is a single stage enamel. Tremclad is a Rustoleum product and it's been available in Canada forever. Some time ago Rustoleum acquired Tremclad and I think it is the same paint.

I shot them in my backyard with a basic HVLP gun. Each has about 4 coats with wet sanding in between. I don't think I have $500 in materials for the both of them. I was not going for a high gloss look and chose to not even shoot a clear coat. I know I'm going to scratch them, maybe worse, and I know I will be able to make them right again. I've painted larger vehicles this way and although much more involved, I wouldn't hesitate to do a van.

22-11-06 4.JPG22-10-19 2.JPG
 

86scotty

Cynic
Great color and great looking set up! I'd love to see some closer pics of this paint product if possible. Never heard of it down here in the southern US. We generally just Plasti-dip or Raptor line everything with wheels anymore. :rolleyes:
 

NatersXJ6

Explorer
Doing it yourself at least once is a good learning experience. It makes you appreciate the price of a good paint job that much more. You might also look into wraps if there aren’t rust issues. As far as DIY, if you like the colors, tractor enamel is single stage, pre-mix, easily available, and extremely repairable. Personally, Oliver Green is a good choice!

wear a respirator, not a dust mask, Isocyanates are no joke and can really mess up your lungs!
 

PCO6

Adventurer
Great color and great looking set up! I'd love to see some closer pics of this paint product if possible. Never heard of it down here in the southern US. We generally just Plasti-dip or Raptor line everything with wheels anymore. :rolleyes:

Thanks. (y)

Here are a few pics. Again, not the best paint job but OK for a hobbyist and for the type of use they will get. They're both covered in snow right now! :) I drive the LJ through the winter.

The paint is Tremclad "Gloss Grey". I am pretty sure you can get it locally at Home Depot, Walmart, etc. as Rustoleum "Smoke Grey". We can get Rustoleum here, but I've been using Tremclad since I was a kid, back when we couldn't get it.

thumbnail (5).jpgthumbnail (1).jpgthumbnail (2).jpgTremclad Gloss Grey.jpg
 

jkam

nomadic man
You could take it down to Rocky Point in Mexico and have a guy there paint it for you.
A lady on my Laze Daze RV forum did and it turned out pretty good.
Not sure what it cost, but has to be cheaper than just about anywhere in the US.
You get a free vacation as well.
 

vintageracer

To Infinity and Beyond!
I used to think this until I priced some quality wrap jobs. I'm not so sure anymore. It's several thousand for a wrap on most things these days, and vans are big.


STILL FAR CHEAPER than quality paint work, lasts a longtime, allows your creativity to be unlimited and NO PAINT SHOP JAIL for 6 months to a year. You are DONE in 2-3 days with a Wrap!

A Wrap allows you to bring a modern vibe to dated vehicle and a Kool look to a modern vehicle in just a couple of days.

What's not to like about a quality Wrap especially on a Van.
 
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FordGuy1

Adventurer
We have four body shops, and if you want quality materials used, Thinners, all the way to clear coat, your will pay a lot more. I would guess a deal using PPG paint and clear would be around 10k with no color change.
 

broncobowsher

Adventurer
Wrap? You should see what the sun does to them around here. They look good for maybe a year. By year 3 or 4 they are roached. They can't be taken off. Can't be wrapped over. The prep work to remove a bad wrap is more than the paint job. If you want a very short sighted change and plan to get rid of the vehicle very soon, wrap. Businesses love wraps, lease a truck for a couple of year, whole thing is a tax write off. Gone before it goes bad. Then you see the small shop that did the wrap and keeps the truck, and there is nothing they can do to ever make it look good again affordably.
 

vintageracer

To Infinity and Beyond!
Here is my Featherlite trailer that was wrapped in 2003. That's almost 20 years ago and still looks damn good in my opinion when seeing it in person!

This trailer has sat OUTSIDE everyday since it was wrapped.

Wrap technology has come a LONG WAY since my trailer was wrapped in 2003 with better UV resistant materials, better 2 layer vinyl and clear overwrap vinyl's to protect a wrap in harsh climates.

The color that faded the most on my trailer of the last 20 years?

White!

No way in the world would I paint a van today given the longevity of the QUALITY wrap materials, printing inks used today, the installation technics available today and the ease of removal of these new wrap materials years after they were applied to a vehicle!

Your unwrapped painted sections of your vehicle will look far worse that the sections of your vehicle that were covered/wrapped when the wrap is removed.

Like anything else with a wrap you git what ya pay for. Go cheap and you have the problems you mention above. Use a great installer with quality materials and you will look good for YEARS!
 

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