No you couldn't it's all in the prep whatever way you paint + it will take you 100x longer to actually paint and flat your many coats versus an hour tops spraying 2-pac, dry the next day. Why do you think people use 2-pac? It's labour saving, time saving, durable and shiny.
Time i have money i dont Ill stick by what i said though as using enamel and working at home i dont have the overheads others will It wasent a show winning finish i would be offering but a good tidy up and paint that would add more than what it costs in value to a tatty bus
Thinking about it non of you will belive i can get a good finish without seeing a bus ive done or good quality pictures If someones got a bus they would like painting but dont want a show finish but want there bus one colour and a bit tidier and is willing to be the forums guniee pig Then ill do the first bus for £600 plus the materials as that will enable me to show the finish i can achieve without spraying
I painted my bus about 20 years ago using cellulose and it lasted 10 years looked good and was the first thing I ever sprayed ,can't remember the cost but it wasn't much ! What if you roller enamel and at a later date decided on a 2 PAC repaint would you have to bare metal the thing ? I have seen a few rustoleum paint jobs and they look decent even if they do take a year to harden .
Here's why though I love you dearly, I think you're mental. 1) any bus that needs painting to tidy it up will be rusty so it will need work first. If it didn't, it would need a polish. 2) long application times 3) long drying times - poop in the paint leading to 4) lots of colour sanding 5) You don't have a garage so even more 3) and 4) It sounds like a nightmare to me. What you'd be good at is engine re-building, in a warm shed. I reckon. Outsource machining, you can do the rest. I'd trust you because I know you'd get kitted up and measure stuff properly. Rebuild a couple of engines or coach paint a bus. Coach painting a bus should cost way, way more than spraying because it's way more work. Not just a bit more. Sorry if this post is harsh I'm trying to save you from yourself.
Proper post dude Ill stick by my offer for the first bus and post the pics on here and get the owner to post there own honest comments If i think its not worth the effort then the person will have a tidy shiney and respectable looking bus and i will have learnt a lesson If not and it all goes well and i was happy doing it for the money and the customer is happy Then i imagine it may be an avenue for me to earn enough to finish my own bus Any welding that needs doing would have to be done before it came to me unless it was small jobs
A year is a bit of missinformation but enamel does harden in 48 hours but it hasent fully cured as yet All that means is you have to leave it alone for a longer time before you can flat it back or polish it with compound This makes it not suitable for commercial bodyshops Yes enamel will react with other paint types at a later date as enamel is resistnat to most stuff and paint doesent want to stick to it If you want to paint 2k at a later date id either reccomend barcoat primer or using a 3m clean and strip disc
Why don't you use your own bus as your showcase?? Once Paul has done all the bits and pieces then as Zed says, all the rusty stuff is sorted. Just a suggestion though. It why not get an old door and have a go at painting it and using it as a sample. It'll also give you an idea of what is involved and time frame on jut one panel.
I feel very calm been able just to paint my pickup with any paint I find in the shed.... Good idea Para ,but spray guns are better...
Did a Mk1 Transit using coach paint applied with a roller. Provided its left long enough to oxidize its fine. 2k is great but when used on 60s and 70s vehicles it can look a little odd if you had seen the original finish in the day, far to good.
Well I would like to see a well painted bus, by hand. It does sound like an effort to me. I sprayed mine at home in a dusty shed that the van was sandblasted in. I still reckon it would be hard to beat the finish with a brush. My compressor cost me £250 my small DeVilbiss SLG-610 gun was £50 and the paint cost £220 plus thinners. Only downside is you do need a big shed
Finnaly someone who shares the same thaught i have had,yes would take longer,yes will take an age to dry,yes its one colour,but yes it would look great. This would look so good and you wouldn't look the same as anyone else. If i had the money i would be willing to do this. Its a mad idea that would Look Great
Good on you para, it's easy for people to be negative but a lot of people haven't got the funds to go to a body shop and have a resto, I know I haven't. I would love to have a big warm garage and a compressor and all the kit to spray my bus but in reality I haven't so will be probably end up rolling a panel at a time on my days off. It's time consuming and hard graft but I've seen some rustoleum jobs look like glass. All the best dude
Years ago when working for London transport I got the painter to paint my old car he used bog standard deluxe with a hint of varnish. It was an unbelievable result and nearly as good as spraying. Saying that I would spray if I had the money now days.
Not for me either, imo enamel is best left on tractors, engines, post boxes, aircraft tugs, bridges, barges, airfix kits and garden gates This might come across as harsh, but £600 can get you spray painted job, it'd be a quick non fussy blowover using scotchbrite pads, and an old copy of The Daily Sport to mask up everything, stretching out 2 litres of paint, but it'll still shine and look good to 95% of people. With repaints you'll be unlikely to be able cherry pick the jobs you cant do based on if it needs filler/rust repairs, as chances are they all do. I've seen plenty of cheap paintjobs that look presentable and shine, but flatting and polishing a hand/roller painted enamel job is insane in terms of the time/effort involved to get a nice finish - plus the cost of abrasives to flat with, all in all you'd be selling yourself short, and really busting your balls for the money. As Zed says, save yourself from yourself! (or buy a spraygun!)
Heres the sort of finish you can get with rollering rustoleum paint: Thats not a Marmite finish by any standards. This is even before mopping and polishing. As with everything, its all in the prep, plus sanding down between every 2 or 3 coats.
