Cheap paint options

My black 2007 tacoma was doing the same on the roof. I had a professional repaint it. However this 2009 corolla is my beater car. You fellas are savvy group so I figured I would ask opinions. What would be an easy way to clean up this rust and repaint easily? Other than a close color I’m not worried about looks. I’m thinking a driveway spray paint job. Thanks for any ideas. (In the picture the car has pollen on it that will be washed off well.)

 

Couple spray bombs and some sand paper. Oh and a six pack.

 

There’s a few companies out there that actually sell your collar in a rattle can and then you can buy the clear and a rattle can you’ll have to Google that company but I know if you give me a paint code to put on rattle cans for you so it looks identical to stock paint

 

Yeah sand it off and cover with paint, like @Geeves77 said you can get your exact paint in a can and cover it with that. Here in Florida things rust super fast when the paint comes off so I always make sure to get rid of all the rust and if I don’t have any color with me I’ll cover it with primer until I can get the paint.

 

Vinyl wrap it black.

 

^ I agree with vinyl wrap. Make sure to get something that’s high quality or else you’ll be wasting your time

 

I used 3M vinyl on my roof, this was my first time doing such a huge panel, only experimented with interior pieces. It is pretty easy actually, had no bubbling, peel or etc.

 

Toyota paint is shit. I agree with wrapping it.

 

If you want to paint it you need to sand off all the rust and prime it first. Then sand the primer and spray the whole thing. Def a job for a pro because if you dont know what youre doing it will probably look like ass and fail pretty quick. Vinyl wrap much cheaper.

 

X2!

 

I can also see you have no sunroof, so even easier!

 

Sand. Primer. Sand. Paint. Clear

 

Some High Schools offer body work to help students gain experience.....give them a call.

 

I paint boat trailers and outboards every now and then and I have used Rustoleum (spelling?) with a urethane reducer and hardner. I shoot it with a spray gun. It looks killer and the paint is thicker than most and provides excellent protection. The 1 gallon of paint is about $50 and add another $60 for the reducer and hardner.
The white on the trailer, the grey on the boat, and the black outboard are all Rustoleum.

A better shot of the grey.

This black Mercury is also Rustoluem.

This black trailer and its wheels are Rustoleum as well.

It's thick stuff and is a lot less likely to chip and fade when compared to rattle cans.
None of those have a clear coat, it's all Rustoleum. Also, none of the paint jobs above have primer below them, Rustoleum doesn't need primer to stick well.

 

I would personally paint it black. A fresh coat of the factory colored paint might look funny against the rest of the car that appears it may be faded. I've always been partial though to the look of a black roof.

If I had any experience with vinyl wrapping, I'd probably go that route, however, seems like adhesion to a rusting surface may be an issue.

BTW, sweet Acura @TegoTaco.

 

I was told the paint needs to be in good condition in order for the wrap to look good. Imperfections in the paint will show up in the wrap, including clear coat not being in good condition.

 

Patina Clear Kits – Poppy's Patina (poppyspatina.com)

 

Just realized I didn't really answer your question.

I'd start by sanding the whole surface to be painted. Start with a relatively coarse grit to clear all the rust, then work your way down to a finer grit to smooth it out. How fine, and how smooth is going to depend on how good you want the final product to look. You can use powered sanders or good ol' fashioned elbow grease. Sounds like your main concern is to stop the corrosion, so it shouldn't be too labor intensive with any power sander (I'm assuming) that you already have. A quick google search for "Auto Body Sanding" will yield plenty of how tos and guides on what grits to use for various circumstances. Then, since it's just a beater and we're just trying to stop the rust, I would personally just mask everything off and cover it in Rustoleum; it's never let me down in the past. If you do it in your driveway, obviously want to be conscious of wind and where it may blow the paint (i.e. second vehicles, structures, your windshield). I'd probably just completely cover the rest of the car with a tarp or even trash bags and masking tape.

Good luck and let us know what you end up doing.