Painting Truck Topper. HELP!!!!

Hey guys I recently was given a bright red leer truck canopy for my white 09 Tacoma. It's in mint condition. I would like to repaint it. That being said I don't want to spend $400 on this. I am willing to try painting it myself. And understand the whole sanding it down, and degreasing it and primering and base coating it and all that. I guess my big question is, is there anything special I should do trying to go from red to white or am I just wasting my time with this? Will it turn out pink and is there some kind of sealer or something I can put on to stop the red from coming through? I've checked out the rattle can ideas and am not completely sold but if someone has some insight on that way please chime in. I know carquest can match paint codes and put it in a rattle can for me. I'll do whatever way you guys think is best.

 

I'm in no way experienced in this, but I would think a gray fiberglass primer base coat might be an idea before putting down the Super White.

 

A good friend did it both ways - he was happiest with the one he took all the windows out of, sanded, prepped and had the guys at the local body shop shoot for basically the cost of the paint they used...

also, I like the way my black cap looks on my white truck.

 

and... if it is 'mint' sell it and put the cash toward getting a white one, 'cause you're gonna want the bump top w/ rack tracks and tinted windoors...

 

The gray primer was definitely gonna be a must! MNMLST would it be possible to put a pic on here to see what the black looks like. I was just planning on shooting it with three coats of primer then three or four coats of white or even possibly black now then I'll clear coat it and call it good. Eventually I'll wet sand and buff it but not right now. Hunting season is hear. Haha. I enjoy playing with this kind of stuff so I don't have problem doing the work myself. Thank you guys for the help!!

 

I'll find a pic and put it up... other tips-find any compressor at a yard/estate sale, get as good a gun as you can (you'll be able to use it for other stuff), get the nail gun oil out of the system, build a 'booth' (plastic sheeting, duct tape, box fan with a furnace filter taped on it) and go for it.

 

and... mask and goggles and ventilation/shopvac on the sander... sanding/fiberglass dust is your enemy. Get a pile of microfiber towels/rags wherever you can and hose, wash, wipe that thing down good before you even go near the paint - squeaky clean and no dust in the 'booth' when you start laying on the finish

 

I wouldn't buy anything nicer than a purple HVLP gun from Harbor Freight for $9-10.

Perfect for this kind of project.

 

I don't disagree, but you'd be surprised what you might find cruising some shop liquidation sales, the penny saver, craigslist... you'll have some sweat invested cleaning it for sure, but I've seen people give away nice gear, for pennies on the dollar, when the old man dies and the kids sell all the tools...

 

Sure, but you could also spend time cleaning something that isn't operable or producing a decent pattern because a tip or needle is damaged or the wrong size.

I've painted a half dozen cars with the above gun, and for the price of a couple gallons of gas it'll save you from driving around garage sales, cleaning up crusty, ignored tools, etc.

I'd shop around for a compressor like you mentioned, but the gun is so cheap and quality is consistent, it'll have a dramatic effect on the end product, as will a gun that sucks or isn't the right setup for the material being used.

 

I'd probably focus less on a temporary spray booth (especially with a filter, filter isn't going to do anything unless you're forcing air through the booth) and isn't necessary for this type of task and more on prep. No need to be in a sealed plastic room unless you live in a dirt lot surrounded by more dirt lots, surrounded by fans blowing dirt everywhere. For a car getting a factory quality paint job or better, no doubt. For a shell on a budget it's not enough surface and not enough value to justify that kind of setup.

Indoors in a ventilated garage or in your driveway is fine. You'd be served we'll to protect the shell from wind, which introduces dust and other airborne particles into your wet paint, but an elaborate setup isn't needed.

Stop by an auto paint shop in your area. You'll need materials and if you're wanting to do this as right as a DIYer can, you'll want their stuff and their experience to help you.

Spraying the paint area with a hose will keep wind or your feet from knocking dust into the air and onto your project. Make sure your clothes are free of pet hair or that kind of thing. Otherwise, buy a decent $35 3M respirator to avoid paint fumes, make sure you're mixing things in proper ratios and make sure your surfaces are prepped correctly and clean of debris or surface contaminants. Any imperfections in the paint can be corrected when it dries.

Follow flash times and all instructions with each material to a T.

Prep, patience, and doing things as instructed are all keys to a good paint job. If you drop the ball on one of the above you can ruin your efforts very quickly.

Any compressed air source should be free of excessive moisture. You can buy in line air dryers/water separators.

All other things aside, $400 is probably less than what you'll actually spend especially if you have to buy equipment and not just materials.

 

I did it my self to. It was dark grey and went to silver. I sanded it and primerd it. I used white primer. Wet sanded and the painted. People look at it and can’t believe I sprayed it from a can. I did 4coats if clean. I need to do the final sanding. It’s been to hot here in Vegas but it’s finally cooling down. I used color coded paint. Forgot the name of the company. But you can get it at pep boys. When I shaved my Corolla I used it also, it was white also.
You can see a few places on top where I did not over lay that good. The sides came out great. A lot better then I thought. My roof of the cab is wrapped so I wrapped the roof of the shell to
Match.

 

I bought the shell for 300 , then sold my tonneau cover for 200 spent about 80 on paint. So for $180 out of pokcet can’t complain. Yes it is out a cane but silver and Especially white hides blemish very well. I would never say to do it this way with blacks, red, or anything dark.

 

Can you post a picture of your black vinyl wrapped roof please? Do you happen to have one of the rear window without the cap on?

I'm thinking of Line-Xing the roof of my truck black. I'm wondering how it will make that rear window look since up by the third brake light it will be black.

 

Thank you guys for all the info! I already have a 20 gallon compressor and a Campbell hausfield 1.4 mm gravity feed spray gun that I bought awhile back and have never used. Only thing I need to get for the compressor is a moisture filter for it. I have an enclosed garage that is clean and all that as well. Is there any special primer I should use for the fiberglass?

 

Again.. talk to a paint shop for specific products.

Lot of work to have to do it twice because the Internet said to use something different.

Enclosed garage will be fine provided there isn't any open flames like a water heater or home heating system. Wet the floor with a hose before you spray to keep dust down.

 

ya don't do it out in the open. Thats bad. I had a garage that was closed off.

 

I don’t have one with the shell off. But here u go with it on. You can see the black on he shell. I did the shell. The cab was done by a shop. They had never done one before . I got that, eyelids on my headlights, and grill done for free. They needed a 2nd gen to trace for wraps .

 

That looks awesome. What was the cost to do the roof?

 

Heres the thread i used when painting mine from white to dark green. Tack cloths are your best friend

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/step-by-step-how-to-spray-paint-with-quality-results.400182/