That looks great. What’s your process for painting all of that?
I have a couple different ways to paint, which either involve mixing (for larger jobs) or spray cans (for smaller jobs). This particular case, because it's being done in sections, involved spray cans. As seen in the picture, I use the following:
Rust-oleum Rust Reformer - Used only on areas that had heavy rust
Rust-oleum Primers - Self Etching (for bare metal only), or a filler/sandable (for metal with scuffed paint)
Krylon Rust Protector Paint - I've been using this for years and it has worked well for me. It also drys in 8-10 minutes, which is a bonus. Satin is my choice for pretty much everything, but you can use whatever you like.
Tip - If you want the job to look right, the key is to remove everything, e.g. wheels, shocks, springs, fender liners, etc. first. Once that is done, my own process looks like this:
- degrease everything with a denatured alcohol
- go over the entire frame with fiber pads (An air tool can be used, or a drill if you you don't have air tools)
- sand with 320 sandpaper
- wipe down with denatured alcohol again
- treat with Rust Reformer (only if needed), or, if no major rust is there, coat it with a suitable primer
- let the primer dry, then sand and go over it again, until you're happy there is a smooth surface
- lastly, apply 3 - 4 coats of paint. The key is to do light coats first, to avoid runs, then apply the last coat a little heavier
Once everything dries, it's time to put it all back together and admire your work. As a side note, the blue plastic object in the picture is a trim removal tool. That is used to remove the plastic snaps that hold the front and rear liners in place.