Paint?

[TheFauxFox]

If I want to paint my kart, what do I do, and what paint do I use to ensure it will stay on for a long time.
thnx

[SYCARMS]

Naturally you will need to wash it really well to get all grease and wax off. Sand all bare rusty metal clean as well as to sand well enough to remove all glaze and orange peel. When finished sanding and washed and dried it should be an even flat color. Prime all bare metal parts then apply a good grade paint. The DuPont Chroma base two stage paint is the best option for durability but get ready to fork out some bucks. I had done my buggy 6 years ago and my son's 5 years ago and not as much as a chip. Price will partially depend on cost. I had done mine in a candy red and my sons in a pearl blue. Cost was about $300.00 each just for the paint. You can expect to pay at least that today for a non candy or pearl color. The cost is high but the Chroma base is the toughest paint on the market. Another option is to strip the buggy down to bare frame and take it in to be powder coated. A lot less work since you have no prep time, they will sand blast it and powder coat for around $300.00. At least that is what it cost around here. I like the paint myself since I can customize the color. The Chroma base will hold up just as well as a good powder coating. Both are extremely durable. The trick is in the prepping prior to painting.

[TheFauxFox]

Thanks! Any other paints that you may "recommend" that you haven't tried? I am not so sure of where to go for paint on an "automotive" platform.

thnx

[SYCARMS]

I have done quite a bit of painting. There are several paints but the chroma base resists the chipping better than any other even Imron paint. Most anything else and you will be painting the buggy again in 1-2 years.

[TheFauxFox]

So... Chroma or Imron? And where do you buy your's?

[TheFauxFox]

anyone heard of por-15?

[SYCARMS]

DuPont makes both Imron and Chroma Base. You would purchase at an automotive paint shop. Chroma Base is the top of the line. Auto's can get by with cheaper paint but since your off road with plenty of gravel, rock, and sand bouncing off the buggy the DuPont Chroma Base will be what you want. Of coarse even the best paint won't hold up if the metal and old paint/ powder coat isn't prepped right. Most of the agonizing labor will be in the prep this is why I also mentioned the powder coating since they will blast the complete buggy then coat it. The powder coat is just as durable as the Chroma Base. Same money but they do all the work. Paint is so high today due to the EPA and in some states you have to be licensed to buy the automotive paints. I have not heard of por-15.

[351mustanger]

I have not used por-15, but have seen it at a local store. It is one of the "paint over rust" products. As far as I know, painting over rust is not a good idea no matter what you use to do it. I am not sure how accurate syc is with his description of 2-stage paint. A 2-stage paint is a base coat then a clearcoat. The clearcoat has hardener mixed into it, and it is the protecting coat over the basecoat. Syc used candy and pearl colors, which are a 3-stage paint job. You can get a single stage paint, in which the hardener is mixed directly with the color coat. The single stage is the cheapest, and easiest route. The hardener in all of these systems is what achieves the durability. Proper mixing is important too. You will need to mix the hardener and reducer yourself. Once the hardener is mixed with the paint, its shelf life is gone, which means it will harden up even if you keep it in a sealed can. So clean your gun when you are done painting. Stop at a local automotive paint store and tell them what you are wanting to do. Mention the potential for chips and scratches, and your budget and they will most likely have a suggestion for you. They can give you the info on the proper mixing of your paint too. Like syc said, prep is the key.

[TheFauxFox]

Thanks a TON! I am sure as per your username (351mustanger) you must have done SOMETHING with Mustangs!

Possibly involving paint?

[Davcruz]

The Chromo Base mentioned is great stuff! I used single stage Paint Shop System to paint my daughters. I used 3 quarts of primer, 4 quarts of color and 2 quarts of clear, the clear is optional but I did it for added protection. The benefit for me on the Paint Shop system is it is ready to spray right out of the quart can, no hardener or reducer, etc. required, nice and simple. It is lacquer based so breathing protection is required. I also used a DIY spray on bed liner for the floor. One warning, round tube eats paint so proper gun setup is very important.

[TheFauxFox]

Did you find the Chroma paint in your local paint store? And about how much was it per quart?
Also...

Did you do the spray on bed liner from a spray-paint bottle? Or a paint gun?

Thanks

[Davcruz]

I did not use Chromo Base, I used Paint Shop System from Dupli-Color, it is available at Advance Auto Parts or it can ordered from Summit, Jegs, etc. About $20 per quart. http://www.duplicolor.com/products/psFinishSystem/

You could use the spray bomb style bedliner, I had a kit sitting on the shelf left over from doing my truck bed, it came with the undercoating style application gun. I used Raptor.

[351mustanger]

I am no paint expert. I am a mustang/car enthusiast and have done some paint work on my cars. I have a friend that is an expert, and has his own shop. He does custom paint jobs and engine modifications. I have been around alot of custom paint work and know a little. I am not trying to act or sound like an expert, just trying to be helpful.

[TheFauxFox]

LOL. That was GREAT help though, thanks a ton!

[351mustanger]

The dupli-color lacquer is user friendly but will not be as durable as acrylic enamel or a clearcoat of acrylic urethane.

[TheFauxFox]

I was wondering about it. I had it on my "wish list" especially because it has a TON of colors, and is fairly inexpensive. What if i did the dupli-color, and did a Chroma clear coat over it?

[351mustanger]

Lacquer is a reactive finish. Which means: when you spray another coat over lacquer the previous coat reacts to the new coat. The wet coat actually softens the dry coat and becomes part of it. I am not positive, but the lacquer paint will most likely wrinkle and craze if you spray enamel on it. Not a good thing. Your best bet is to use a system that is designed to work together. I would stick with all of the same brand product. I have not used the duplicolor lacquer and am not saying it is a bad choice either. You should use what fits your budget, capabilities, and intended use. There is always a sacrifice. Think about it: if it was the easiest to use and the most durable, then it would also be the most expensive.

[TheFauxFox]

So....after reading what you said, and reading that the Chroma was somewhere around 500 bucks a gallon...... I think I'll stick with the dupli-color, and do a candy apple red base, with a clear coat over it.

[Miamieddie]

Don't forget to show us pics.

[TheFauxFox]

Has anyone else painted their kart? How much paint did they use?

[351mustanger]

I would guess 2 quarts of enamel or 3-4 quarts of the lacquer you are leaning toward. With the enamel, you will end up with almost double what you bought after you mix it.

I don't know what kind of price the dupli-color is, but I recently painted a 3 rail bike trailer with some standard already mixed black. PPG shop line brand. 1 quart of paint, reducer, and hardener was around $60. 1 quart barely made 2 coats on the trailer. I am guessing you could get 2 quarts with the hardener and reducer for less than $100.

[Davcruz]

I am no paint expert either, by any stretch of the imagination! I can say that so far the lacquer has held up very well to little shrub rub and so forth you get trail riding and has no rock chips in it either. She uses the buggy quite a bit so it's not as if it just sits, she probably puts 5-6 hours or more a week on it so far.

I used much more paint than I thought I would have used. As I said, paint gun setup is critical when spraying round tube because the tubes are small and there is much wasted paint just going out in the air. I used both my spot/touch-up gun and my full size gun both of which are HVLP and really one was not better than the other, a lot of paint was wasted.

Something else to keep in mind, with the candy colors you have to put a silver base coat on first, then the candy color, so your paint job cost will increase.

[TheFauxFox]

Why would you have to put a base coat?

And about how much paint did you use?

[Davcruz]

Originally Posted by TheFauxFox

Why would you have to put a base coat?

And about how much paint did you use?

The candy colors are translucent, they require a reflective base to make them actually appear candy and to "pop". Read up on the candy colors on the Dupli-Color site or any other painting site.

[SYCARMS]

The reason for the base/ clear coat paints being so expensive is due to the amount of solids in them. Most all enamels are poly based today and they are broken up into two categories, solvent and water based. On a one part system the base and clear are basically combined into one. On the 2 part system naturally it is separate. The reason the 2 part is so expensive and so much more durable is that the base coat has so many more solids in it and this is what gives you the durability. The base coat will have over twice the solids a 1 part system have. The clear coat is just basically to seal the base coat as well as UV protection. Actually a 2 part system will require less paint then a single system, thus leaving you with a thinner mill thickness which is what you want. The more mill thickness or less solids the paint has makes it chip much easier. After all the gravel roads, tree limbs and all I have only one chip on my buggy and that was from the son hitting my buggy with his hitch while backing up. The only thing I have found to be as durable is the powder coating. When I painted my buggy 90% 0f my time was spent on prepping the surface. As I said prior for the best adhesion the old finish has to be sanded so that after washing the buggy all paint is a uniform flat. Any shinny paint no matter how small will give poor adhesion for the new paint. If you have someone who does the powder coating out your way I would definitely check into it. All you do is bring them the frame where they will usually soda blast it then apply the powder coating. Saves you a lot of time and labor. With a single part system you can figure on about 3 quarts of paint with some left over for later touch ups. The 2 part system you will need 1 quart of base and 1 pint of clear to do an average 2 seat buggy.

[TheFauxFox]

Thanks for the estimate. I was afraid I would end up spending $50 a coat (2 quarts worth). So.... I think I'll stick with the "performance red" Dupli-Color and a clear cost over it. Anyone used it before?