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Bus Discussion => Bus Topics ( click here for quick start! ) => Topic started by: BusNit on September 22, 2021, 02:20:54 PM
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Does anyone have a recommendation on someone that can paint a bus? The buses I have been looking at all need paint. I am getting quotes here locally for 25-30k. Crazy...
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Some take them down to Mexico for a lot less but don't know the name.
There is a guy in Oregon that Clifford know and will come on and give his name.
But the price is about avg in the states.
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You might try "The Paint Dept." in Chino California.
They painted our bus about 40 years ago and it still looks like it just came out of the paint booth.
https://www.thepaintdepartment.com/our-work/ (https://www.thepaintdepartment.com/our-work/)
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Thats a testament for paint to last 40 years! Thanks for the link. I sent them an email request.
The Mexico one that I keep reading good reviews about is Navarro brothers. My wife does not want to risk the safety of leaving US ground... I can't justify 20-30k. That's alot of dinero...
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We had a professional mobile painter come to us & painted our bus in the bus barn. Seems to be holding up excellently...
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There is a shop that does body ,, prep,, and paint in Puerto Penasco MX. Gary Hatt has been there..>>>Dan
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Chuy is the painter in Puerto Penasco. Does excellent quality work for 1/2 to a 1/3 the US price. Tell your wife Mexico is safer than most anywhere in the States.
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Imron paint lasts. Don't know if they still use it.
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I remember Imron paint from the boating days many years ago! Great stuff. I think many paints have been reformulated over the years. I see so many newer cars with peeling clear coat living here in AZ. Nothing lasts under the sun anymore.
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Imron paint, that is what they used on my bus. Good stuff.
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You might consider wrapping, lots cheaper but won't last as long as a good paint job.
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Chuy the painter in Puerto Penasco uses Imron paint. It is still allowed in Mexico.
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That's what was used on our 4104. My brother had the body shop that painted it. His son runs it now.
Even after 20 years, paint still shined like new.
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Paint is only has good as the prep work no matter what paint is used Mike Wilson painted our x Eagle that Matt owns now 15 years later his paint still looks new a base coat clear coat paint.it was a AZ bus and never peeled and Mike gave lifetime warranty on his paint jobs I never had to use.Tim Morton in MO takes pride his work he will give a 2 color paint job for under 10k.If you want the stripes and swirls clear coat is the way so you don't feel the stop and start points of those
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I don't know any place that still uses Imron paint. It is a very dangerous product. It attacks the nervous system. The last time I know of anyone using it had a pressurized suit
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I don't know any place that still uses Imron paint. It is a very dangerous product. It attacks the nervous system. The last time I know of anyone using it had a pressurized suit
They still use Imron in Mexico but now it is a water base only has a 1 year warranty now too
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You use proper protection and no problem. Except in Ca. Most of the painting anymore in bodyshops needs protection.
As far as cost of paint jobs, depends on how lucky you are in finding someone to do it reasonably. Doing a proper prepping yourself can save 1/2 the cost or more. Soda blasting can work well if you have resources and area to do it.
Save some money by hand painting roof with one of those insulating coatings. One thing that has changed over the years. Paint prices has gone through the roof.
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I just checked and Imron is still available an used in the US.
Yes it got a bad rap years ago because painters would spray it w/o proper respiratory equipment, but now days just about everybody uses the right equipment.
The reason you don't hear about people using Imron anymore is there just as good of products far cheaper these days (Dupont even makes some of them) Imron runs $300 a gallon up just for the paint, not including the hardener or reducer and is a THICK paint that needs to be heated to flow properly. It's used in manufacturing quite a bit. And with it being mostly an industrial thing these days color options are limited.
I am working on a new project and the plan is to paint it with Metallic Sapphire Blue, and Metallic Silver both acrylic with an Imron clear over the top to protect it.
;D BK ;D
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Our 4104 was painted with Imron dark emerald green. But not necessary to heat. It had an activator you mixed with it.
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I bought a 1/2 pint of mellitic blue base coat with the clear coat and everything that goes with the paint it cost me $285.00 lol another $900.00 for a fairly decent spray gun,good primer cost a $100.00 a gal now with the small area patch I was doing I used a primer rattle can
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Chuy is the painter in Puerto Penasco. Does excellent quality work for 1/2 to a 1/3 the US price. Tell your wife Mexico is safer than most anywhere in the States.
I agree with JC. I have had parts of my bus painted by Chuy in Puerto Penasco and he does a great job and he does it while you are parked on the beach sipping on Margaritas. Mike Wilson used to paint a LOT of buses in the Northwest and has painted buses for Cliff, but he since sold his shop and is trying to get out of the business (again). I plan to take my bus back to Puerto Penasco in either November or December and have Chuy paint another section of it and drink more Margaritas. ;D
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Gary when we are in Puerto Penasco in February I want to see if he can repair our jeep top.
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Is this off-shore spending a violation of the "Buy American" principle?
Just asking...
8)
happy coaching!
buswarrior
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The present administration does not believe in that principal. Hunter needs some more of the treasuries cash using "kickback" schemes backed up by his fathers name.>>>Dan
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So back to this planet?
:o
Does Chuy work on fiberglass too.
Hey Ed what happened to your jeep top?
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The answer is yes,, He did some pre-paint repairs to Phil Shively's coach last year..>>>Dan
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Is this off-shore spending a violation of the "Buy American" principle?
Just asking...
8)
happy coaching!
buswarrior
BW, NO it's still AMERICA, might be South America, but still America!
Besides it's still supporting the USA, with the $ spent he can send more illegals across the border!
(JUST KIDDING I know nothing of this Chuy guy, but I do know the "Coyotes" make a LOT of dinero for smuggling each person they bring across!)
;D BK ;D
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Is this off-shore spending a violation of the "Buy American" principle?
Just asking...
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happy coaching!
buswarrior
I travel a lot in the U.S. Canada, and Mexico, and also overseas when I can. I support all economies as we are now a global world. However, it is getting harder and harder to find a good bus painter in the U.S. now that Mike Wilson closed up his shop or he would be painting it for me like he did my front cap two years ago.
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Any thoughts on why there seems or are fewer outfits that will take on painting a bus? There are plenty of shops that paint semi trucks and trailers, so they have the facilities. Why leave money on the table? Maybe the amount of labor and material costs makes it toughh for busnuts to swipe the card.
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I have a ? why would you use the 1 step Imron and clear coat it base coat color is more forgiving only trick is spraying the clear coat on in the time frame,Imron you would need to sand the surface for it not to peal sounds like a lot of work BK.Friggn paint cost a lot with todays labor prices,lol 1 door with a scratch cost me $920.00 to have repaired and it was a small scratch huh Gary Hatt
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Any thoughts on why there seems or are fewer outfits that will take on painting a bus? There are plenty of shops that paint semi trucks and trailers, so they have the facilities. Why leave money on the table? Maybe the amount of labor and material costs makes it toughh for busnuts to swipe the card.
Most buses need to be stripped down to bare metal because they have painted so many times and start over for a good job and ties up the shop for weeks.Like repairs on older buses it becomes a restoration project in a hurry.No quality paint job is cheap Marathon charges 50K to paint a bus
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Our Imron wasn't clearcoated. They didn't do that back then.
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Clifford I'm no painter! I have with some success painted some things with rattle cans in the past but that's my limited experience with painting.
I'm just going by what the guy who is supposed to do the paint job for me said the plan was.
;D BK ;D
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BK Is Star-jet still in business up your way. They painted Huggy over 25 years ago.
Still looks fair for setting our side for all these years.
uncle ned
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Clifford also another note, the painter IS planning on having his teenage sons WET sand the paint multiple times during the project. He's talking about 3-4 coats of base and 5 coats of clear! His estimate is that with natural drying times and the wet sanding it will take about a month to paint the truck.
;D BK ;D
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BK Is Star-jet still in business up your way. They painted Huggy over 25 years ago.
Still looks fair for setting our side for all these years.
uncle ned
Ned yes Huggy still looks good for being out in the elements all these years!
But I don't have the deep pockets it takes for a Star-Jet paint job. Besides Star-Jets quality is hit or miss these days. I've seen some gorgeous jobs they have done and I've seen some nightmares too!
My painter an I are on the good ol' boy system, he ain't no wrench, an I ain't no painter so we are going to do some swapping on the deal & he has twin 13 yr old sons that want our help building their rides by the time they candrive so we both get free labor!
;D BK ;D
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BK - you may want to double check what you were told about the number of coats. There is no reason to put more than a couple coats of base. It's sole purpose is to provide color and a good a gun in good hands with proper primer underneath can get a nice even color coat in two passes at the most. Multple clear is fine as that build depth as well as increased durability. Mostly couple coats of clear is sufficient. This is using current standard two part paints.
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I have a ? why would you use the 1 step Imron and clear coat it base coat color is more forgiving only trick is spraying the clear coat on in the time frame,Imron you would need to sand the surface for it not to peal sounds like a lot of work BK.Friggn paint cost a lot with todays labor prices,lol 1 door with a scratch cost me $920.00 to have repaired and it was a small scratch huh Gary Hatt
$920 for just one bay door? I had the entire side of my bus painted for less than that on a beach in Mexico whilst sipping on margaritas and eating seafood. ;D
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BK
One more thing about your post. Drying and wet sanding do not necessarily increase time once starting top coating. If the bodywork is completed well before spraying, then one can spray in one go. You spray and depending on the specific paint requirements, you'll likely just start the next coat without delay or sanding. If you wait too long, then you will have to wait until dried and cured, then wet sand, taking lots more time and effort. When painted in the proper conditions, the paint sets enough to take the next coat immediately.
there is always single stage as well which personally seems more than fine for a bus; it is not a show car being painted.
Just clarify what this guy is telling you and his real experience with current paint formulas.
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BK
One more thing about your post. Drying and wet sanding do not necessarily increase time once starting top coating. If the bodywork is completed well before spraying, then one can spray in one go. You spray and depending on the specific paint requirements, you'll likely just start the next coat without delay or sanding. If you wait too long, then you will have to wait until dried and cured, then wet sand, taking lots more time and effort. When painted in the proper conditions, the paint sets enough to take the next coat immediately.
there is always single stage as well which personally seems more than fine for a bus; it is not a show car being painted.
Just clarify what this guy is telling you and his real experience with current paint formulas.
Don this is NOT a bus being painted! It is an off the wall crazy project I am fixing to build. And while really it should be a "Show car" or "week end toy" it's going to be a daily driver for me!
It's a 5/8 scale Peterbilt body/sleeper made of all fiberglass being mounted on a Ford F350 chassis with a 7.3 Powerstroke in it.
It'll be just like the one on the left. The mid '80's chevy p/u in the middle gives you an idea of the actual size of this truck.
I told the painter I want the paint to be beautiful as well as hard as a rock! Then I told him the wreckers I drove in INDY in the '80's were painted with Imron and we couldn't damage that stuff if we tried! We banged 12" "J" hooks into them drug chains across them and the paint held up winter after winter with all that abuse!
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Ours was painted with single stage 10 years ago & is holding it's newness beautifully.
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BTW that's my black trailer on the far right, that I'll be pulling quite a bit with it.
But I want my "truck" to be metallic sapphire blue with metallic silver fenders and roof!
;D BK ;D
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Ours was painted with single stage 10 years ago & is holding it's newness beautifully.
Dan I hear ya, but this truck is not going to be garaged, and it's going to be used daily on/off road for construction so it's going to take a beating. My painter claims the extra thick clear coat will protect the color and all I will need to do is wash it with a quality soap before playing with it on weekends! (plus it'a fiberglass to start with and supposedly the extra layers of Imron are to protect that as well!)
;D BK ;D
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BK - Dumb me. I was thinking bus since that is what the thread title is. LOL
Yes, it is the clear that protects the paint. One consideration while selecting clear is the amount of UV protection in the paint. It does vary so depending on how thick and UV material you will get better color retention over the years, especially if it will be used a lot and stored outdoors. Thick coat of clear also means more durable and scratch resistant as dings and scratches occur in the clear and if thick can be easily rubbed out so no affecting the base.
As to hard finish. Not sure that is the goal as hard means not flexible and you want the paint to flex when panels get bumped and dinged. The flex will keep the paint from chipping or cracking. Most all decent two part is pretty flexible and also cures well and over time (many years) you will reduce that fine paint cracking that develops.