Painting a bus

[luvrbus]

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     

[chessie4905]

Our Imron wasn't  clearcoated. They didn't  do that back then.

[Busted Knuckle]

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.
  BK 

[uncle ned]

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

[Busted Knuckle]

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.
  BK 

[Busted Knuckle]

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!
  BK 

[windtrader]

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.

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

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.   

[windtrader]

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.

[Busted Knuckle]

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!

[dtcerrato]

Ours was painted with single stage 10 years ago & is holding it's newness beautifully.

[Busted Knuckle]

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!
  BK 

[Busted Knuckle]

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!)
  BK 

[windtrader]

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.