Hey everyone,
I understand that i could be completely out to lunch on this but here’s the deal. I hav a 88 f-150 and its my daily driver and has some minor rust on it but the body is in good shape. i want to repaint it and i jst want to do it myself with tremclad, one of the colors i want is a white, im not sure the exact name of it but i hav seen tons of Escalades with this color and i think its somewer along the likes of Esacalde white, or Pearl white. i know i can easily get it from a body shop and i hav a couple friends who work ther that will paint it for me but i dont want to spend all the money to do the entire truck in the paint from the body shop cuz the other color i can do with tremclad, and frankly, it just isnt worth it haha. so wat i am wondering is if ther is a way i can get this color of white from tremclad somehow or if i can mix a different color with the white to get it or if ther is an additive made by tremclad that i dont know about that will give me this color. Any and all info is much appreciated. thanks alot.
Colin
As someone who has done a bit of home-made paint work in my days, I will tell you to pick another color. White is damn near impossible to get right-- getting the right shade mixed is going to be the least of your problems. Getting the white to look even remotely uniform takes very careful prep work and about 2-3 times as much primer and paint as you’d use for a darker color, and even then it’s hard to predict exactly what the shade is going to look like when its on the car. What’s more, that minor rust is going to stick out like a sore thumb on a white truck when it comes back a few months after you paint it (which it will, unless you’re talking about replacing huge swaths of sheet metal).
I assume you want to use white because that is the original color. If I guessed wrong and you are really trying to overpaint another, darker color, then you are creating large problems for yourself.
One of my cars, bought used, is white. Its original hood had been replaced by some previous owner, who repainted a blue hood. The white hood matches the rest of the car, but where the paint has chipped its original blue color is obvious. You will have the same situation.
Using white paint just for trim or covering another small white area is fine, but for overpainting a large area I suggest you go with the original color. Whatever your decision, use the paint code on the door label for a very close match.
I hope you’re not in over your head on this project.
I have never found white to be that difficult, but you will want to use a light gray primer/sealer on the whole truck in order for it to be easy for the white to cover well. The lighter the color, the easier it is to hide mistakes. Dark colors show every imperfection. Black is especially hard. Surface preparation is the key to a good paint job. Your final wet sanding should be with at least 400 grit. 240 grit WILL show thru the paint. You will have to cut out ALL of the rust and replace it with real metal if you intend for it to stay gone. There are patch panels available for your F-150. You will need a good paint gun, not one from Sears or Harbor Freight. A good High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP) gun will set you back a couple hundred bucks.
Why Trimclad? There are many other, spelled b-e-t-t-e-r, paints on the market designed for automotive use.
thank u all for the info, dont worry, im not to far over my head haha, jst figured if im gonna be drivin it for a few years i may as well try to make it look decent, i had planned on fixing the rust with sheet metal or the patch panels that MG Mcanik was talking about. i didnt reralise ther was so much prepping and such with white paint i think i might look for a different color if thats the case. What ware some other paints that u are talking about that are better tan tremclad and available to someone without going through a body shop??
rust on it but the body is in good shape.
apparently it is not in good shape, i.e., rust.
What you are describing sounds like a tri coat or a three stage paint. Don’t do it, stay with a base coat, clear coat.
I think you’re talking about a pearl finish white, which I imagine is even harder than plain white to put on and have look good.
the only rust is som eminor rust on the rear fenders, the rest of the body is pretty solid, i plan to fix the rust before painting
I’m with Greasy. Sorry, I don’t know what tremclad is, but if it is not automotive paint forget it. It just will not hold up at all. Ford white has been around for decades and everyone stocks it by the gallon. The Escalade most likely is a pearl which means it has glass beads in it and is expensive. Just pick a standard color and use that. If you have a friend that will spray it, I would certainly recommend that. You can do all the sanding and prep work to save money but don’t save on the paint or the application.