Painting My Top

[FLYFSHIN]

Ok, so I remember posting a question about painting the bronco's top. It's a girly green, and I think I want it black. Someone told me that it should be sanded down first..how hard is this to do? Can I pull it off and sand it smooth with an orbital sander? Secondly, will most paint shops know how to do this if I cant? And about how much will it cost me? Has anyone else done this?

 

[Shadow_D]

First, if you are only painting the hard top then yes you should take it off to paint it.
Second, you can sand it smooth but you will lose the texture that is stock with the roof.
Third, You need to decide how you want it to look, Factory has a flat finish or you can have a glossy finish.
Last, you should get the price on some good paint at the local auto body supply store as there is a big difference between paints and how they are applied.
As you know the paint on your truck is "base coat / clear coat" and you should stay with that.
I looked up your other posts and see that you will need to fix the rust issue on the quarter, only way I know to fix it is to cut it out, fill it then paint it, I haven't found anything that will stop rust.
This project is going to be a little involved so you might want to think about having a body shop do this unless you have a good garage that is dust free i.e. spray booth.
I hope this helps.

 

[FLYFSHIN]

Yeah, I figured I would have to pull the top off to paint it. I dont really care if the textureing stays, "if" they can spray GC on top of GC and have it stick, I'm ok with that. I prefer a flat finish. I was under the impression that they could not though, after reading some other posts on the net.

I dont have actual holes yet, just bubbles and paint starting to flake off. I'm assuming that the body shop should be able to grind off the rust, fill in any pits, and spray over it. I'm taking it to a reputable shop, so hopefully it comes out right. I'm not a DIY when it comes to paint.

 

[Justshootme84]

I seem to remember posting a few comments on your thread previously. If you want to do it yourself, the cheapest way to go would be just to get some rattle cans of the color you want, either DupliColor or the local brand like NAPA or whatever. You can even buy the clear coat in a spray can. It won't last forever, more like a year or two, but will be cheap($40-$50). I wouldn't even worry about sanding off the texture either.

If you want a professional job from the body shop, they will probably sand the top and gel-coat it, or use a paint that won't crack or peel when the top flexxes. That will prolly cost you around $500. It won't be so "ghetto" though!!!

 

[Juice]

i was thinking about painting mine last fall, and i talked to a few guys who have done it on theres, and they said they just used rattle can krylon paint. from the pics i saw they looked good, but i don't know how long it lasted, or if it was a 10 foot paintjob.