How much paint needed to paint our Mustangs?

vikingsandpintos · Nov 29, 2024

Getting ready to buy paint, and was wondering how much to get to paint a 72 Mustang coupe? I will be painting jambs, and both bumpers also.

I am using base coat clear coat. I will also need a little extra as I need to play with settings before I spray, as this is my first street car I've painted. (I have done several circletrack cars that only had to look good from the stands, lol)

I did some practicing today on a junk hood, and actually was quite pleased with the results. If I can get the same results on my car, I will be happy!

My wife works at NAPA, so I get paint at her cost, which helps greatly. She mixed up a custom color, once I get it done I'll add pics in my build thread. I would like to error on the side of extra paint to have on hand for repairs/touchups down the road if needed. The base mixes 2 to 1, so 1 gallon of base will make 1 1/2 gallons with reducer. Clearcoat mixes 4 to 1, so gallon makes 1 1/4 gallon.

How much do I need to be safe, with extra? Thanks!

turtle5353 · Nov 29, 2024

Most base coats I have shot are mixed 1:1. At least PPG DBC is. I painted a 71 Mach 1 a couple years ago. I shot jambs and everything. I used 1 and 1/2 gallons with a little left over. So that was 3 gallon sprayable. I believe I bought 3 gallon of clear with plenty left over

tpj71mach · Nov 30, 2024

It will depend on the color and whether or not you use a tinted sealer. I do not use sealers on my cars, only because I am not a professional painter and my friend Mike who is a professional is not a fan and prefers not to use them. I am not sure if there was a bad experience in his past or if he just likes to do it the way he likes to do it, but I respect his opinion and never have used sealers. That being said when I sprayed my car, I use 3 1/4 gallons of base but I painted every panel inside and out. I also found the Wimbledon white to be quite transparent requiring more coats for good coverage, a different color might not have that issue. All in, I used 4 gallons of clear but again that was inside and out of every panel and the whole interior of the body. Admittedly I spayed only two coats of a much less expensive clear on the inside of the body that was being covered by the headliner and trim panels and more coats of the "good stuff" on the outer panels. All of the outer panels and under the hood and decklid and inner doors were all sprayed with 4 coats of the expensive clear to allow enough material for wet sanding and buffing.

vikingsandpintos · Nov 30, 2024

Such beautiful cars! Thank you all for sharing, and the info

69 Rustang · Dec 1, 2024

The paint system you use is also a factor—waterborne or solvent base. Waterborne tends to have excellent hiding properties and can achieve coverage in 2 to 3 coats (depending on your color). I used PPG Envirobase (Waterborne) on my ‘72. A gallon of color (unreduced) was enough to do the jambs, under hood, portions of the trunk, and the entire exterior of the car. The color was Wimbledon White - 2 coats was plenty over a white sealer. On my son’s ‘69, last week we used a gallon to do the jambs, trunk, under hood, and exterior. We also painted the backsides of all the small parts (quarter extensions, headlight bucket/fender extensions, valances, etc.). This was done with PPG Envirobase in Ford Candy Apple Red and needed 2 coats for coverage. The ‘69 was sprayed with a gray sealer (G5). Envirobase takes 10 to 20% reducer so it is mostly color.

The Heff · Dec 1, 2024

I bought 10ltrs of 2K Grabber Orange from my paint suppliers and 5ltrs of hardener. Mine took 7.5 ltrs of solid colour Grabber Orange and the ratio of hardener was 2 paint 1 hardener. The Orange was a bit translucent, so it took 5 coats to cover the car. The paint was £50.00 a litre, but another manufacturers of the same colour could be £200 a litre. It all depends on the amount of colour pigment is used in the making up of the paint, and this is where the cost verses coverage comes into play. If I had used a more expensive paint, I possibly could have covered the car with 3 good coats instead of 5 coats. I have noticed some areas were a bit thin, especially when cutting it back and finishing it off with a 3000 grit to remove some of the orange peel effect. Still, I am very pleased with the outcome. It has bought the surface up to a very deep lustre, and the surface is like a mirror. Using a solid colour ( with laquer ), its easy to respray any damages or blemishes and blend in again without any hassle. DO NOT HASSLE THE HEFF