what paint to use

what paint would you all use? I am painting a ford 3000, i have yet to hear anything good about the majic at tsc, i can get some industrial type paint from napa, but not sure what it is (the owner says it doesnt need hardner) there is a sherwin williams fairly close by does anyone have any suggestions?
 

There is more said on here (all negative) about Magic, than any other paint. Your best bet is an automotive store like NAPA that actually supplies auto body shops. You can get cheap alkyd enamel, or many other grades up to very expensive two stage urethane. Purchase according to how much you are putting into prep. never put cheap paint over a fifty hour prep, and never put expensive paint over a five hour prep. Stick to one brand of primer, primer-surfacer, top coat, for compatibility. Be sure to follow label instructions for compatibility, prep, safety.
 
A farmer in Ohio always uses Martin Senour Crossfire paint on the tractors he paints. He also uses a supplied air system since he uses hardener. Hal
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Here's a WD45 he painted for a lady that wanted to surprise her dad at Christmas. He bought the tractor new in 1954. Hal
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I guess i need to to understand the differnces in the paint, alk. enamel etc.. do they both need hardner to be durable? etc..
 
I have good luck with the NAPA crossfire, both acrylic enamel and urethane. I use hardener with a forced breathing air system.
 

Well you can go with the stuff from the AG dealer CIH/JD/AGCO. Its just a good akyld type paint. Will it work ... yes, its also easy to apply with little experience. Will it weather as well over time NO. Some colors fade quicker than others. If it spends most of its life inside and doesn't get exposed to harsh elements it will stand up pretty good. If polished and waxed regularly it will keep the color and shine.

However .... it in no way will be as durable or hold its shine like a urethane 2 part paint system.

I painted my '74 CASE back in 2007 with the CIH machinery paint no hardner. It looked real good for about 5 years now though the orange is starting to fade on the engine/trans ( I notice it always but others not so much). The white shines up if you polish it but .... who has time to do that always :wink: This is a work'n tractor and dosn't get washed a lot except say when its serviced. Don't get me wrong the tractor looks good still especailly for a 40 year old tractor!!! But the next one I do and go to all the work of preping it properly I'm going to use a single stage poyurethane paint. This type of paint is used on big truck and body stuff, sides gravel boxes, cranes, machinery, etc. Just go to your local paint dealer (whoever) and they will have a range of pricing on it from the real expensive to the "fleet" grade which is usually not that bad price wise (more than machinery enamel for sure) but way better durablity. No clear coat needed its all built in to the paint and it leaves an nice "wet look" gloss down to no gloss just depends on what you tell them to mix you up.

Although the urethane paint system is way more durable its still prone to chipping, scratches (gravel roads) and rust will get in there especailly if it sees salty roads like our winters up here! Thats why on something like a trailer deck or something that gets abused and chipped I don't think its worth the extra $$ because you seem to have to paint those things yearly anyway no matter what paint you use.
 
You do not need a hardener, but it will give a better finish and cure quicker. You will want an air supply if painting with hardener.
 
If I get 5 years out of the $40/gal Valspar I just sprayed on an 8n, I'll gladly repaint in 5 years!! We had an 8n that had the Valspar paint on it for 16 years, and beside being faded (sat out all the time), the paint protected it very well. YMMV.
 

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