Ford 47 2N Paint questions

Hello all,

I am restoring my grandfathers 1947 Ford 2N. I am in the process of taking everything apart now. I am going to do it right, sandblast the parts I can, we have a small cabinet sand blaster we use for motorcycle parts and my cousin built a cabinet that fits a motorcycle frame we will set up if we can find a place to put it. I am going to bring the frame to a local steel place to get it sandblasted. Other parts like the gas tank and things I am going to do electrolysis on to remove the rust I probably can't can't sandblast. Today I am going to just sand the hood because I can't do either to that.

What paint do you recommend? I was thinking Oil based brush on, my uncle has done several motorcycle frames with paint like that and its worked great.

Would the Ford colored oil based Majic stuff from Tractor Supply work? I was thinking of trying to track down some OEM style Ford paint but not sure if its really worth it.

Thanks in advance for any advice I can get!

I am by no means a paint expert, but I did a lot of research prior to painting my 901 a few years ago. You say that you are doing it right, so don't put a lot of time effort and money into preparation and then put a quickie paint job over it. It will look good for awhile but you will soon be disappointed as the paint dulls. Be sure to use acid wash anywhere where there is rust, or the rust will eventually bubble up through the paint. Use a good self etching or epoxy primer. Use an automotive urethane paint for durability. There is a broad range of paint quality and cost within the automotive lines. When the Magic first came out it got a lot of bad press on this forum. Don't try to brush it on, you will find that you will have a very tough time to get it into a lot of places. Cheap harbor freight spray guns get a lot of good reviews here. You want HVLP unless your compressor is a very small one. Don't put a lot of time effort and money into prep and cover it with a cheap paint job

Thanks! I just contacted my local steel supplier that does sandblasting and I am getting a quote on blasting and having them priming the frame. That will be a huge help for the end result, I'm sure they would do a much better job priming than I could as long as its not too expensive.

Do you have any tips for where to look? What brands to look up, or where to look for them? I feel like most places, tractor supply, autozone, places like that usually sell the normal stuff, not high quality stuff. There is a local tractor store that my grandfather used to get parts for the 2N from, I will actually call them today to see what sort of paint they have.

I do have a good compressor that works with our sandblaster, so I will pick up a paint gun. I am so over buying cheap stuff, whether it be motorcycle parts, gear, or tools, so I will probably invest in a paint gun instead of going the harbor freight route. I have seen too many of those tools break, and a good tool will last forever. And I do have plans to paint many other things so it would be a good investment.

(quoted from post at 06:52:34 12/09/15) Thanks! I just contacted my local steel supplier that does sandblasting and I am getting a quote on blasting and having them priming the frame. That will be a huge help for the end result, I'm sure they would do a much better job priming than I could as long as its not too expensive.

Do you have any tips for where to look? What brands to look up, or where to look for them? I feel like most places, tractor supply, autozone, places like that usually sell the normal stuff, not high quality stuff. There is a local tractor store that my grandfather used to get parts for the 2N from, I will actually call them today to see what sort of paint they have.

I do have a good compressor that works with our sandblaster, so I will pick up a paint gun. I am so over buying cheap stuff, whether it be motorcycle parts, gear, or tools, so I will probably invest in a paint gun instead of going the harbor freight route. I have seen too many of those tools break, and a good tool will last forever. And I do have plans to paint many other things so it would be a good investment.

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If your question about brands refers to paint, I can't help with that. When I painted my dump truck body I used Nason, but the paint jobber dropped that brand. Just call auto parts stores until you find one that is set up to blend colors. All auto supply stores sell paint but just a few really do the whole job, and those are the ones that blend. having the blaster paint it may be a good idea, but GET SET ON YOUR BRAND FIRST. it is ALWAYS advised on this forum to use just one brand in order to get good results. The manufactures know what is compatible with what within their line.

Karl, you are doing way too much prep work to do your tractor with a brush. Don't rule out a H-F spraygun which is no SATA but way way better than anything will come out with a brush. For your best bet in paint longevity use some brand like PPG .Or an auto paint.

Here my $.03 (I'll give you extra)
worth.

Anything small that can be taken off go
ahead and blast. Take sheet metal to a
competent blaster. Carcass (anything
with oil seals, gaskets etc) do with
stripper and a wire wheel. I just got
done taking a governor apart that was
on a tractor that got blasted. Even
though it was taped, it still got sand
inside.

In regards to paint, like others have
said stay in 1 paint line. As a
beginner it will eliminate any
compatibility issues. You don't have to
go super high end, but you could go
with paint from Napa or Sherwin
Williams. Definitely want a spray gun.
I got a set with a big tip gun, small
tip gun and a touch up gun for $100. I
have sprayed many a things and no
issues. In regards to primer I would
recommend an epoxy primer, and I
wouldn't let the blaster paint my
tractor. Who knows what they use for
primer and the skill of the painter. I
would arrange to pick up blasted
material no more than a day before you
will paint and preferably the day of.
You don't want flash rusting.

Trial and error will be frustrating,
but remember you can always sand out
runs and reshoot. I think I had 8 costs
on my hood before I was happy. I did a
lot of sanding so in reality I probably
only have 3-4 coats on the hood.

Have fun is key to not getting
frustrated.

I pulled my 8N own to bare metal before I painted it. I used electrolysis on all the sheet metal and a wire wheel on the cast components. After the sheet metal was virtually rust free, I coated all parts with Picklex-20 (spelling). When I had them complete, I prepped them and shot them with epoxy primer followed by PPG single stage MAE. Based on the wealth of knowledge here, I was able to do a decent job. I used a cheaper spray gun and sprayed area's not normally seen like under the hood to get the feel for it. Quite a sense of accomplishment for me. My fuel tank (original) was cleaned inside and out with electrolysis and I found it leaked at the seam. I immediately replaced it with new and don't regret it one bit. Hope this helps.