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Desert Tan Paint Job

16K views 44 replies 13 participants last post by  Elwenil 
#1 ·
Where do yall buy your paint?
Im trying to find a oil based Desert Tan flat to semi flat paint. Some thing that requires no mixing or adding. I would prefer a industrial paint. This will be for a trail truck, So I need a tuff paint that requires little work to shoot. Not building a show truck. Im also looking to find it in gallon form not aerosol cans.

Thanks For any help.
 
#3 ·
Gillespie Coatings (GCI) is the #1 choice of military vehicle restorers.  Regular paints just don't seem to hold up once flattened and spray bomb and canned Rustoleum camouflage paints are only good for a year or two before they turn chalky.  Rapco is usually a little cheaper on GCI paint but beware, there is a heavy HAZMAT charge to shipping this type of paint, regardless of where you buy it.
 
#5 ·
...ooooohhhh i dunno about a gallon.  It took about a 1/4-gallon of the GCI just to paint my hood.  If yer gonna buy paint and pay the hazmat charge I'd recommend getting like 3-4 gallons and then you'll have plenty for the whole truck, and for future touch-up {2cents}

- Sam
 
#6 ·
Mad Max said:
...ooooohhhh i dunno about a gallon. It took about a 1/4-gallon of the GCI just to paint my hood. If yer gonna buy paint and pay the hazmat charge I'd recommend getting like 3-4 gallons and then you'll have plenty for the whole truck, and for future touch-up {2cents}

- Sam
The shipping actually gets cheaper the more you buy also. Your right I forgot how much paint I used to paint my M880 back in the day. 3-4 gals will probably be better
 
#10 ·
OSS of RCC said:
have you looked @ tractor supply? I have used their paint on anything from dump trucks to the old crew cab to a ramcharger... cheap & easy..
Yeah Ive used it before. We painted Noahs PW with TSC black Paint. Im just looking for a specific color. TSC doesn't have it
 
#12 ·
Yall weren't kidding about the HAZMAT cost $300 for 4 gallons. I think im going to keep looking around for a cheaper alternative. if I don't find anything then I will bite the bullet and use them
 
#13 ·
RCAddict said:
This took 3 1/2 gallons to do just the outside when I painted it
another 1 1/2 to do what I painted inside
I love those hard tops for the hummers. They don't leak. ;D And the storage compartments are nice.

ProjectM880 said:
the HAZMAT cost $300 for 4 gallons.
:eek: Dang! And I thought hazmat shipping on primers and powder was bad.....
 
#15 ·
Any Napa or body shop supply place can mix you paint to the fed code: 30277  This would allow you to circumvent the shipping costs. I have done this before with many other fed spec colors.

Norm
 
#16 ·
Yeah, any automotive paint shop can mix it but about the best you can do is get a semi-gloss or satin finish.  I don't know what the difference in the paint formulations are but I have yet to hear of anyone using automotive paint and being 100% happy with how flat it is on a military vehicle.  I used to mix Sherwin Williams automotive paint and tried several times to get 23070 mixed right for an M38 but whatever they used to flatten it changed to color too much.  They eventually went with Aervoe military resto paint but it faded to a chalky grey-green color in a couple years.
 
#17 ·
...that was $300 'total' right (paint, fee, shipping) - not just for the Hazmat fee?...I hope!  :p
 
#18 ·
Mad Max said:
...that was $300 'total' right (paint, fee, shipping) - not just for the Hazmat fee?...I hope! :p
Yes, $300 Total. Sorry I wasn;t clear. Still a chunk of change for paint and no primer
 
#19 ·
That reminds me, use red oxide color primer for military paints.  It ensures the color comes out correctly.  Grey or other colors tend to skew the color a bit.
 
#21 ·
ProjectM880 said:
Yes, $300 Total. Sorry I wasn;t clear. Still a chunk of change for paint and no primer
well it is pretty good paint, and it's oil based so it'll fill in nooks and crannies nicely - that's one of the reasons I like alkyd (oil-based) enamels. And it's real durable once it's fully cured.
 
#22 ·
80W150 said:
The stuff you can buy isn't actual CARC is it? I wonder if that has something to do with the final finish.
No, not actual CARC, though some colors do come in a "CARC substitute" formula. I think only the "383 Tan" would be a CARC substitute in the desert colors.
 
#23 ·
Elwenil said:
No, not actual CARC, though some colors do come in a "CARC substitute" formula. I think only the "383 Tan" would be a CARC substitute in the desert colors.
Right on. Thanks. (all this talk is making me want a crew cab and build a "war wagon".)
 
#24 ·
ProjectM880 said:
Yes, $300 Total. Sorry I wasn;t clear. Still a chunk of change for paint and no primer
$300 for 4 gallons of paint is not too bad if you consider that one gallon of Glasurit inca red is very close to a Grand. Good paint isn't cheap.

Which makes that $300 seem even more of a value because it really isn't to shabby a price for a paint with such high solids content.

I agree that many colors are "hard" to match. Fed Spec 595 is a mess and it's a long process to understand all the little differences that have evolved over 50+ years of "Mil spec" paint codes. That said, desert tan type colors are a fairly recent edition. Any paint shop with Revision B (FED-STD-595B) should be able to mix it. Our local Guard unit uses Napa for their paint...as an example.

Norm
I use TM9 products for all my personal restorations.
 
#25 ·
Another option might be to go get it yourself.  Rapco is in Bowie, TX.
 
#26 ·
Elwenil said:
Another option might be to go get it yourself. Rapco is in Bowie, TX.
5 hours away one way. But damn these guys will ship four gallons to my door for $165!

Case of 4 - 1 Gallon Cans are $125.00 + $30.00 HazMat + $10.00 Extra Shipping
$165.00

Thanks Elwenil!!!
 
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