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View Full Version : HELP - Painting my 1994 Scenic Cruiser


stevefl
10-19-2011, 11:04 AM
I have been refurbishing my 1994 Scenic Cruiser. Have gone thru the interior and running gear and now faced with repainting. Could sure use some suggestions and advice - paint? any tricks?.

holmesaw
10-19-2011, 05:36 PM
My advice is Mikes Custom Painting in Bremen Indiana. You won't be sorry, but it's not cheap.
http://mikescustompaintinginc.com/

03heritagerider
10-20-2011, 08:20 AM
I'm no painter or body tech, however, many years ago I was a sales manager at an auto paint shop. I can't advise you on what kind of paint to use, although I'm sure any automotive paint will work. Mine was originally painted by Mike's Custom Painting with Martin-Senour brand available at NAPA stores, but there are many choices, like PPG/Ditzler, DuPont and BASF, among others. 90% of a paint job is in the preparation. The finish coat will only look as good as what's under it. Dents, dings and rough spots, if not repaired, will all be visible in the finish. Then there are the other choices like... enamel or lacquer... color... color/clear... base/color/clear... It can get confusing. So, unless you're a pro, I would not advise doing it yourself.

What I can tell you is, if I had it to do over again, I would paint the coach all white, with maybe one or two stripes/swooshes of color. Three reasons: 1) White is easiest to keep clean looking. The darker the color the more the streaks and water spots show. 2) White is cooler. We try to be somewhere warm in the winter and it helps the A/C work better. and 3) Touch-up is easier. Trying to touch-up 5 or 6 different colors is a royal pain. It's more labor intensive and expensive if you have a pro do it, and if you touch-up yourself you have to purchase all the different colors.

If you are looking for a shop to paint it, you will of course look for reputation. However, you first need to ask if they have a facility large enough to accommodate your rig. There were plenty of shops around me that do high quality and custom work, but only a couple had a paint booth big enough.

I'm not sure how far you are from Bremen, Indiana, but for me, the 800 mile round trip to Mike's Custom Painting to drop off the coach then another to retrieve it when it was done made it cost prohibitive. Beside, I wasn't thrilled with how the coach was originally painted by them to begin with, so I found a local shop to do my work. You may want to read this link I posted a while back.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3213 (http://www.gsowners.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3213)

Best of luck...keep us posted on your decision/progress.

stevefl
10-21-2011, 09:56 AM
Many Thanks for the inputs. My coach is already set up in three sections which will make it easier to paint - I Think?? I intend to use the original patterns. I think where I'm headed is to use a 2 stage PPG paint and spray it with a 3 stage turbine HVLP sprayer. I'm on a budget and really can't afford to take it to a shop. I'm reasonably handy and I have done a very small amount of painting in the past. I am open to any and all suggestions including "I've lost my mind." Thanks

GStream40
10-24-2011, 09:40 PM
Go for it!! After all it is yours and the only person you have to please is yourself. :D

Ron