Art & Inspiration so, I found some paint.

For storage youll want a sealer, or epoxy primer. Enamel primer wont hold up and will let the elements have their way with your project.
Also, enamel paint will do what you want it to do easier and cheaper
I'll shoot you a DM here soon.

 

No, you wouldn't , you probably couldn't afford the color brochure for one of those.

 

Go over to The Samba and check out the thread about saving original paint. It’s in one of the early bus sections. Those guys have done some amazing things, but they also talk about having hundreds of hours in the process.

 

Forget saving the original paint, there has to be something to save.

 

Lot of different opinions here. Get some panel prep, it will help with the flashrust. Be prepared to shoot primer when you acid treat your panels. I neutralize with baking soda water, then soap and water, both are basic on PH scale. Then wipe with panel prep and shoot.

An epoxy primer is best, but restorations were done for years before it came out.

Id recommend single stage automotive enamel over lacquer. Durable, inexpensive, easy to find, probably local. Napa even has a pretty good enamel.

I dont know your level of bodywork for the truck, black is tough to make look nice.
You could brush paint it with industrial enamel, add hardener, thin it a little and buy a great brush and it will lay down. Let the paint cure for a few months or a year...while you do other work and youll be able to sand and buff.
Valspar makes an industrial enamel hardener, acetone for fast reducer, lacquer thinner for slow reducer.

 

You guys are awesome, and great tips .... sometimes maybe I am just hard headed and trying to do the right thing, while making mistakes along the path.

Here is a couple photo I took about 15 min ago. Close to paint or primer, but still obvious bodywork to be done.
My goal is to be able to set this fender aside, work on the next fender, not come back to the first fender totally rusted again.
I kinda feel like a dog chasing it's tail.

I think I had the fender pretty well cleaned up, but today I spent the whole afternoon cleaning it again.
Am now convinced I did not really have it cleaned in the first place.
I sprayed it with ospho and walked away for the night.
This fender needs a little patch work and a little hammer & dolly, all 4 fenders need the same.
Just trying to get to something stable, so can come back and take care of each panel as needed.
And I plan to store the cleaned pieces inside, in a spare room I call my office.

So that was the plan for the primer, slow things down till I get a chance to work on it.
And was wondering if I sprayed enamel primer, then stored the panels inside, if later I decided to spray lacquer I would be ok.
Seems like I would be from the response, same time sticking with enamel paint may just be fine also.
Store it inside for a few months to dry and harden.
The 3rd photo is the hood and others stored inside, where rest will be stored once painted.

 

Primer breaths. It has to be sealed with paint or you are back to square one all over again. Rust will start to form and bleed through unless you use a epoxy primer.

 

IMAGINE a drive-thru car-wash-type installation for rat rods....

 

Thanks for the reply. I am learning the art of rust removal.
Was never a true goal of mine, just seems to be a necessary tool in the box.
My issue was using acid, removing the rust, next day it was right back again.

I now use the acid, wet sand it with 80 grit, repeat acid and wet sand until complete, clean metal and hose off all residue, then let the metal dry and dry sand the surface rust back off.
Now It is manageable.
Now I have the complete dog house rust free, but remaining paint needs sanded, I have hammer & dolly work and a couple patches to fabricate and weld in.
Now these pieces have been stored in my spare room a couple weeks, and not immediately flash rusting.

I feel like I now have it under control, the pieces can sit, I can work each piece individually as needed, and get the total sum ready for paint.
I was simply getting overwhelmed from removing rust and the next day it was back just the same ... I was not getting it cleaned properly.
I think this is part of the school of hard knocks 101 course

The motor is running/responding nicely, the rust is disappearing, Soon I will dis***emble the bed and it also will be cleaned and stored in the spare room until paint ... my goal for driving it this spring is getting closer, and the work is piling up, but I am still moving in a forward direction.
Life is good!

Look at my avatar when I got the truck, then look at current photos, Not huge but it is progress.

 

No, Lacquer over Enamel will lift as if you had used a paint stripper!

 

Thank you for the response, And this makes me wonder.
I never painted a car before, I am starting to understand the work involved for the completed job, I do not mind spending more money for better quality paint.
I still want to use the truck as a truck, not worry about paint. Touch up as needed.
Pretty sure I want to stick with a single stage paint though, seems easier to deal with.

My goal will be to live another 20 years, 30 tops ... I only want to paint it once.
This is a life changing decision, lacquer or enamel?

As it sits, I have applied no paint. I think the enamel will be perfect for the frame.
I question if it is what I want for the body though.

 

Enamel will be fine, back in the day trucks were all painted with enamel from the factory.

 

Por 15 and a brush will make it look pretty good in about 2 hrs, no masking required just a steady hand. Or brown primer would look good as well but it'll rust over time.

 

...not good lookin huh?