I'm gonna be painting the rig yellow (rattle can style), and I need to know what color primer to use. Should I go with gray, or the tan color? I did a search, but everyone had someone else paint their trucks. (That, and they all looked like trailer queens). Anyone help me?

I would go with the tan since its closer to the color you want to paint it. With PPG DP seris primers you can acuttly tint it with some of the top coat color and apply it as a sealer, but its pretty expensive, youll be safe using the tan color.

If you're doing rattle can - I use the best rustoleum kind that is rust color.

rust color rustoleum primer... that correct? I'm only gonna be painting the top half. I took the roller and herculiner to the bottom half. Worked out pretty well.. Until I took a wall into the top of the pass. front fender the other day. Just 3" lower and the herculiner would have taken it, but instead, it got into the paint.

Yellow paint goes over gray primer generally. Light colors over light primer, dark colors over dark primer is the general rule. Problem is that going over any dark color will require more yellow paint to get uniform coverage/color and will actually result in a darker color of yellow depending on the system used. That is the distilled version...

If you want really bright yellow, I would use white primer.

Yellow is very transparent. with grey primer I would expect the the yellow will be dull or dingy. If you use rust primer I'd expect the yellow to turn out mustard-like.

My .02 is to use white primer and do the first top coat in white. You'll end up using less yellow paint to get it bright.

- Dan

ps: I used to have a couple of yellow cars and I learned the hard way...

I always use at least 2 or 3 coats of color on top so I use the rust-colored stuff underneath. My cab is white - and I used it under the 3 coats of white I did.

At Lowe's here - there are 2 kinds of rustoleum, and the kind I used was the "pro" kind.

Can't go wrong with grey primer. That is what I would use...

Good luck finding white in a can. For catalyzed primers and such, you've got lots of options (including tinting to match) but for rattle cans, usually it's gray, ruddy red, or black. However, to get a really crisp yellow, Dan is right, white would be best. However, I doubt it will make much difference from gray to white with rattle can yellow.

BTW, white covers much faster than yellow...

Originally posted by BadDog
Good luck finding white in a can.

Luck? If only winning the lottery was this easy ;)

Plasti-Kote T-237 White sandable primer (http://www.plasti-kote.com/auto/templatecolors.cfm?product=SandablePrimer)

LOL, if only! Thanks, I've never seen that in a can. Then again, I generally don't use a can. I do keep a can of gray around just for convenience but that's about it. Thanks for the pointer! :D

Well, I found white in a can, but they only had 2 cans in the whole freakin store! (Checker Auto). I started out and have put gray on the entire truck so far. Could I put a coat of white on top of the gray primer to make the yellow look brighter? This truck has become a bit of an obscenity driving down the road... Maybe I just better finish it up and put the doors back on... Then again, I could shoot myself.. :D Thanks for all the help so far everyone..

You can go wrong with gray! I've had two cars that were previously painted and the paint went to hell 'cause the wrong gray primer/paint combo was used.

Red isn't exclusive to Rustoleum, it's actually called "Red Oxide" primer and IMHO (my old bodyshop class teacher's too) it's the best.

BTW want to see some freaky primer go to a Tractor dealer and take a look at Ford tractor primer, it's PINK!!! .
The pink primer is the only way you can get the Ford blue paint to look right.

Well, I started it. I went out and bought two cans of Sun Yellow. (all they had at Autozone). I'm going to head over to Home Depot and get a case of yellow. The front fenders are off the truck and I painted them first. I gotta tell you guys, that sun yellow with the herculined black lower half looks REALLY good in my opinion. I can't wait to finish it. I think I need a couple more cans of primer, and then the case of yellow and it should be done. I also painted the wheels semi-flat black (were white steelies, then yellow steelies, now semi-flat black steelies). I think when it's all done, it will look really sweet.

Since you're in Gilbert, I know there's a Home Depot near you. Rustoleum has a white primer in a rattle can for about $4 a can. It's for bare clean metal, but works well for painting Bondo, etc. too. I used it on my 85 4runner under the Rustoleum gloss white paint job. If you have access to a spray gun, it makes it look a whole lot better than rattle cans. Mine doesn't look too bad IMO for the $7 for the actual paint it cost me. Plus it's easy to touch up if need be.

Well, I actually live in Phoenix now.. Bethany Home and 11th Ave. I guess I need to change that. My dad lives about 2 sec. away from that home depot. I put the first coat on the front clip (hood, fenders) and it looks sweet. My friend was trying to show me how to paint it and he kinda f'd up the pass. fender. He put WAY too much paint on it. I've got runs all the way across the fender. I gotta fix that.