So im gonna paint my 2002 super crew. is one gallon of paint and clear enough?? my friend told me it should be fine then i heard i might need more of both?

 

you could always use some reducer and nearly double the amount of paint. everybody that i know who paints vehicles uses reducer, i cant speak for a body shop but i'm sure they sneak it in there to save money..

 

The base amount depends on alot of things. First, is it already a 100% reduced base that you ordered from a paint supplier, or is it un-reduced base? Water or solvent basecoat? What color are you painting it? Black generally covers well, reds not nearly as good. Are you sealing the truck to have a uniform coat without any "burn through's"? What color sealer are you putting on it, compared to the base color? If you are painting the truck black, and seal it before base, a gallon of base should do. The sealer is a make it or break it coat. 2 Quarts of ready to spray sealer should about cover it, but I would buy extra, in case you spray heavy.

A gallon of clear is severely pushing it. Assuming you plan to spray 2 wet coats minimum, a single gallon of mixed clear is not going to cut it. If you are talking about a galon of clear, and a quart of hardener as a "kit", giving you 5 quarts of sprayable product, then you should be pretty close. I just recently sprayed a 08 mazda3 hatchback, and used about 3 1/2 quarts of sprayable mixed clear. I did NOT spray the bumpers though, and if I did, I would have easily used over a gallon.

I would check with the store you are buying the product from, and check the return policy on un-opened clear coat. If they allow you to return anything not opened, I would buy an extra kit, just in case you run out.. If they do not allow returns, then you are best to spray it during the day when they are open. That way you can judge after the first coat how much product you are going to need. Your first coat should go on exactly like the last coat, and use the same amount of product.

I would have......

2 quarts of sprayable sealer (3 is safer)
6 quarts (1.5 gallons) of sprayable basecoat (color dependant, and extra is good for later touchups)
and 1.5 gallons of sprayable clear coat.

The worst thing you can have happen is to run out of anything when the stores are closed. Base is expensive, but having too much could be a blessing in disguise if you ever need to fix a fender later. Having a perfect color match in the cupboard is a blessing.

 

Daniel, over reduced basecoat doesn't cover nearly as well as properly reduced base. You can triple the reducer if you like, but will simply wind up putting on triple as many coats as needed to achieve coverage. Not to mention that if he has metallics or pearls in the base, they will have negative effects in base that is not reduced properly. It is best to stick to the manufacturers recommendations. You can often cheat a little and use a different or cheaper reducer, but thinning it out too much is counter productive.