Blue and white two-tone is so very... not me. So I intend giving my Series 3 a coat of paint. I notice that the prior owner has seemingly applied the finish with a brush and... well, it looks ok. Good enough to convince me that I can do the job myself, at a fraction of the cost of a 'proper' sprayjob.
The vehicle is always going to look like a 31-year-old farm vehicle that made the short-list for Mad Max auditions, so I might as well embrace that vibe and go for a slightly rat-look.


Soooo...

Is there any 'etiquette' in Landy painting? Painting a non-military model in a military colour would seem a bit of a faux pas, for example. What else is there to avoid? What else looks dreadful?

Does matt work nicely as a finish, or is there a semi-matt that would look better? A flat matt black for example would seem a 'bit much'.

I'm looking for paint. I'd like a matt or semi-matt finish, probably in a dark grey. Is there anywhere I can get hold of a multi-manufacturer paint chart, so my misses can pick one she likes, and I can then ignore her and pick one I like, and then lie about the shade it is when it's dry?

Does a matt dark grey look good on Landys? How about a near-black? Is flat black indeed a bit OTT?

Sources? Where can I obtain said paint. Cheaply. How much will I need?

Application. I've been informed that wonders can be done with a roller.
Aside from keying the body with a circular sander, is there anything else I need do? If I can get access to a spray-gun, would it give a noticeably better finish? Heck: Are rattly-cans any good?!


Cheers in advance.

Fook etiquette, mines Battleship Grey body with matt black everything else, bumper, wheels, hinges, mirrors and all the galv, it looks mean. Get it from ebay, I think mine was £35 for 5 litres, which was plenty for the inside and out.

I'm now very seriously considering dazzle-camouflage as an option, too...


EDIT: Also; have you got any pics of the matt black look?

I found 2 litres of synthetic enamel enough to do one coat on the outside. Brush painted, quality brush, good prep, careful vertical strokes, came out a treat. Thoroughly recommend Tractol for price and finish. Use Xylene/Linseed Oil to clean/store brushes. Can be bought via Smith & Allan who also have an eBay shop. All RAL colours were available when I bought mine, mixed to suit, and have now bought some more for another project too.

I've just brush painted my 1976 series3 ,just don't skip on the brush. A good synthetic brush will cost between £10 and £15 ,but will be worth every penny

Thas pretty.... just rollered mine....fookin Paddocks **** paint....its been rubed down twice now and it still looks ****e.......Back to propper paint.

just sprayed a door with paddocks landrover green - paint was great and spraying gave such a better finish than the brush job on the other door + was remarkably easy.

Downside was i then went off roading on Sunday and scratched the paint work to buggary and it all looks **** now

MikeDowson said:

Downside was i then went off roading on Sunday and scratched the paint work to buggary and it all looks **** now

Click to expand...

That's why I brush paint, I just get the brush back out

Mine is going a matte black.
If you see my post "my first land rover " you will see the thing in the making.
Gone for a gloss chassis, soon to be waxoyled black.
Satin black for the wheels, easy rinse off mud etc.
Satin black bulkhead, easy rinse of oil etc in engine bay.
Then matte black body..everything black.
"once you gone black, theres no going back!"
Then finished in a matte laquer, keeps the matte clean, and stops finger marks, mud stains etc etc..

pegibson said:

Mine is going a matte black.
If you see my post "my first land rover " you will see the thing in the making.
Gone for a gloss chassis, soon to be waxoyled black.
Satin black for the wheels, easy rinse off mud etc.
Satin black bulkhead, easy rinse of oil etc in engine bay.
Then matte black body..everything black.
"once you gone black, theres no going back!"
Then finished in a matte laquer, keeps the matte clean, and stops finger marks, mud stains etc etc..

Click to expand...

It's sounds like all you'll need is a Black suit and glasses, then go find some aliens

I see dead people

Warm the paint first in a pot very hot water, use a good brush... Google coach painting...

Cheers for the tips.

How painstakingly long should I spend on the sanding? I know that this traditionally takes ages, but I'm thinking 'If I'm only using a brush... will it matter much?'

Siranui said:

Cheers for the tips.

How painstakingly long should I spend on the sanding? I know that this traditionally takes ages, but I'm thinking 'If I'm only using a brush... will it matter much?'

Click to expand...

when i used to prep cars for respray i was told never to use sand paper as it clogs up and costs a bomb instead i was told to use a scotch pad wich is exactly the same stuff on the back of pot scouring sponges also the same as the big disc off the bottom of a floor polishing machine just use plenty of water when sanding
all your really after doing is roughing the old paint up enough to get the new paint something decent to stick to it wont take much longer than a full day to sand it all down propperly with a pad just make sure you use a good degreasing agent when washing it off before painting and let it dry thoroughly
nothing eelse can really go wrong just watch for the dreadded runs in the paint
also the best rollers i have used are the little 6" things form b&q with the sponge roller not the furry one they give a near mint finnish second only to spraying
hope this helps fella