How to Spray Auto Air Colors Water-Based Paint

If you’ve been a reader Custom Classic Trucks magazine, this 1986 Dodge Ram D-150 might look familiar.

Known as the “High School Custom,” it was featured in a series of build-up articles—a quick Google search will bring up the stories and images. The Dodge spent almost a dozen semesters at Riverside City College’s auto body program and provided numerous students hands-on paint and bodywork experience, which was documented in the magazine.

It also served as the perfect canvas to test out some of today’s water-based paints.

We decided to have our Dodge D-150 sprayed in Auto Air Colors paint. Beyond the merits of using a paint that is absolutely VOC free, Auto Air Colors’ water-based formula allows a second chance if things go wrong in the spray booth. Fisheyes and runs can happen to even the best of painters. While solvent-based paints require paint thinner or reducer to wash off the paint and start over, water-based paint merely requires a garden hose.

After the Auto Air Colors basecoat color has been completed, there is no window to worry about before the clear topcoat must be applied. In Part 1 of this series, the RCC show you how to spray Auto Air Colors water-based sealer and color and then apply Summit Racing’s high-solids fast-drying urethane clear. In Part 2, we’ll show you how to color sand and rub Summit Racing’s urethane clear and then finish with a polish and wax job using Mothers products.

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