I am very happy with past results using the PPG Delfleet Essential line of paints. It’s a single stage polyurethane enamel. I have sprayed this line of paint out on many different trailers we have built. It is extremely durable, holds up to weather and rough farm use, and still looks great several years down the line. The workers at all the paint stores that carry PPG all say it’s the way to go. The only drawback is the price.
I have on loan to me from a friend one of the club’s official paint chip samples that they used to sell on the store here on the ACMOC website. I took it down to the first paint store that used to be my go-to. I had a really good rapport with the guy that used to run the store and he always gave me the “we like you” pricing instead of the “we don’t care if we get your business or not” pricing. He quit sometime last year and now I’m on the latter. They quoted me $175/quart $627/gallon. Activator and hardener are extra. What they did do for me is use their magic camera that supposedly identifies the color and matches it. What it came up with as a match to the club’s official “Old Hi-Way Yellow” paint chip was Iveco “Giallo Mais”. (Iveco is a big rig manufacturer in Europe). I almost fell over with the sticker shock. I went on to the second paint store that carries the same line of paint. They didn’t have the magic camera setup like the first store, however they did have a rolodex of official PPG paint chips to compare to. I compared the rolodex to the club’s paint chip and picked one that looked the closest by eye and they quoted me $134/qt and $478/gal.
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The second store also had the Axalta alkyd enamel paint chip brochure that had “old cat yellow” but it was much more orangey than the official club chip. That paint used to be the old Ellis brand. Its relatively inexpensive at ~$80/gallon locally. But it doesn’t hold a candle to the PPG in the long run.
I’m waiting to buy the paint as soon as I get the fuel tank and radiator back from the radiator shop and my machine is all put back together. Hopefully next week. But in the end it’s gonna be just like anything else Caterpillar related: Buy once, cry once!
PS…..the funny thing is that if I compare the shade of yellow in the photo I just posted to the actual paint chip in my hand, the camera definitely lightened the color. 😂🤦🏻♂️