My 2000 Dodge 2500 has the usual clear coat pealing issues and I am not willing to fork out 4-7000 to get it painted, so I would like to do it myself. Reading the paint gun discussion has got me going. It has been 25 years since I painted a car so I would like suggestions from folks as to what would be best to use in regards to a primer and single stage ( I think ) paint. I have owned this truck since new, 370,000 miles, it is a work truck so I don't need perfection, I am willing to live with my mistakes, but don't have a clue to what products to use anymore. I am in California, so not sure what is available here in the Republic.
Don't post much but enjoy reading all your posts.

The summit branded single stage urethane paint and primers are hard to beat for value.
They have two stage paint available also.
I am not sure if they are available in commifornia or not, but I had no trouble getting the summit paint here in Arizona.

About 83.00 a gallon for single stage urethane paint.
About 50.00 a gallon for primers, either epoxy or 2k high build.

Is it metallic or solid color? Reason for asking metallic is (very) hard to do well in single stage. Most pro body shops will not touch it.

I have worked with TCP Global/autocolorlibrary.com on paint... both house brand and PPG... and well satisfied. There may be limitations on what they can ship to CA address.

With your goals, quite a few choices. From Rustoleum single stage to base/clear auto paint. The "paint job on a budget" thread may help choose.

Tractor Supply Company sells gloss equipment paint that is fairly inexpensive. If you can live with a color they offer it might not be a bad way to go.

I've had good luck with the tcp global stuff. Use their 2k urethane surfacer then topcoat with one of their single stage urethanes. Just don't pick a metallic color and you will be fine. My cheapo gun lays their stuff down very nicely.

Ok, I know I'll get shredded, but here to learn.
What's the difference between the house paint you buy at Home Depot and the single stage auto paint?

Well, the house paint is mostly latex, but oil-based is also available.
Some guys have used Rustoleum, applied by brush or roller. Takes a while to gas off, and longer before it can be color-sanded & polished. I've only seen photos of those but it seems the gloss level is a bit less than automotive paint. Less expensive, no overspray, but more time-consuming to get it to look "nice".
Should be a Rustoleum thread or two in the Archives here if you're thinking along those lines.
If you plan to re-spray, the surface prep is of course more complex.

No problem. You can paint a car with an enamel house paint like rustoleum or tremclad. Cars used to be painted with enamel years ago and you can still in fact get enamel automotive paint if you wanted to although it's not generally used much anymore (I use single stage urethane paint wherever I can). The difference is automotive paint is catalyzed and dries harder, faster and is going to be more durable and scratch resistant. A catalyzed paint can be wet sanded not long after application if you need to fix anything. A non catalyzed paint will stay softer until you can let it bake out in the sun for a while and even then you will have to be really careful working with it in that it will never be as tough. I have used both and generally I find while a small savings in material costs can be had, it results in a huge increase in labor time to get a good result.

I painted my rusty Super Duty with Summit single stage Charcoal grey. The Summit is probably a better match for a GM color, but it’s close enough to the Ford color for a plow truck.

Went on easily and covered well. I used the HF spray gun.

Summit will only ship the low voc paint products to Michigan. That’s what you’ll get in California too, so be wary of recommdations of product formulations not available in your location.

Thanks guys for all the info, appreciate it.

You beat me to it.