My 8 year old son wants a "cool" truck...

[smier]

My son turns 8 in a month, and towards the end of first grade started to become aware of what's "cool" and what's a bit of an embarassment... Sucks, but he has been hinting that he'd rather be dropped off and picked up from school in my mustang than the K5... Well the softopper finally arrived, and my son is all excited to have a convertible!!! However, his next statement was that we really need to paint it, and that he wants to help!!! So, do I detour from my plan of having this thing professionally painted in the hopes of creating a memory and a love of fixing up cars? He wants black, so I'm thinking we can pull off a pretty bad@ss looking truck if we do a semigloss black like JD Blitz Black or maybe the tractor supply version. Thoughts? I hate to encourage giving in to peer pressure, but would love to get my son interested in my hobbies!!!

 

[combatmatt]

Bed liner. Use the kevlar one and you can tell him its "bullet proof". If thats not cool to an 8 yr old i give up.
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[496truck]

Semi gloss black is over done.

Choose another color and do it yourself with help from him. Have him help decide which color.

 

[scottsdale86]

Tell him when he gets a job and helps you pay for it then he can comment. Until then well you know....lol j/k i picked "Primer black for the fun of it, and have my son help pick the new color!!!"

 

[TheBeast_88K5]

Let him help you primer it!

But use an HVLP gun, or his finger's gonna fall off.

edit:

You could use 1/4" painter's tape, and make some stripes, or flames or something...

 

[ktmoutfront]

At 8 years old, how long would he spend working to straighten a panel? Most kids will get bored quickly if you are doing a nice paint job. If it is a wheeler. Let him help you mask it. Paint it black primer with light gray primer graphics.

 

[Gunny65]

It's your son. Make the memory. Sure, he won't do much of the work but he will remember it as doing a LOT with dad. Just have him do the less important stuff or mess with the primer portion. I say, if the K5 isn't that big of a deal to you, let your son feel involved and have fun.

 

[Confedneck]

At 8 years old, how long would he spend working to straighten a panel? Most kids will get bored quickly if you are doing a nice paint job. If it is a wheeler. Let him help you mask it. Paint it black primer with light gray primer graphics.

ehh primer holds grease too well. use satin paint if you have to..

 

[Amtek]

How about rolling on some rustoleum paint? You can get an amazing mirror finish out of it if you want to. Im gonna roll on some Gloss Regal Red while painting the tube bumpers and roll bar gloss black on mine. You thin it out with mineral spirits and roll it on with a high density foam roller and paint brush. if you want a mirror finish you can wet sand between the coats. No need to primer, just sand it the surface to give it something to grab onto and clean it well.

Its something you both can do easily, out doors (so he's not exposed to harmful fumes), and there is little possibility of screwing it up. It can also be done quickly enough that he wont get bored.

 

[ktmoutfront]

I have done the primer thing on street rods. But they do not leak oil.

 

[gonefishin]

i say let him help you paint it when i was his age i was all into this kinda stuff and when i was a little older i used to go help my uncle in the summer restore one of his trucks great memories

 

[smier]

My son came outside while we were installing the softopper last night, and announces that we should paint it camouflage... I don't know how well that would be recieved in my neighborhood, hahaha!!! Any one messed around with the duplicolor paintshop kits? I don't know, I'm in this thing pretty deep already $$$$, I don't want to screw it up and make things worse, but it's no show truck either. I've love the semigloss black since long before it became popular, but I agree it's been a bit overdone...

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

Yup let him mask and tag it all up with primer graffiti and you can cover it and sand the primer all down and do a good job when he's all sick and tired of helping you paint. I just did two doors and I was sick of it by the time I was done, so I'm sure he'll tire out quickly.

 

[gotblazers]

Do your son a favor and ignore everything he says and make him help. When i was 11 or so my dad told me i could pick out any vehicle and it would eventually be my DD. I looked at mostly tuners cuz i was a little ricer feg at the time. Eventually i chose a 00 heep grand cherokee for 16 grand and had 40k on it. Had all the focking stupid options to. It never did end up being my DD since my dad bought the 76 k5 and then the 87 dodge. But i wish he would have spent half that money on a nice old frame off resto'd chevy. If only he had ignored my dumbass .

 

[shady]

I say do what ever he wants and build the memories if its a wheeler, Actually even if its not. screw the neighbors. the father son bond and memories are more important than anything they say or think. you'll have the K5 long enough to "fix it" later anyway right? When he gets a little older let him pick again, "Why not". Its just a truck and WHO really matters or cares,,,,, HE does

 

[smier]

Lot's of good advice as usual, I really like the idea of having him help tape, mask, and go crazy with primer!!! We could do that outside at my inlaws place which would help reduce the risk with the fumes etc... I could probably get by with a simple dust mask (not sure if they make small respirators), and I fully expect him to get bored pretty quickly and bail out on me. I think it be cool to see him go nuts with the primer, and I'll be doing a lot of sanding anyhow... It's all about the memories, and maybe in 8 years this thing will be his!!!

 

[ssyork]

You gotta let the kids help, thats what its all about. My just turned 4 little girl makes me promise I won't work on my truck until she wakes up from a nap and my just turned 3 boy loves his shop clothes more than any others. Give him the small projects that he can accomplish on his own and have him help you out when you need that extra hand. I give my two helpers their own things to do already, clean this, hold that. It takes longer to get things done, but when they are already proud to tell their friends about it, its all worth it. It's just a truck, it can always be changed/fixed.

 

[smier]

In case your wondering what we are starting with, and we all love some CK5 picwhoring... Softopper installed, I was worried about spending the money, but it is worth every penny!!! The truck looks much better in the picture than in real life, its a good 20 footer...

 

[big dan]

I realize that you claim the picture makes it look better than it does but I dont see your son's problem with the paint I would have loved to have been dropped off and picked up in that thing.

But I say if you're going to paint it, have him help. Even if his jobs are small and insignificant it will make him feel special to help.

I helped my dad paint a truck when I was about 5. He didnt know I was helping him because he was at work but when he came home his blue truck was white. He claims the only reason he was mad was because I used latex house paint

 

[k20]

I say you have him help you primer it, and help you pick the color, maybe narrow it down to 5 or so colors you like, and have him pick from those. Just b/c he says he wants it, lets say orange, doesnt mean you want it painted dukes of hazzard orange, vs showing him a paint chip of the paint on project copperhead.

Anyway, from there you can judge how he liked helping on the primer job as to whether yall should put the final paint on it or have it professionally done. I mean lets be honest, if he seemed to not enjoy it, or has the attention span of my fiancee, may as well have it done professionally and be assured of the outcome vs painting it yourself and having some possibilities of a screwup (hey we've all done it).

Oh and Im pretty sure they do sell small respirators. I know I bought one at napa (one that has a paint department attached) a month or so ago, and they had extra smalls up to extra large sizes.