Brush/roller roll cage paint

Hey all,

I just got my car caged and need to paint it. For reasons, I need to brush or roller it. To complicate things, i'd like to paint the whole interior. The car will still be pretty gutted in the spring and when it warms up I can potentially spray can touch up areas if I need to. It's an RX8 so fortunately its relatively easy to access the cage. 

I'm basically down to good ol' Rustoleum in a can or Rustoleum Appliance Epoxy.  Regular Rustoleum seems popular and I know several people who have used on their cages and it looks pretty good. I've personaly used Appliance Epoxy on a cage once and it came out pretty well. It seems tough, but i dont think it levels out quite as well and there are brush marks, etc. 

I've also never used anything like petrenol or a thinner to help with leveling. Any experience there?

Do you guys have any recommendations? Thanks

I used regular Rust-Oleum black gloss in a can on my old Miata roll cage. I think I used a foam brush. I found it leveled out very well and didn't require any special technique to look decent.

What org do you plan to race with in your RX-8. I had a street RX-8 for 9 years. It was a fun car.

I've used the appliance epoxy in spray cans for steel wheels and a sway bar, really held up well, even  on the sway bar.

This was over 30 years ago, so I don't know if it's the same formulation today.

Does it come in brush on cans?

Thin Rustoleum out, Lots or really thin coats. Foam rollers and/or foam brushes work nice.

I went to buy some rustoleum to paint some wheel wells on my latest car and they were out of the normal smoke gray. Behr makes an oil based enamel that can be tinted whatever color you want. I brushed it on and it laid out nicely. It could probably be sprayed if thinned a bit too. It might do everything you want right now and not have the downside of rustoleum later.

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

It looks like Rustoleum sells appliance epoxy in a can for brush-on only in white.  They sell black and white in aresol cans.  I love the white spray-can stuff and wish it was available in more colors.  Or another good source of this kind of paint from another brand in cans for brush, roll-on, and spraying with a gun.

I wonder if the white can be tinted...

What about tractor/farm implement paint from tractor supply?  Made to be rolled on, and should hold up to abuse.  

In reply to Flynlow :

In theory, that just has some extra UV protection. Which helps if the car is stored outside. 
 

A long time ago, I painted my Alfa's suspension with rustoleum black, and it still looks awesome. I'd choose a different color for the interior, but would brush it in a second. 

Tractor/farm paint or either type of rustoleum will all work fine. The regular rustoleum will level better and give a smoother finish if it's thinned out. It's better to paint the cage a bright color to make it easier to see any cracks.

Steel-It. They make a brush on version. It's great stuff.  Expensive but works quite well and holds up phenomenally over the years. You'll see it used on a LOT of land speed stuff as well as drag cars. 

I love these rollers. Has a rounded end to get into most corners. It makes a nice thick coat with a nice uniform texture. You could always feather out the paint with a foam brush, make sure the foam brush is loaded up with paint.

I used Rust Oleum battleship gray on my entire interior and cage. Small foam rollers, some brushes, and a matching spray can for the hard-to-reach areas. Looked great and held up well. I didn't thin it at all. I liked the gray for making the interior bright for working on it but not so bright it was distracting on the track.

Thanks all. This just. might. work.

I used the tractor supply semi gloss. Thinned slightly with a mix of roller and brush and some small spray areas where nothing fit well. Held up well for about 7yrs now.