Auto body repair & detailing: full truck paint, hvlp gun, elbow grease

Question
Hello William,
I'll try to keep this as brief as possible even though I've got a mess of info here that I need sorted out.  I have a '74 Ford Courier with original paint in real good shape for it's age, no crazing, no peeling, no body damage and I want to do a full paint on it (over the old finish..I'm not removing original paint).  The problem is I am (like everybody else) on a tight budget and I am receiving conflicting information from local professionals as to whether my 1.5 hp 29gal air compressor can conceivably do the job (as opposed to the "recommended" 60 gallon....I simply cannot afford one).  I have been told it would be POSSIBLE, with enough patience, using a small hvlp gun (detail size)and doing one panel at a time.  On the other hand, I have also been told it's not possible at all and to "forget about it".  The other question I have is in regard to paint.  The truck is a cream white right now and I wanted to paint it a light metallic green (which is period correct to the year) and have been told a coat of sealer with 2 or 3 topcoats of acry. enam. would be relatively easy to apply and quite durable in the long run.  Other pros have told me that urethane BC/CC is more durable (albeit more involved) and that I should stay away from acry. enam. altogether.  Bottom line....I'm not trying to skimp on price and elbow grease at the expense of not having a reasonably decent finish, at the same time I am on a tight budget and cannot afford a larger air comp. I'm not after a "perfect" finish, just an acceptable finish (that would look as good as and last at least as long as anything Maaco could put out). What would you recommend I do in this situation?  Since I'm getting tired received so many conflicting bits of advice up to this point, I am planning on laying this matter to rest....I shall consider your advice definitive.
Thanks, Jed  

Answer
Acrylic enamel with hardener is a nice, but dated product. It MUST  be mxed with hardener to achieve optimal durability and shine. It will do nicely on your project. Many guys are too young to remember or even kow how to shoot enamel, so they tell you to stay away from what they do't understand themselves. It takes a long time to dry between coats- the first coat needs sprayed pretty light- it's called a tack coat. You don't go for that show car shine with the first coat, you'll only get runs. Wait untill the paint gets literally sticky before adding more coats of paint- figure on 4 coats, at approximately 30 minutes between coats. You can only do the job with your small compressor if you break the job into several parts- paint one side, wait a couple days, paint the other side, wait a couple days, do the roof, etc. Your compressor just isn't big enough to do an overall paint job all in one day. Period. If you do this like I suggest, you need to completely mask off the paneld nt being painted- enamel will overapray everything in sight- including cars in your driveway, if your fan is pointed out into your drive. Bill