yes, applying just enough for coverage is going to keep the ridges down. yes, theres aLOT of labor in prepwork and prices for paint jobs also pay for the experience of the painter and supplies used. i have my sons 98 explorer in my shop right now. he bought it a few months ago and we got it mechanically roadworthy, which wasnt bad, but the paint and interior has been extremely neglected. right now i'm just workin on cleaning and buffin it. it's gonna come back into the shop in a few months for some bodywork and new paint. i could shoot rustoleum on it, which total cost of primer and paint would run prolly about $150. but it wouldnt last long. or i( actually he)could go with PPG and spend a LOT more( prolly around $1000) on primer, bc/cc. in the case of this truck, i am goin with SPI primers and clear and not sure on the black bc. gonna be between whats availabel locally( dupont, which i dont like. takes too many coats to get good coverage), house of kolor, kirker, or some other brand that will have to be purchased online.. think i might add some flake to the 1st coat of clear. this is gonna cost prolly about $600- 700 in primer( epoxy and 2k high build), bc, and cc alone. i have shot a few different brands. i was using sherwin williams until the local shop switched to dupont. i liked the sherwin williams.
now, theres another brand you could use for this project and i am sayin it because this will be somethng that isnt out in the sun and i've shot it for projects like this and it was pretty nice and still lokin great. it's the duplicolor paint shop finish system.
http://www.duplicolor.com/products/psFinishSystem/
it is a lacquer product, but i find it to be pretty nice to shoot, dries pretty quick and lays down pretty nice. it runs around $20/quart, and with lacquer sanding between coats isnt necessary as every coat layed on top melts into the previous coat with lacquer.
sure is a small world! just googled arthur, ne. man, i thought the town i lived in was in the boonies!!!LOL. but i love small town life.