It would be worth the while going to the website of "Car Craft Magazine", I believe it is carcraft.com. Over the years they have done some fairly in-depth series and articles on how to do your own paint and body work, for us gear-heads that not only like to do our own work but also don't have a ton of money. YES, there is an easy way to use Rust-O-leum but IIRC it involves a fair amount of thin coats with sanding involved after each coat. Either way, definitely worth a check-see over there. Spending $20 on a book on how to paint and do body work is a cheap investment, much like how those of us that don't work on trees for a living rely on a few key books on tree pruning, cutting, and management.
Not to dis any painter but most of the good ones tend to enjoy beer. A LOT of beer. OFTEN. This can lead to them not being able to stay at one job very long. That leads to them not always having enough money to pay rent. As mentioned earlier, talking about needing a painter at a few bars, smaller body shops, car shows, cruises, and motorcycle shops in addition to NAPA and non-chain auto parts stores will yield names or people. May well be worth mentioning it at the local home and auto paint stores. May also wish to call the local VoTech and speak to the painting instructor and see if there is a qualified student or alumni that would be willing and able to do it.
90%-95% of a good, long-lasting paint job is prep. You simply can not be too clean or sand too much.
Hope I'm not stepping on toes by posting in the Pro's room/section here....
