[Tim Corcoran]

I am doing research on painting my first car and need clarification on a few things

1. Prepare surface
2. Apply Epoxy Primer
3. Body work
4. Build primer and block sanding
5. Sealer
6. Base coat
7. Clear coat
8. Wet sand and/or polish

With regards to a 55 year old lacquer paint job. Does it always need to go down to bare metal on the complete car or can you spray epoxy primer over the original primer if it is intact?

When sanding down to bare metal how do you protect the metal as you won't be applying the epoxy primer the same day you get metal exposed.

After doing body work if applying body filler and if you have sanded off the epoxy primer during body work do you need to re-apply epoxy primer over body filler and exposed bare metal?

After block sanding is complete then you apply a sealer prior to applying the base coat?

What is different between the epoxy primer, build primer and sealer?

Thanks

[dhutton]

I would strip it to bare metal. The lacquer will be the weak link and it’s not worth the risk with the high cost of materials.

Apply epoxy after body work. Do your filler work in the recoat window of the epoxy for best adhesion.

I use reduced epoxy for my sealer.

Don

[Keith Seymore]

Mine list usually looks like:

1. Prepare surface
2. Apply Epoxy Primer
3. Body work
4. Build primer and block sanding
5. Apply Epoxy Primer
6. Body work
7. Build primer and block sanding
8. Apply Epoxy Primer
9. Body work
10. Build primer and block sanding
11. Apply Epoxy Primer
12. Body work
13. Build primer and block sanding
14. Take car to body shop
15. Write check

You mileage may vary...

K

[HoovDaddy]

If you strip the entire car at once, you won't be able to work fast enough to prevent flash rust. Here in Michigan our paint window is June through August, not sure about your area. Humidity is a factor. Temps need to be above 60 degrees for 2 part paints to cure properly.

I would suggest stripping one panel at a time. Do the metal metal work on that panel, making sure it fits and gaps good, then prime it. Once the entire car is primed in epoxy, then you can apply body filler over the epoxy where needed and do the detail work. Don't worry about sanding through if you use epoxy primer for blocking, and you can apply filler at any time. You will have to follow the Tech Sheet recoat window for the product you use.

I use SPI for block sanding and as a sealer. You just add reducer to use it as a sealer. I do a test panel with black on one side and white on the other. Then I apply the color and clear. Set it out in the sun and see what looks best. You'll be surprised at the difference in vibrancy.

High build primer is a good product and I used it for many years. And I used it over epoxy for many cars. Once I started doing more Corvettes, I experimented with using epoxy for blocking and liked how it worked. Reason being it's hard to get more than 15 years on a Vette paint job, especially the older glass bodies before they went with SMC. Very prone to cracking with old age.

I liked how the epoxy block sanded, now I only have one product start to finish. Cost and inventory is more controlled an there is less waste.

You can't apply fillers over 2k primers as far as the brands I know, which is a big downside to me. There is always detail work that might require a dab of filler.

Body shops use 2k.

[MUSLCAH]

Strip to bare metal

Epoxy

Body fillah

When you do your body work and cut through to the bare metal….re apply epoxy…do more filler work…and repeat. You want that sandwich effect …bare metal / epoxy / filler .

Epoxy has best bare metal adhesion

2k primer goes ovah the epoxy after your body work is spot on…..2 K is like spraying on glazing putty

Sealer is a thinned out product that makes the whole car a uniform color….it also fills in those 400 grit scratches,so you’ll use less less paint ,to cover those scratches. Sealer can also be tinted to help with paint coverage on those paints that take many coats to get full coverage.

[nytrainer]

Originally Posted by Tim Corcoran

I am doing research on painting my first car and need clarification on a few things

1. Prepare surface
2. Apply Epoxy Primer
3. Body work
4. Build primer and block sanding
5. Sealer
6. Base coat
7. Clear coat
8. Wet sand and/or polish
……..

Good info from others so far but just to help clarify your list..(remember to check Data sheets for each product regarding temperature, drying time, etc requirements)
1. “prepare surface”
That would include removing existing previous lacquer paint, metal work (welding in patches, holes etc, hammer & dolly and/or welded stud pulling dents) sanding bare metal with minimum 80 grit then wax & grease remover.
2. Apply Epoxy primer (I like SPI)
3. Instead of term “body work” I assume you meant apply body filler as all metal work would already be done.
In this step you may find when sanding filler you may break through epoxy to bare metal. You may or may not need another application of filler at this point and have 2 options. Apply filler over sanded filler and bare metal where you sanded through (not optimal corrosion protection but probably will be fine) or spray more epoxy primer over bare metal area, wait a day then continue application of filler (obviously prolongs the process but best for corrosion).
Repeat this step 3 until panels are as close to good as possible.
Then move on to your step 4 AFTER a final coat of epoxy primer has cured (again next day).
If your panels were very straight to begin with (minimal dents etc) you may want to continue the blocking step with just using coats of epoxy primer because it sands excellent, has decent filling capabilities, will easily show low spots when blocking and has minimal shrinkage compared to hi build urethane primer. Hi build’s shrinkage is not really a problem is given time to cure and not rushed into base and clear step.
Probably more detail than you wanted but trying to cover all questions you might have.

[MUSLCAH]

And there are many other products used along the way…like final wash…and wearing rubber gloves to prevent the oils in your hands from getting onto the surface…lint free shop towles…glazing putty for pin holes…tack rags…A whole bunch of pit falls….lol…..Then there are fish eyes…lol

[fairwayhit]

I would always go down to bare metal. There is just too much money and too much effort to cut a corner on that. You won’t know exactly what you have until you get down to metal.

If you know you have areas that need metal work(rust repair or damage) , I’d strip those areas by hand first with a heat gun and razor blades wire wheel etc and do the major metal work. Then I’d get the whole thing blasted or dipped. I’d then check for any more rust or major metal work needed. Use a body file if needed to see any highs and lots in the metal. You have to get everything as straight as possible while in metal. Flash rust isn’t that big of a deal. You can scuff it off with a pad You’ll need to go over everything with 80 grit anyway to provide bite for the epoxy.

I’d make sure all panels were assembled and gaps were fixed, etc. Then I’d spray the whole thing with SPI epoxy. Then I’d block sand that to see where things are at. Blocking across panels,etc. You can body filler or metal work as needed and just apply more epoxy if you hit metal.

Block down till I hit metal or everything is flat. Once you hit metal stop and spray the panel again in epoxy. You also may have to tap down some highs to bring up some lows. Block it out again.

You have to be very careful to make sure you don’t get too much build up and loose any body lines, etc. Once you can block everything without any highs or lows use guide coat and get it down to, 600 grit, you can use epoxy as a sealer coat (right before going to color).

I know that takes a lot of little batches of filler and Epoxy, but it assures nothing gets missed, everything is straight. It is way easier to fix things doing it this way. That is what I prefer since I take my time.

The other way would be just to get the filler as straight as you can and then spray a coat of epoxy followed by slick sand. Either way you have to be careful to make sure you don’t get too much build up and loose body lines,etc.

The advantage of the slick sand is that you don’t have to worry about mixing up so many tiny batches of filler. There is a risk of using too much or not enough hardener in small batches of filler.

I recommend the SPI epoxy and reading “the perfect paint job” on that site. That epoxy sprays great and sands easily.

Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tim Corcoran]

I want to thank everyone who responded with advice and clarification of my questions this is great info. Fortunately the body is in pretty good shape with no dents and only very minor rust spots between the trunk lid and the rear window . I bought this car from the original owner in California where it has spent the majority of it's life. IIt is apparent that the right front fender has been repainted so it was in a minor accident at some point in it's life.

The car is a 1967 LeMans still wearing the original Signet Gold paint it received from the factory. I plan to replace the black vinyl top even thought it was replaced at some point by the original owner. I do plan to remove the hood, trunk lid the panel below the windshield, bumpers, all the trim and the interior will need to be disassemble to some degree as I will need to repaint the interior metal pieces. I don't plan to change the color but it won't be a 100% color match because this is almost impossible going from 55 year old lacquer to the base/clear systems of today. I am undecided if I will repaint the door jams and underside of the trunk lid. And I am unsure if there is any reason to remove the doors and fenders. If I do remove the doors I will leave the hinges in place and just remove the pins. If I remove the fenders I will be very careful to make sure keep track of the shims and put them back the same place as they are now.

[MUSLCAH]

If it were.mine…… I’d put the new top on …and just drive it ,like it is. New paint is a pain in the anus. You’ll enjoy the car a whole lot more…and car guys gravitate towards those original / patina cars…I know I do. Got any pics ?

[Tim Corcoran]

Actually the top is the best looking part of the car, and I don't really care about how others see my car. I'm retired and I am painting it for me and I am looking forward to this project to learn something new and the challenge to take it on and make my car look better than new so I can feel good about it and my accomplishment. But it's not yours. I'll show you some pics when it's done. I'm soliciting help not discouragement but thanks for the tip.

[MUSLCAH]

Originally Posted by Tim Corcoran

Actually the top is the best looking part of the car, and I don't really care about how others see my car. I'm retired and I am painting it for me and I am looking forward to this project to learn something new and the challenge to take it on and make my car look better than new so I can feel good about it and my accomplishment. But it's not yours. I'll show you some pics when it's done. I'm soliciting help not discouragement but thanks for the tip.

Look forward to the pics ……………………………..in 4 -5 years.