[dpoltzer]

The hood is in nice shape with no cracks and no checking. It has the original factory coat of paint on it and then one more coat of paint on top of of the original. My question is: do I need to strip all of the paint off of the hood and if so, what is the best method. Or...... Can I just sand the existing paint with 320 and then 400 and then just seal it and paint it with the rest of the car? Thanks again.

[78w72]

if the paint is in good condition it can be sanded & painted over. some would prefer to strip it before repainting but not required if its in good shape.

[dpoltzer]

OK, Epoxy primer then, sand with 400 and paint? Dave

[78w72]

i'll leave that to the experts... dont think a fiberglass hood with 2 coats of old paint needs epoxy primer. thats usually used for bare metal or on endura bumpers to stop cracking.

[dhutton]

Epoxy to prevent any nasty reactions between new and old paint….

Don

[78w72]

wont a standard primer & proper sealer do that...

[dhutton]

Originally Posted by 78w72

wont a standard primer & proper sealer do that...

Epoxy is a standard primer and sealer. At least in my shop it is. Nothing better in that application imho.

Don

[78w72]

Originally Posted by dhutton

Epoxy is a standard primer and sealer. At least in my shop it is. Nothing better in that application imho.

Don

without getting hung up on terminology, i meant a regular (non epoxy) primer & then a proper sealer. not doubting epoxy primer, just that its not really needed for this situation. lots of shops use regular primers & as a final step a sealer when painting over existing good condition paint. both will work for this situation.

[dhutton]

Originally Posted by 78w72

without getting hung up on terminology, i meant a regular (non epoxy) primer & then a proper sealer. not doubting epoxy primer, just that its not really needed for this situation. lots of shops use regular primers & as a final step a sealer when painting over existing good condition paint. both will work for this situation.

To each his own. I can only offer what I would do in my shop. Epoxy is for a lot more than bare metal and endura bumpers. I always apply filler over epoxy and cover filler with epoxy and always use reduced epoxy as final sealer. Nothing better in my opinion. Adhesion and corrosion protection second to none.

Don

[HoovDaddy]

Everybody calls it fiberglass but your hood is likely SMC, different kind of material. You can tell SMC if broken pieces are chalky white. Vette's started using SMC overall in '73 and all GM header panels in the 70s were SMC. Any filler or paint product you apply directly on SMC needs to be SMC compatible, otherwise they won't adhere. Epoxy primer is compatible and required if you sand through the paint. Some 2k primers are compatible. PPG K36 is not. If you need filler, Evercoat Vette Fill is a very good adhesive/filler to build up areas or repair small cracks but only over the bare SMC.

Have you test fitted the hood to the car? How does the underside of the hood look? Has compressor oil been sprayed on it? If so that needs to be wick'd out. To make the exterior paint last a long time, the underside needs to be sealed to prevent moisture from absorbing. Also have you checked the edges where the upper/lower pieces are bonded? Also, around the hood hinges.

Painting over the existing paint might be okay and buy some time until you are forced to do it right. You'll want to refer to the primer paint manufacturers tech sheet for the exact sandpaper grit to use for prepping the old paint.

The problems with painting over old paint is how well it is stuck to the surface and how thick the old and new paint will be when you are done with priming, base coat and clear coat (your avitar shows a blue car, I assume base/clear). The new paint might be easily chipped if the old paint is not adhering well.
Thicker paint builds are more prone to cracking in general.

There are a few methods I use to remove paint from Vette's.

1. Aircraft Fiberglass Paint Stripper will remove paint down to the primer.
2. Razor blade method will usually scrape down to the primer. Often big chunks of paint will peel. Must be very careful not to gouge the composite or destroy the edges.
3. Sanding with 80 grit, must be careful not to create a wavey surface that will take many hours to flatten. Your going to sand with 80 at the end anyway.

Just my opinion.

[HoovDaddy]

Originally Posted by dhutton

To each his own. I can only offer what I would do in my shop. Epoxy is for a lot more than bare metal and endura bumpers. I always apply filler over epoxy and cover filler with epoxy and always use reduced epoxy as final sealer. Nothing better in my opinion. Adhesion and corrosion protection second to none.

Don

I agree.

[78w72]

Originally Posted by dhutton

To each his own. I can only offer what I would do in my shop. Epoxy is for a lot more than bare metal and endura bumpers. I always apply filler over epoxy and cover filler with epoxy and always use reduced epoxy as final sealer. Nothing better in my opinion. Adhesion and corrosion protection second to none.

Don

wasnt saying the normal primer/sealer was better or worse... epoxy primer is obviously better than a non epoxy primer. just replying to the OPs question & saying that a regular primer/sealer would work perfectly fine for that situation.

but yes, to each their own & the customer or shop can use whatever they want based on needs & budget.

[HoovDaddy]

Originally Posted by 78w72

wasnt saying the normal primer/sealer was better or worse... epoxy primer is obviously better than a non epoxy primer. just replying to the OPs question & saying that a regular primer/sealer would work perfectly fine for that situation.

We can say that epoxy has advantages for the old car hobby.

2k primer has it's place in collision and general paint work where cost is a concern. In restoration work where longevity is important, epoxy has the advantage. Body filler actually adheres better to epoxy than steel. The old way of applying body filler over steel was bad because fillers naturally absorb moisture which causes rust. Applying epoxy to the steel body seals the body from moisture then you can apply filler as needed. If you use epoxy for block sanding, you can apply filler at any point. Epoxy also offers high corrosion protection. What's nice is you can use one product all the way from bare metal to sealer which saves money and reduces the amount of paint thrown away.