Prepping the car for paint

H

H3nrY

Well-Known Forum User
Hey all

I am in the process of sanding my car down to bare metal. I use 80-grid for this on an excentric machine.

I have searched a lot for this, but many have different opinions. What is the best course of action to prepare the car for painting?

- bare metal prepping?
-2k epoxy primer?
-filler?
-paint ?

There are so many different ways and options, so I would like to get some Z guru´s opinions on this matter. I would like to do the sanding, and filler myself. Painting the primer and paint I would let a shop handle this.
 
80grit and a wire wheel is fine if you want to get it to bare metal,2k epoxy primer is good .if you have not used filler before, i would leave that to the paint shop.are doing the whole car back to bare metal ?
 
You should not use standard polyester car filler on bare metal. The adhesive qualities are not good and tbh polyester filler is garbage anyway.
Should you wish to go down that route then an epoxy filler will be ok.
If you want to use car bodge then you need paint underneath so if you don't want to do any painting then let your bodyshop do it all....
 
Since we're on the subject, I was planning on epoxy primering the bare metal followed by Dinitrol 6030 filler, then epoxy primer over the top of that, would that be a good idea or not? Also what's the best way of prepping the epoxy primer for filler over the top?
 
Epoxy is as good as it gets...
However you have to follow the rules/instructions..........
Epoxy products are expensive, the base (car) condition is important and the process is more difficult compared to most systems.
However done correctly it will be better than the paint systems at most modern garages using standard 2k acrylic systems.
Choose the correct epoxy paint for your project. Some epoxy resins will exhibit an overdose of stuff called 'amino acids' which will effect future layers of paint.
Having said that, if you can be arsed to spend most of your spare time prepping the car for god knows how long just to take a short cut on the paint then ....................
Franky why cellulose ?????????? It's garbage.
 
could you use an epoxy primer then cellulose high build primer on top?

I like cellulose as I like the finish a little more, it looks more like the cars did when they were made.
 
franky said:
could you use an epoxy primer then cellulose high build primer on top?

I like cellulose as I like the finish a little more, it looks more like the cars did when they were made.
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i thought that cellulose was banned and only available if you have a ford model T to paint.cellulose primer is a very bad idea,very aggresive ,too much solvent ,too much sinkage ,and not enough build compared to modern 2K primers
 
Cellulose paints are still widely available as are 2 pack.
My local paint supplier has shelves full of the new water based alternatives but they aren't selling.
I don't know of any one who has tried celly over epoxy Jason, as mike said celly paint is basically thinners loaded with particles. There is no real curing process other than evaporation. 2 pack acrylics and epoxys consist of reactive diluents ie most of the liquid you apply to the car stays on the car rather than evaporating.
Also 2 pack paints generally 'stick' better.
If you are determined to use celly then it will be safer to use the same system throughout, rather than mix and match systems.
FYI, a 2 pack paint at 25 degrees will generally be fully cured after 72 hours (the paint is good enough to overcoat sooner). When you overcoat, the base will remain stable. With a solvent based paint you can leave it as long as you want but when you overcoat the base coat it softens again.IMHO.
 
morbias said:
Since we're on the subject, I was planning on epoxy primering the bare metal followed by Dinitrol 6030 filler, then epoxy primer over the top of that, would that be a good idea or not? Also what's the best way of prepping the epoxy primer for filler over the top?
Click to expand...

epoxy primer bare metal,prep area with 120 grit for filler,rub filler down .ideally any bare metal after filler repairs should be recoated with epoxy primer.prep epoxy primer with suitable grit paper and coat with 2k high build primer.anywhere that sells auto paint should have data sheest on application and preparation as every system is different depending on paint maker
 
Paint suppliers sell decent 3m 2k masks for 20 odd quid. They are up to the job.
Yeah it's horrible stuff, full of isocyanate's amongst other lovely ingredients.
 
moggy240 said:
epoxy primer bare metal,prep area with 120 grit for filler,rub filler down .ideally any bare metal after filler repairs should be recoated with epoxy primer.prep epoxy primer with suitable grit paper and coat with 2k high build primer.anywhere that sells auto paint should have data sheets on application and preparation as every system is different depending on paint maker
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot, thought it best to figure it all out before I start :cool:

I was thinking about buying one of these for the paint job then selling it on.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300570893451?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

I don't really trust those 3M masks as I'm sure they are just charcoal, and you can't smell isocyanates so you can't tell if you're breathing them in or not. I don't want to take any chances, plus some people are more susceptible to isocyanate sensitization than others and knowing my luck...
 
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Well, better safe than sorry! The 3M masks aren't certified for isocyanates and a few hundred quid to guarantee I don't destroy my health for the rest of my life is worth it in my opinion.
 
Throttleton

Is is ok to just get it down to bare metal, put on the 2k primer, sand it, and then apply the filler (epoxy) to smoothen out the rough edges? But maybe then regular poly filler is good enough.

Or if the surface is reasonably well, i could just 2k prime it, and use spray filler to clear up any surface errors?
 
2k primer will adhere to bare metal very well. It has no rust inhibiting qualities so the metal needs to be rust free. If in doubt prime with a paint with a high zinc content or find an old farmer with a couple of gallons of lead oxide;) Then 2k primer over that.
With a decent primer on then poly filler will be ok. I give poly filler a hard time but it is mainly down to application reasons.
When the filler has been applied it must be allowed to fully cure. It is harder to sand but is then relatively stable. People tend to sand the filler and paint over straight away then wonder why a 'ghost' of the repair appears through the paint later. It keeps shrinking till cured....
2k primer does away with spray fillers of old tbh, the solids content is far more than celly primer and even celly putty, a big nozzle on your gun and a decent compressor can build serious depth to sand back.............
Morbias I know charcoal filters sounds like a cheap attempt but they are proven products for class 3 systems.
I have always used equipment from Draeger, mainly as you say 'why take the risk' and they supply the fire brigade with their breathing apparatus and because my missus used to work for them and got a discount:)
I can check to see if she can still get a discount on a system for you if you want??
 
Thanks for the thought Craig, but I reckon with the cost of a compressor etc. the Draeger breather would work out costing more and being a bit more trouble than the simple turbine thingy I'm looking at, plus with a turbine system I don't have to really worry about water traps as there is no tank for water to build up in :)

The turbine draws less current too so it'll be less of a problem when I try powering the paint spraying compressor off the same ring main!
 
I guess you have to go with what you feel more comfortable with...
How are you going to spray your car without a compressor??
What do you mean by a 'paint spraying compressor' ??
 
Well I was going to use a compressor for the spray gun and the turbine for the air fed mask as otherwise I'd either need a single big compressor to run both or two smaller ones which the house electrics probably wouldn't cope with.

Then again there is this triple turbine HVLP system which I might give a go as it's supposed to give a pretty decent finish and there's no waiting for a compressor tank to fill up as it's direct air: Buy Apollo Pro-Spray 1500-3s from Axminster, fast delivery for the UK
 
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