Body work question

[laserjock]

All you guys that have done/are doing restoration work, I have a question. Getting ready to start on the sheet metal but the problem I have is time. I get a little time here and there to work on it. I want to seal it up in epoxy primer once I'm done but I don't know what to put on it in between times. Ill leave it protected in the garage for the most part so elements aren't an issue. Any problems using a rattle can primer to hold it over before using epoxy primer over it? What do you guys do?

 

[towcat]

rattle can primer is the worst stuff you can basecoat with.
it is porous so moisture can get through. build it too high and harder materials coated on top later will slide right off. think of it as building a fortress on top of a pile of sand.
if you are going to expose metal, use the appropriate primers for welding work and a zinc chromate primer for the proper bite and adhesion on bare metal for subsequent topcoats.

 

[laserjock]

I was off doing some reading on another forum and that was th same conclusion reached. An interesting solution I saw was a guy who actually recommends brushing on a thin coating of epoxy. I could see that being viable on things like floor pans and rockers etc. I don't know it its a great idea in conspicuous areas given the difficulty sanding epoxy sometimes. I've been reading about weld through primers. I'm guessing that's the zinc chromate primer you are speaking of. Can anyone recommend a reasonable weld through primer you had good results with and had no problem with epoxy over it?

Off to do more reading...

 

[towcat]

i used to be a big fan of k200 epoxy primers. and then I discovered it's archillies heal. it is very brittle on the corners. open a door accidentally into something immoveable, you're guaranteed a chip. this does no surface immediately, but 10 years later. you tend to learn some hard lessons over long periods of time.

 

[opusd2]

Holy Cow! All I've ever used is spray primer. I guess that explains all my frustrations with having to sand and re-sand.

 

[Ataylor]

Primer

Anything out of a spray can is for lawn furniture and anything else that you don't care about rusting. Whatever you put on a vehicle must be catalyzed (2 part) or it won't last. Remember that you are building from the substrate up and any weak layer will cause the top coat to fail no matter how beautiful it looks when you lay it down. If there is any corrosion, weak adhesion of primer and previous paint, or body filler, or crap from a can, it will come back to haunt you. You can find some "direct to metal" DTM primer (easier to sand) or epoxy and mix small amounts to cover body work as you go. One brand I have had luck with is Transtar for DTM primer, but there are others.

Archie

 

[jhnlennon]

They make all different types of primers that come in a spray can besides just your laquer high build primer(which is a bad choice for a basecoat). Even body shops use them on occasion for doing spot repairs. Problem is there is no way they are cost effective when doing large areas. If your going to be doing anything larger than a minor spot repair, buy it by the quart, gallon,etc. Its a heck of alot cheaper and so much easier to get a proper coat down...