Painting question.....

[silverhawk]

Hey guys,

I got a painting question. Approximately how much primer would it take to cover a whole car, like say a '51 4 door Commander? Would it take a full gallon? Or less?

Thanks!!

[Tom Bredehoft]

I just did a '55 Land Cruiser, it took less than a gallon. probably nearer 3 qts.

[Warren Webb]

My question is why are you priming the whole car? If the paint on it is just faded & will make a good base, there is no need for primer over it. If the existing paint is checking or peeling, then primer is needed. Remember, the more thickness you have, the more chance of the paint failing due to expantion & contraction with temperatures.

[silverhawk]

Well, at the moment I'm trying to talk my dad into another Stude. A '52 4 door commander, that would come with a '51 front clip with it. We'd do it as a low buck retro rod, so I would like to spray it in a 2 part epoxy primer sealer, flat black.

I didn't think of the thickness issue, thanks for reminding me! I have a way of forgetting details pretty fast, LOL!

[bams50]

If the existing paint is checking or peeling, then primer is needed.

Whatever you do, be sure not to prime over checking or peeling paint- it will just continue checking and peeling. Anything like that must be stripped off.

[52 Ragtop]

The amount of primer will depend on how many times you plan on blocking out the body. I used about 2 gallons on my 63 Avanti when I painted it in February. Before anyone says I used too much! most of that primer ended up on the floor after blocking. I used Standox 2 part epoxy primer with catalyst after I blocked the body with 80 grit. then went to 150 grit, then 220 grit then a final sanding (blocking) with 400 grit wet dry before a sealer coat and base coat clear coat.

Jim

[Kdancy]

Also remember, primer is not a rust stopper! It is a prep product for top coat - paint. It does not seal out moisture, only a top coat will do that. You can achieve the "primer look" by having the top coat mixed accordingly. If you live in a dry arid area you might be ok with just primer for awhile. Not where I live, within months, rust will be coming thru.

[silverhawk]

Ok, thanks guys!

I was under the impression from what I read, that a epoxy primer sealer will protect from moisture, at least for awhile. If we get this car, we are going to have to get her in half way presentable shape as fast as possible. So, a coat of paint might not come for quite awhile.

Thanks again!

[jclary]

Ok, I am going to jump in here again...I made my living selling paint equipment, not paint. However, I did spend a good deal of time with paint techs doing demo's and presentations. We often battled as well, pointing fingers at each other when things went wrong! The epoxy primer "will" protect against moisture under the correct circumstances. That means that it is applied properly and then coated with a topcoat to protect it from exposure to the UV rays of the sun. I have a spare rear fender for my land cruiser hanging in my barn. It was painted with epoxy primer over 15 years ago. It has hung in my very aired, dirt floor, shed all that time and has not re-rusted. It is subjected to high southern humidity and condensation falling from the tin roof in the mornings. What has saved it is that it has not been exposed to sunlight. UV rays from sunlight will break down the paint and allow moisture to penetrate it. However, done properly, epoxy primer sticks so well that it recommended that you paint it on before applying body filler. With the older primers, you always applied the body filler to bare metal. If I am wrong, then I have been misinformed. However, I have two pretty good-looking vehicles that have held their paint pretty well since the early 1990's using this material and method.

[silverhawk]

Thanks for clearing this up for me! I understand now.

[Kdancy]

http://www.autobodystore.com/forum/

A very good forum for paint and body questions.

[silverhawk]

Sweet! Thanks!

[wdills]

John is exactly right on his description of epoxy primer. The only thing I can add is that it must be sprayed as a primer when going over bare metal. The brands I use can be used as primer or sealer. You just add more reducer when using as a sealer.

Another good site for auto body advice is autobody101.com