I've read many, many posts on here to learn as much as I can about bodywork. I thought I had my plan down....until today. I've decided to go with Sherwin-Williams Ultra system because I live out in the middle of nowhere and the supplier is closest. Plus the jobber that sells PPG is an a$$hole, and will not get my business. Anyway, based on this site, I was going to spray my bare metal with Corosion Shield Etch coating, then epoxy primer to achieve a good seal. I was then going to go over the epoxy with Ultra-Fill 2K for filling and sanding. The bodyshop guy I just spoke to says that sanding urethane primer is really tough and he would go over it with regular etch, then a non-2K filler (not sure exactly which one), then back over that with etch! What is the point in going back over with etch? Secondly, I just purchased a pressure feed gun to do the primering, then noticed on the datasheet for the corrosion shield that a plastic or teflon coated cup must be used! That's great, mine is aluminum. The body shop guy said he's been shooting etch primer for 25 years with a metal cup. Please help, my bare metal panel is waiting. :(

You can definately shoot etch primer with a metal cup just wash it asap after you're done priming-the acid will also etch the aluminum cup but no big deal. Your painter suggesting etch then 1K surfacer then etch doesn't make sense to me at all but I'm not familiar with SW paints. MartinSR should be able to help as I think the Martin Senior, Acme, and Sherwin Williams paints are all the same products but relabeled. 1K surfacer is a laquer primer I do believe.

Your plan of attack is the best, I would disreguard your painter's advice and proceed.

Why epoxy and then the 2K urethane over the etch? I would just spray the 2K urethane over the etch and forget the epoxy.

Id say your paint supplier has NO CLUE what he is talking about!!!

Sherwin Williams and Martin Senour ARE the SAME product just different numbers not sure on ACME.

The S-W products we used were GBP980 self etching primer. You could also use the GBP973, 980 has some fill to it(not much) where 973 has next to none.

The primer surfacer was P48, sanded nice filled nice alround good product. Might be some better choices out there.

Hoefully Martinsr will stop by as he was at one time a Martin Senour paint rep and be able to tell ya the best products to use.

Why epoxy and then the 2K urethane over the etch? I would just spray the 2K urethane over the etch and forget the epoxy. I like the epoxy for a solvent barrier if used over the etch primer, it is very durable and makes an excellent substrate for plastic fillers. Until I find something better epoxy is the primer of choice for me, it has proven to be the most durable.

I used a PPG 2k epoxy primer on my stripped metal, then applied the Sherwin Williams Ultra Fill II 2k urethane primer/surfacer. It sands beautifully. No clogging of the paper as I was wet sanding. My advice is to do what Baddbob and Sevt_chevelle advise, as well as Martinsr if he chimes in here, and ignore your paint guy. Your Ultra Fill is very sandable and the epoxy primer (PPG DP50LF) is not.
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Is Sherwin Williams Select similar in quality to the paint you plan to shoot?

Doesn't your gun use a liner?... If so it will make no difference.

Originally posted by 7DSS:
I've read many, many posts on here to learn as much as I can about bodywork. I thought I had my plan down....until today. I've decided to go with Sherwin-Williams Ultra system because I live out in the middle of nowhere and the supplier is closest. Plus the jobber that sells PPG is an a$$hole, and will not get my business. Anyway, based on this site, I was going to spray my bare metal with Corosion Shield Etch coating, then epoxy primer to achieve a good seal. I was then going to go over the epoxy with Ultra-Fill 2K for filling and sanding. The bodyshop guy I just spoke to says that sanding urethane primer is really tough and he would go over it with regular etch, then a non-2K filler (not sure exactly which one), then back over that with etch! What is the point in going back over with etch? Secondly, I just purchased a pressure feed gun to do the primering, then noticed on the datasheet for the corrosion shield that a plastic or teflon coated cup must be used! That's great, mine is aluminum. The body shop guy said he's been shooting etch primer for 25 years with a metal cup. Please help, my bare metal panel is waiting. :(

I'm not sure about S-W Select, I'm paint illiterate. I've just been going onto the S-W website and reading the data sheets to see what is compatible with what. I'm sure there's a thousand ways to do this, just trying to find the way that will allow me to prep this car in my shop, a panel at a time.

I believe that SELECT line is S-W's value line paint comparable to PPG's OMNI.

The good S-W line will be ULTRA 7000.

I agree with bob on the epoxy over the etch. Am a big etch fan but it has a downfall its very porus. Appling that epoxy over that etch really seals it up. An urethane primer surfacer can also be used, but epoxy can be used under filler and its more water RESISTANT then a urethane primer. Which is great if you are doing the project in stages.

Plus appling etch primer then epoxy is the aftermarket's closest match to factory coatings. Etch is closest to the phosphate coating applied to bare metal and the epoxy is the closest match to the ECOAT coating that is later applied.

Your plan of etch then epoxy is the BEST METHOD in my book...Eric

7DSS, is this "Bodyshop guy" the one you plan on doing your body and paint? Or is he the guy at the S-W paint store? I am confused on this point.

If he is the guy who is to do your body work or paint, please, look for another guy. He is soooooo out of touch, he should be avoided. Sure 2K sands harder than 1K, what is his point. Concrete is harder to work with than mud, so he would make his driveway out of mud?

As the others have pointed out, use the etch, then epoxy OR urethane. I personally prefer to do my bodywork with bare metal, then etch and urethane primer. Block the urethane primer then a couple more coats of urethane and you are ready for paint prep.

You are really on the ball to plan on doing one panel at a time. You may say you are "I'm paint illiterate" but that tells me you have a darn good head on your shoulders. One panel at a time, do the body work, etch, urethane, block then re-urethane then move on to the next panel. That is a perfect way to do a hobby project. It is a poor way to do a car in a shop where you are working on it 8 hours at a time for weeks. But in your garage in spare time, that is perfect.

MARTINSR,
Appreciate it. Any ideas or plans have come from people such as yourself and this site. I never realized there was sooo much to this stuff, and I think I can speak for others when I say I really appreciate you guys answering the same questions over and over like you were explaining something for the first time. Even though you can read a post, by the time you read a few more, you get lost on the "that's how I'm gunna do mine" thinking.

To answer your question, the body shop guy who I spoke with to shoot the BC/CC is the person that recommended the etch/filler/etch proceedure. The supplier doesn't know that much about the products, but he is a nice person and doesn't mind me asking a lot of questions. I am having trouble finding a shop that will agree to just spray the BC/CC, and I can understand why. I totally agree with them when they are leary of spraying an unstable base, it WILL always come back on them it seems. Another body shop guy I spoke with today agreed to spray the final coats as long as I kept him up to date on the products and how I was applying them. Fair enough.

Thanks again to everyone, I'll post my pictures in approx. 5-10 years when I'm done. :D