I am gettng ready to paint my car after being in primer for a few years.

I still have some body/rust repair work to do.

My question is how do I get the existing primer ready to accept the paint?

do I just need to wash it, and do the final blocking? Or should I take it down a layer, and spray fresh primer?


Thanks,


Tom.

All primers are porous and meant to 'absorb' paint. If you don't apply paint in a realtively short time, the primer absorbs it's environment's air and what it contains. If you drove the car during this time, it's even worse with bugs, oils and dirt. I would handle it this way:
1 wash thouroughly with mild detergent and rinse well.
2 Apply pre-paint cleaner such as Martin Senour's (NAPA) kleenz-easy. Follow directions.
Scuff the surface with 320 and cover with a good urethane primer surfacer.
3 Block sand (search under 'primer' and/or 'sanding' for more stuff on this)
4 Seal it with a non-sanding sealer before painting. Cheap insurance.

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Triple Black 69 SS 396

Jimmy,

thanks for the reply.

What is a primer surfacer? How is it different from just primer?

Also, the car was in primer when I bought it. I have no idea what kind of primer it is. Can you recommend a good primer surfacer to use?

Again, thanks for the help.


Tom.

[This message has been edited by thaynes (edited 04-17-2001).]

Primer surfacer seals the primer but still leaves a texture for the new paint to stick to. You should not have to sand this before spraying color. You can if you have to, but the idea is to not have to. It is getting harder to find a primer sealer in anything but water base. Don't worry though. I used these several times and they are quite good.
Fast dry time and excellent cover and texture. Clean-up is easy too.
Body shops also use this if they can't get back to a car in a reasonable amount of time to keep moisture from absorbing in the primer.

PIVCO is a mail order paint supply house in Indiana. They costs a bout 1/2 as much as your local paint supplier for primers, sand paper, etc. Give them a call @ 812-479-1117.
Order a urethane primer 'kit' that includes a gallon of good urethane primer, hardener and thinner for about $40-$50. I like the buff colored Mar-hyde stuff. It sands very well. Let it dry overnight before sanding.

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Triple Black 69 SS 396