I bought some new inner fenders from Goodmark, but didn't like the finish. I currently have one of them stripped to bare metal. I want to paint them a semi-gloss black.

Should I use a self-etching primer first, then paint them with semi-gloss black?

Thanks,

Wipe em down with a prep to remove any oils from your hands and such. Use stuff like PRE from eastwood or equiv., prime, wet sand (me likes em glass smooth) and paint. Im no pro, but thats what im doin' soon as I get off my lazy arse.

Thanks midnight, I just wasn't sure about the "self-etching" primer or not.

As far as "wet sanding"...After the primer dries, do I just use some 600 grit sandpaper and actually wet the whole wheel well and sand?

I don't know alot about this stuff and don't want to mess it up.....

As far as the wet sanding goes, fill a bucket with soapy water (dishwashing soap is what I use) and dip the sand paper into the soapy water liberally splashing soapy water onto the inner fender and lightly sand. Rinse the sand paper in the soapy water frequently to keep the surface of the sandpaper clean and keep the fender wet. I would also use something less abrasive like 1000 grit sand paper. For the primer, I would assume that self-etching would be the way to go for corrosion resistance, but I'm not a pro by any means. smile.gif

Thanks.

I've used Acetone in the past to clean the metal before priming /painting.

Would this be OK to use?

Thanks,

Originally posted by jerryr:
Thanks.

I've used Acetone in the past to clean the metal before priming /painting.

Would this be OK to use?

Thanks, Yes.

Not sure if etch primer is necessary if you have a light scuff on the metal for regular sandable primer to adhere to.

Thanks Midnight...I really...really appreceiate the help. The only reason I ask about the self-etching is because I have 4 cans I already bought.

It says it's self-etching and sandable...Is the the best to use, or atleast, it won't hurt using this, right?

Thanks,

Based on manufacturer recommendations and experience, etching primer is the only way to go on bare steel. It may be a little more expensive but no one likes to have peeling paint with surface rust underneath. Since you've already got the material, use it. If you are going to use it on other surfaces read the label (ex: aluminum, galvanized, etc.) because I don't think it is recommended. Etching improves corrosion resistance and adhesion - all good things.

Originally posted by jerryr:
Thanks Midnight...I really...really appreceiate the help. The only reason I ask about the self-etching is because I have 4 cans I already bought.

It says it's self-etching and sandable...Is the the best to use, or atleast, it won't hurt using this, right?

Thanks, Roll with it.

Thank you for the info Eduardo, I did not know the other benefits of using etch, as opposed to say manually etching or an etching solution like POR has and then regular sandable primer. Cool, thanks

JerryR, I just went to your website - the interior looks real nice. I am curious where you got the speakers that are in the rear panels where the convertible hides when retracted? Any info would be helpful as this is a great idea. I also have a 69 Malibu convertible that I am just putting the interior in after frame-off painting.

A comment about the inner fenders, seems like POR-15 on the wheel side would be more chip resistant than any paint I can think of. I used it on my frame and suspension and expect it to last a long time.

Thanks Eduardo. I thought about the POR-15...I love that stuff, but that would have meant stripping the underside of the wheel well. I used that black "rubberized" undercoating, then a light coat of underhood black paint on it. I figure this way, I could always "touch it up" later, if needed.

As far as the speakers, I got them on ebay. I can't remember the size/deminsions, but I believe I still have the box at home (I think). I believe they were only about 1 1/2 inches deep.

E-mail me at home, and I'll look for the box with the brand/model number...If I don't have that, I can still measure mine and get an idea....Hope this helps.

If you have nice black panels in your 69, maybe we could swap...The speakers holes were in the panels when I bought the car. It was easier to fill the holes, than replace the panels :D

Midnight...I actually considered using the Metal ready from Por-15 to "etch" the metal, then, just use a primer/paint, but wasn't sure about the Metal ready with primer. I was actually considering using POR-15 instead of paint, but figured the "look" wouldn't be exactly what I wanted...

Thanks for all the help. I tell you, to see those new shiny inner wells, then to see that bare metal after I stripped all that stuff off, I don't mind telling you I was scared I may have ruined them graemlins/clonk.gif


Thanks again,

Ok there is NO NEED to remove the black coating, in FACT it would be a great base for paint. That coating if safe is full of ZINC which actually fights agaisnt rust.

In order to test if that coating is safe or not you need to do whats called a solvent test. You take a mild solvent(lacquer thinner) apply on a rag and wipe an area of the part, if some the coating appears on the rag you need to remove that coating. If NO coating appears on the rag then its safe to use.

If you have not yet stripped the other fender to bare metal the way I would do it is, take a red scrotchbrite pad and scuff up the fender just enough to degloss the paint, thats all that is needed for proper paint adhesion. Then I would take a urethane or even epoxy sealer and spray the entire fender. Allow the proper flash time or around 15 mins then you can topcoat with paint of choice.

If you have them in BARE metal the BEST thing to do is coat them with 1 coat of etching primer. Etch primer is the BEST protection agaisnt rust period!!! Allow 15 mins of flash then coat with a sealer then topcoat.

Combining an etch primer from ANY paint company and then some from POR is a BAD IDEA. Use the por15 products ONLY when using por dont use a por product when using automotive paint, how you its compatible??

Etch primer is NOT MEANT TO BE SANDED.

To clean the metal before hand after sanding whatever USE the proper cleaner recommended by the paint company. The proper wax and grease remover costs around 20 bucks for a gallon, sorry but 20 bucks in NOT worth a redo on anything.
PPg would be dx330

Am a PPG fan, an etch would be dx1791, an epoxy sealer would be dplf 90 and topcoat would be DCC SS urethane. If you want to go with that route I have mix ratios to achieve the different glosses like 0% 30% 60% etc when spraying PPG paint...Eric

Thanks sevt...I do have the other fender to ALMOST bare metal I still have a little work to do.

I thought about just spraying the fenders first, but figured I should use a primer....that's when the trouble began. In hindsight, I should have painted them "right out of the box""...

It looks like I can only strip these down to bare and start from scratch.

Thanks everyone,


JR