ok heres where im at on my 71, body striped to bare metal body work done then applied 2 coats epoxy. then 2 coats 2k urethane.

i then guide coated and sanded with 220, the 2k is a different color than the epoxy so i could see if i was cutting thru.


i am now going to put 1 or 2 coats more urethane primer. guide coat and sand with 400.

my question is ,do i have to seal coat before base coat? or will epoxy i put down first be enough. also how long can i wait before clear?
i would like to wait overnite if possiable.
thanks bil,

Sounds like your doin ok, you don't have to seal before basecoat but I always do. I beleive the adhesion and color coverage is better.
After the 400 I like to go over the whole car with grey scotch pads and Scuff Stuff or something similar, AJAX will even work, then rinse the whole car well.
As far as clear, most have a 72 hour window for applying clear, check your tech sheets for your clear. I like to clear as soon as possible, the longer it sits it seems the more dirt ya get in the clear.

I think what makes the difference is if you are still sanding thru the urethane primer. If you have "sand thrus" all over, the sealer is the way to go.
Brian

You should be able to wait overnight for the clear application - I've never seen a system that couldn't be clearcoated anytime within 24hrs. I would skip the sealer if you don't have cut throughs to bare metal or filler and if you color covers well. If the color is transparent and takes more than three coats for full coverage then definately seal the car with an appropriate colored sealer to help the color cover. Apply enough color till full coverage is obtained then apply one more just for insurance. If using a sealer try to get it on nice and smooth and knock any nibs off after the stuff locks up. Sealer can add texture to you paint job if not applied smooth. Applying the base directly to your sanded primer will enable the base to lay down nice and flat- sealers can sometimes compromise this.

The sealer thing is really a personal choice that you will hear much debate. I personally havn't used sealer on any panel with ONE 2K substrate in years. I find that it's gloss hold out is better simply because there is less material and less solvent.

What I mean by that is if you have a fender or multiple panels, doors fenders what have you that have a 2K product on them. That could be the original paint, some urethane or epoxy primer, a urethane paint or clear. ONE substrate with no sand thrus, there just isn't a need for a sealer.

However, if there are any sand thrus or mulitple substrates like original paint with some primer spots than sealer is a VERY good "safety net" for the color.

A quality sealer (2K) is certainly not a bad thing, I am not saying that. It comes down to personal preference. Many quality painters use them on every single job and there is nothing wrong with that.

I think on a complete paint it is less critical to use sealer as Brian says as long as there are minimial sand thru's.
If you are doing a spot in the middle of a door or just putting a fender on and blending into original paint to achieve a good match and coverage with minumal amount of paint it is a good idea.
Seems everytime I get lazy and don't bother with sealer it takes twice as much paint AND twice as long graemlins/clonk.gif