Well I'm truly honored to be here. I recently purchased a 67 Chevelle that I plan to completely restore (frame off). I'm really excited about this project because my first car was a 67 Chevelle.

I'm pretty happy with the starting point I have. The car has new quarters, new trunk, a new front clip and pretty good doors and roof. The only big problem that needs to be addressed is replacing the floorpans which are shot. This was a car that someone started the restoration, spent a lot of money, got overwhelmed then unloaded it.

Since this *was* someone elses project, I'm a little unsure about the primers and bondo that are on the car. There is some skim coating of bondo where the quarters were replaced and there is primer on the roof and in the window wells. I'm currently in the process of disassembling the car and I'm almost at the point of taking the body off the frame.

My question is, should I grind down the existing primer or strip it or leave it alone? Same question applies to the bondo. My fear is to build on an unknown base and have troubles later. What's the best approach for removing this? Also, with regard to the new panels. They all come with a black primer or coating or whatever they call it. Should I sand this off also?

Finally, how long can I leave a car in primer without sealing or painting with hopes no problems will arise later?

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Tom

Hey Tom,

Welcome to the board.

Floor pans, go with a one piece if you can get away with it. It is much nicer to weld into the factory seams with that single piece.

If it has any bondo on it, I would strip it off. Same is true for the paint.

Get a d/a and a bunch of 80 grit and knock it down to metal. You can switch it into grinder mode, just be careful. Don't need to sand off the ecoat, it's meant to protect the panel.

Shoot the car with epoxy and it can sit for quite awhile. You will need to scuff and reapply the epoxy before you move on to primer.

Don't be affraid, jump in head first and start taking that panel down to the metal. I would only do one panel at a time so you don't get over your head. Take it slow and don't rush it, this is not a contest.

That's kind of a tough question. Is it not possible to talk to the previous owner and ask what he used and how he did it? He may have had a shop do the work. Other than for your own peace of mind to know for sure what is there I don't know why you should undo all the work that has been done. If the bare metal has been covered with epoxy primer it can sit till the cows come home. Bare filler has been known to absorb moisture. I think the best answer is to try and find out what's under there. I guess since you can tell there is a skim coat, the filler has not been blocked. A lot will depend upon whether you think you can do better than what is already done. Some pics would be nice. Good luck.

Hey Tom,

Welcome to the board.

Floor pans, go with a one piece if you can get away with it. It is much nicer to weld into the factory seams with that single piece.

If it has any bondo on it, I would strip it off. Same is true for the paint.

Get a d/a and a bunch of 80 grit and knock it down to metal. You can switch it into grinder mode, just be careful. Don't need to sand off the ecoat, it's meant to protect the panel.

Shoot the car with epoxy and it can sit for quite awhile. You will need to scuff and reapply the epoxy before you move on to primer.

Don't be affraid, jump in head first and start taking that panel down to the metal. I would only do one panel at a time so you don't get over your head. Take it slow and don't rush it, this is not a contest.

How do you knock it down to bare metal without removing the e-coat?

How do you knock it down to bare metal without removing the e-coat?

I think he was talking about the quarter seams, roof, etc. I wouldnt remove teh e-coat.