Hot Rod Forum banner

Can you get by without Epoxy Priming?

1K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  crashtech 
#1 ·
I have an old 78 Ford truck and looking at repainting it. This is NOT a $$$ vehicle, but simply a work truck. Instead of chemical stripping and sandblasting to prep for a coat of epoxy primer, can I just prep/sand the current paint (not bad, just faded and worn) and shoot a coat of 2K Regular primer?

There are no rust issues. Also, the truck was repainted during the late 80s/early 90s so I assume it is currently wearing lacquer?

I realize that Epoxy/2K Primer/Basecoat/Clear is probably the preferred method. But, I would like to know if I can forego sandblasting/epoxy primer or not?

Thanks.
 
#3 ·
It should be mentioned that just because a vehicle will not be totally stripped to metal doesn't mean that epoxy primer can't be used!

Epoxy primer can give great adhesion, solvent resistance, and add chip resistance.

You might consider using it for the first coat, since you are bound to sand through to the metal in some areas anyway.
 
#5 ·
The most common method for painting a truck like yours is to simply sand it, mask it up and spray a non sanding sealer and then color, NO "primer" at all! This method is probably used 10,000 to 1 in paint jobs across America, just sand it, seal it and paint it, done deal.

There are plenty of urethane sealers for this, or you could use an epoxy primer/sealer.

There is NO reason to use a 2K filling primer at all on your "average" driver.

The one reason why you would want to is if you are learning the skills and need to have "insurance" that it is sanded and feathered properly. For this reason, sanding the whole truck and priming it with an epoxy or urethane (or ISO free "urethane type" primer) to "surface" it by sanding prior to paint would be a step up, providing a nice base for your paint job. But pros everyday sand the paint, seal it (this includes bare spots and what not) then paint it with no further sanding.

Brian
 
#6 ·
Thanks for everyone's advice.

The only reason I assumed I needed to blast was a while back, I ordered Epoxy and some 2K primer for another truck from SPI and Barry said bare metal was best for excellent adhesion for Epoxy. I never thought to ask him about Epoxying over paint and I've been told by some painters than Epoxy primer may not bond well to aged paint...

I plan to use 2K Regular because I need to fill in some areas as well as feather in some previous bodywork and bare steel. I don't plan to use so much that it cakes up...but there are definitely areas that 2K Regular will help level out.
 
#7 ·
Now, you could spot prime the areas needing attention, sand them nice with the rest of the truck and then seal and paint it completely.

Brian
 
#8 ·
Cheap paint

Beater Driver, Solid color. My 76 Merc Montego faded gold macco paint, wet sanded off to Ford paint, Metal prepped and lacquer primered bare spots. Sprayed two coats Nason Synthetic Antique White let that tack up for a while as a sealer then sprayed 4 more coats. I used five quarts. Four years later it the hot Arizona sun and still looked good. I think the paint, activator paper and masking tape came to $100.00. Probably $200 today.
 
#9 ·
Aces'n'8s said:
...I've been told by some painters than Epoxy primer may not bond well to aged paint...
I'm pretty sure this is dead wrong, unless the underlying paint is so poor that solvents in the epoxy make the old paint lift and loosen from the substrate, in which case most other products aside from water base would have problems as well.

In my experience, epoxy make a very good sealer, and one that I use even has significant filling ability. As MARTINSR correctly states, many paint jobs are done by merely spraying topcoat over the sanded existing finish. But given the age of the vehicle and the unknown nature of the existing paint job, for me it's wise to recommend priming or at least sealing as the best way to ensure good results that won't require a redo or fail prematurely.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top