Bare Metal - Now What?

I have stripped sections of my Maverick to the bare metal using one of those 6 inch hard scotch brite looking thingys that spins in a drill. Worked great and got it to bare metal with no scratches or gouges. Now I needed to put something on the bare metal that a body shop wouldn't need to remove later on in order to get paint to stick. One body shop told me to get some U-Pol High 5 high build primer. So I got a few spray cans and covered a quarter panel and a trunk lid. Now another tells me to get some self etching primer in spray cans from Eastwood. Both tell me to sand the bare metal first, which I did.

Any opinions or experiences that do work for prepping and covering bare metal the right way? Keep in mind that I don't have a compressor or spray gun.

Thanks, Bob

 

What ever you use, use it on the whole car dont mix and match products(it could be bad)All east wood or all U-poly.dupont Vari prime is a good etching primer and an excellent base for all subsequent work.It not cheap though.A gallon of it will brobably cost as much as the dozen rattle cans of whatever else though, sooo do what you can afford I guess.Good luck.

 

I generally clean it with a metal prep/cleaner after sanding with 100 grit paper then coat with variprime.(I like variprimes adhesion properties)If you have to store it outdoors use a good urethane primer,vari prime is succeptible to moisture penetration.Urethanes generally are not.

 

I already bought 2 cans of "Eastwood Light Gray - Lacquer Base - Self Etching Primer". If that is a safe choice, I'll just buff the U-Pol off of the quarter and trunk and do the whole car in one product. The car will stay in the garage. I just want to cover the bare metal to protect it when it's damp outside and I'm working with the doors open and also to keep any crap from getting to the bare metal.

 

my car is currently in bare metal and paint(doin some welding repairs)Its about a ten miunute walk to the lake shore from my dads house where the car is.(humid)I have no surface rust issues yet and dont really anticipate any.If the car is stored in a garage and stays dry you really shouldnt have a rust problem.I have stored bare metal components for years at a time at dads place and not had a problem with surface rust.As long as the primer you use is compatible with the top coats you apply over it you should be fine.Just stick to one paint system though.Mixing them can cause problems when you go to finish it off.Eastwoods stuff is pretty good you should be fine with it.Have fun!!!

 

Thanks for the help. I realize that the Eastwood primer is Lacquer based and is that going to be compatable with the common methods of painting now a days? I don't think that the painters spray with lacquer anymore. Isn't that a no no with the enviroment?

 

By the time you have that car blocked out and primed to hell and back to get it perfectly straight most of that easwood stuff will have been sealed up under a couple coats of urethane primer surfacers and high build primers that it wont matter,Besides the lacquer stuff is pretty stable.I used to use lacquer primer to build and block sand cars before final prime and top coat,many moons ago.lacquer primers are moisture sensitive though,they will suck moisture out of the air.You should be fine though(no weather exposure)As for the E.P.A.Shh dont tell em,or check your local laws.Good luck.