rusty959

So have been working on my 67 and want to make sure im going to be/am doing this right.

I am taking everything down to the bare metal one way or another (mostly sandblasted) and then spraying some self etching primer from autozone etc on.
If I am working in an area blocking it off etc, is it ok to use say, the 96 cent spray can from wallmart etc as long as it is applied correctly or is this asking for bad news? If this is not a good idea, what should I use?

Shawnb23

Your top layer of paint will only be as good and durable as the bottom layer. I'd shoot a good two part epoxy or self etching primer. dupont, ppg ect...

OCHOHILL

I am not a painter or a paint expert. Hopefully one will chime in for you. There are a few things I do know. I have been spray bombing a lot on my 66 coupe lately so I'll share some of my experiences with you.

If you are going to spend of lot of time doing this don't be afraid to spend a little money, unless you don't mind wasting your time.

Never use red primer unless your painting red. (the underside of my car turned out metallic pink---then I repainted it again.)

Because I am learning impaired, I painted the underside of my trunk with a self etching primer from Checker. It has a odd mustard yellow pea green kind a thing going. I sprayed Nightmist blue over it and it turned out Ivy Green Metallic. I had to paint that again too.

Metallic paint is basically a clear with flake so choose your primers wisely. Light with light dark with dark. The primer color will also effect the finish color.
Blue over black primer and blue over gray primer will be 2 different colors.

My painter friend gave me some directions for the underside of my car, engine comparment and wheel wells. I would not attempt to finish paint the exterior with spray cans.

Clean all oily residue before sanding.
I didn't do much sanding but I used a lot of green Scoth brite pads.
I used a product called Ting to prep the surface before painting. Only paint stores have it. Basic laundry detergent will do a similar job.
Use primer/sealer and paint from the same company.
Try to stick with acrylic enamel materials to avoid compatibility issues. Some types of paint don't mix at all-sorry I forgot what they were.
I painted within 30 minutes of applying primer. Otherwise you should wait 48 hours, sand again, clean and spray.

Tack rags, compressed air and a clean, well ventilated work space are helpful.
Buy paint you can get down the road in case you need to touch up.

I bought Duplicolor products from Checker. I spray bombed my rear diff, leaf springs, underpan, engine compartment, wheel wells and the underside of the trunk and hood.

rusty959

Thanks for the input guys. Edit: Wow, ochohill. I didn't even realize that was your first post. Special thanks to you for the tips on your first post.

I am using a self etching primer against any bare metal surface, so I hope im good in that respect. (I really don't want to have to take all that off... most of the body is in it now)

I will definitely need some high build primer, so maybe I should just stick to the self etching and high build primer?

rmodel65

epoxy primer is better than etch, also with etch you cant use it over filler or old paint

i am a painter but im tired ill look for your post tomorrow

HGC

As far as cleaning the surface at various stages I also used Dawn dishwashing detergent. It has to be the original blue, not the other colors.
I found that info on this forum in another section where people were talking about stripping wax and making sure all oil and grease and residue are gone. Apparently Dawn detergent has a component which lifts the grease and such out quite nicely.
Don't use it for ordinary car washing though. It will remove the wax.

rusty959

Thanks rmodel65, I'll be anxiously awaiting your post.
Part of my problem is when I'm working in one spot, I can't really leave it bare for long or it will start to get surface rust. So for that reason, it's nice to just break out the ccan of self etching primer... I guess if I need to do it another way I will...
Right now I'm just sanding between coats... Would it still be good to get some of that detergent?
I'm thinking Im going to grab some high build primer on my way home today, and just use it after my self etching.