need some help regarding prep work

[truekoa2]

Hi first off I'm new to the forums, I came seeking guidance to paint prepping my car.

The car is a 1998 Chevy camaro, metal rear quarter panels, fiberglass hood, spoiler, and the doors, the rest is plastic.

I know there are several stages to this task, so far I have sanded the clear off the entire car I know what I should do but I have alot of questions!

1. What type of primer to use? This project is meant to be low cost until I can paint the car. I have rattle can spray paint primer but I heard it could bubble and bring the old paint out on the new paint?

2.What exactly is wet sanding is it just sanding with water on the surface? What is its purpose?

3.What is a sand sand blaster? I saw it on some other forums regarding prep work but I wasnt sure what it was for.

4. What kind of sealer? Do i need sealer, what is its purpose?

Right now Im just focusing on getting the car primed correctly, chances are I will probably be driving the car around primed for several months before I get it repainted. What is my best approach for this application?

The car is painted white and is sanded down to the base coat if this helps. So far I've only been sanding by hand using a sanding block(the rectangle thingy)

Thanks in advance please give me all the bashng you want, I searched around here and some other forums but couldn't find what I really needed.

Thanks again.

 

[thimmesch1]

prep work

1. what grit did you sand all of your claer off with? & did you hold your sander competely flat?
Depends on what you are fixing? if it is rust it will need to be sand balsted (google" sand blast") then on any bare metal it will need a zinc based primer(buy an automotive primer that is good for bare metal)
go to a paint supply & get a 2 part primer which you will have to mix & wear a resperator

2.dont worry about wet sanding untill after it is primed (google it) haha yea I do not like typing!!
3.google "sand blaster" it digs the rust out of the pitting in the metal.
4. sealer will give you good color iniformity & hold out(it will not soak in or wrinkle)good idea to use sealer,or re-prime any place you have broken throuh your primer & have everything sanded to 400-500 grit.
this is a very labor intensive task,I would have suggested doing 1 or 2 panels at a time while you are learning
good luck

 

[truekoa2]

thx for the quick reply!

well i checked out sand blasting and wet sanding and i figured this isnt as relevant to my application since i just want to run with a primed car for the time being. (correct me if i am wrong in this)

also there is no rust on the visible panels of the car (lol) that needs to be fixed or anything. no dents either.

i just want to find a good primer that will give it that smooth primed look like when you buy an OEM body panel. know what i mean?

I will visit a lowe's or home depot and see if i can find a good primer paint there.

any more advice? thanks

 

[TAZ]

You may want to try "5 star" primer. This is fairly inexpensive plus it's a 2 part primer. You don't want to be driving it around on spray can primer. Non catalyzed primer will absorb water. Then you'll have a rust problem.

 

[truekoa2]

can i get the primer from a home depot or lowes? some friends recommended going to an actual paint store. never heard of a just paint store thou lol. I really just want to have the car primed(i really like that look lol) how much do you think a shop would charge to do this?

any more advice please?

 

[whishkah]

Most people would call it a "paint store" but what you would want to look for is a Auto Body Supply Store. If you have one around you can get about everything you would need there. -As far as paints are concerned, the selection could be limited due to how bad some brands fumes can be. Also, make sure your paints are mixable, you wouldn't want to layer different types unless you know they won't react. More experienced painters here could ellaborate more on that. Hope this helps.

 

[perfectcolor]

I have yet to try using a 5 star primer.. I've been using 2 part primer ever since.. I will give it a shot next time.. thanks.. :bigokay:

You may want to try "5 star" primer. This is fairly inexpensive plus it's a 2 part primer. You don't want to be driving it around on spray can primer. Non catalyzed primer will absorb water. Then you'll have a rust problem.