Hello -
Project 78 Camaro

What has been done:

All paint has been chemically stripped
All welding and body work has been completed.
Body chemically cleaned with a metal cleaner.
Car was then primered with rattle can primer (not the best way to go but due to costs, time constraints, lack of facilities, etc. rattle can primer from DupliColor was the only option).

Question:
Can anyone provide a next course of action based on this information. Now that facilities will allow normal spray gun operation.
Block sanding still needs to be performed.
Should I sand and recoat the rattle can primer with epoxy primer or a high build catalyst primer, then epoxy or sealer then top coat?
Or should I just start using a catalysed high build primer then a guide coat followed by a sealer?

Any thoughts, suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated, thank you

Okay, no one wants to hear this but.....get all that simple lacquer based primer off there. If you blocked it you'd have almost nothing on there anyway. Yeah, I know that hurts..... You could probably just take some old rags soaked in lacquer thinner to remove most of it. See, all that stuff you are talking that could be your next step is expensive and you are going to put it over one of the weakest primers out there. It is the old house/foundation thing....you can build a great house but if it is assembled over a weak crappy foundation it will be a crappy house soon.

yep, don't put hundreds of dollars of materials over nickel and dime primer. also if the Dupli color has been on for a long time and the car has been exposed to any weather or dampness you may find rust under the lacquer primer. i'm not trying to scare you but it's just a horrible way to start.
Jay D.

badsix wrote:...yep, don't put hundreds of dollars of materials over nickel and dime primer. also if the Dupli color has been on for a long time and the car has been exposed to any weather or dampness you may find rust under the lacquer primer. i'm not trying to scare you but it's just a horrible way to start.
Jay D.

Listen to these guys.

Get some epoxy primer and some HB primer (Tamco!)
Do a fender at a time
Get to bare metal then epoxy
Then shoot some HB primer within the timing window

That way you can then go back and block the entire car

Lacquer primer is not for bare metal.
Moisture goes right through it and any bare metal will rust underneath it.

Sad Sack wrote:............
Should I sand and recoat the rattle can primer with epoxy primer or a high build catalyst primer, then epoxy or sealer then top coat?............

You're getting the idea. As Darrel said, use lacquer thinner-soaked rags to wipe off the primer and see what's underneath. If it's rusty, lightly sand off the rust and spray epoxy primer for the bottom coat. While still within the recoat window (this will allow recoating without needing to sand the epoxy), spray a coat or two of polyester primer to block sand (using a guide coat).

Once you're satisfied it's straight enough, spray one coat of reduced epoxy primer as a seal coat and then finish with the basecoat and clear.

My 78 Bronco had excellent factory paint on it, but when sanding the hood I discovered surface rust on the metal underneath the factory primer. It was probably lacquer-based primer back then, and today's epoxies are light-years better...