how to primer a car correctly??? - Honda-Acura.net

SUPER LAUBO · 11-26-03, 02:59 PM

i'm planning on primering my car for the first time to save money and to earn valuable experience. i have an electric sander along with a spray gun. i realize i'm not going to get shop quality because i have no oven and the primer might get contaminated.

** i would like to know your experiences with sanding, prepping, and painting the car.

what kind of sand paper should i use,
what steps are involved,
what should i watch for,
what will save time,
what kind of primer should i use

any info will be valuable and appreciated... thanks!!!!

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2d-ink · 11-27-03, 02:25 AM

use 400 Grid Wet Sand paper. if you want to save time hit it with 80 Grid Dry Sand Paper and then go over it at the end with 400 grid and make sure its all smooth and no deep scratches, and then go get a compressor and a gun any kind of gun cause its just primer not paint, and set it on 80 psi and spray it on wet and I think its Layer over lapping layer. and at the end make sure to clean your gun and dont let the primer dry inside of it or its gona be a bitch to clean.. Well Hope this help.

whiteEJ8 · 11-27-03, 09:14 PM

also take your time masking. Thats the most important step. Use scotch brite to scuff all the edges and anything else you can't get with the sander to prevent it peeling later. And if you've sprayed armorall or another type of silicone lately you could get fish eyes. Hopefully you won't. Good luck.

And don't cheap out on the primer. Go to a paint supply store and and talk to them. PPG and Dupont are great.

Also, 80 psi is way to high. That will just cause more overspray. I spray my primer at 30 psi. Do you have a HVLP gun?

SUPER LAUBO · 12-02-03, 03:32 PM

thanks!!! anyone else???

btw, what's a HVLP gun? i bought a cheap one from Harbor Freight, but forgot the rating on it...

whiteEJ8 · 12-02-03, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SUPER LAUBO
thanks!!! anyone else???

btw, what's a HVLP gun? i bought a cheap one from Harbor Freight, but forgot the rating on it...

high volume low pressure. (the guns with the cup on top)
Harbor freight is where I got my first spray gun. $49.95

SUPER LAUBO · 12-03-03, 03:51 AM

my tank is on the bottom.. oops!! sounds like i need to exchange it... people have told me that you need a huge 60 gallon tank to keep the pressure going for these guns.

is my 33 gallon one enough?

Lundarius · 12-04-03, 04:59 PM

Be careful w/ the primer, if you want to get a different paint job on you car, don't primer the whole thing, most people think that shops primer the whole car, hate to break it to people though, most shops just sand the clearand a very little of the old paint but not down to the metal. If you use the wrong primer, the paint that the shop uses might not work correctly together and it'll peel and shops don't cover that cause theiy didn't prep it.

whiteEJ8 · 12-05-03, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SUPER LAUBO
my tank is on the bottom.. oops!! sounds like i need to exchange it... people have told me that you need a huge 60 gallon tank to keep the pressure going for these guns.

is my 33 gallon one enough?

The gun you bought (siphon feed) requires more pressure so I would return it if I were you. I have a 20 gallon 5 hp air compressor and I sprayed my hood, fender, bumper and passenger with no problems. If the air pressure starts to drop just wait 30 seconds or so for the compressor to catch up.

By the way, why are you priming your whole car? Cuz you know when you have it repainted that primer will have to be sanded down for the paint to stick properly. Why not go ahead and paint the car or have it painted?

SUPER LAUBO · 12-05-03, 05:27 PM

just to get the experience and its cheaper. i'm planning on getting it repainted soon anyways, but i wanted to get my car all one color for awhile. i have some body work done to it.

whiteEJ8 · 12-05-03, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SUPER LAUBO
just to get the experience and its cheaper. i'm planning on getting it repainted soon anyways, but i wanted to get my car all one color for awhile. i have some body work done to it.

I see. Good luck.

SUPER LAUBO · 12-10-03, 04:08 PM

when i sand my factory paint, how far would i need to go? i was thinking about sanding the clear coat and the top layer of paint....

whiteEJ8 · 12-11-03, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SUPER LAUBO
when i sand my factory paint, how far would i need to go? i was thinking about sanding the clear coat and the top layer of paint....

You don't need to sand off the clearcoat. Sand until there is no gloss and no texture left and the primer will stick fine. Just make sure you get the edges really well.

Sixt9coug · 12-13-03, 03:45 AM

my 2 cents here... ( new guy 2 cents lol ) 400 grit is too fine for primer to stick too well. i would at least use 220 wet and do the whole car with that and a red Scotchbrite pad. masking is key as well. laquer primer in my experience sucks. get a primer that will require a hardener with it. ( PCL Polyprimer is a fav of mine and isnt hard on the wallet... $60 or so a gallon.. not really for flexible parts like bumpers though ) my first gun was also an HVLP Harbor Freight gun and well i still have it and it still works as well. for heavy duty primering i use my Sharpe Cobalt HVLP. it has a 2.3mm tip on it ( auto body guys know... that gun doesnt **** around lol ). it was about $130 on Ebay. the Harbor freight one is about $50. i spray primer at about 30 psi as well. so i agree with that above. well....... thats a start to doing it.... have fun. i love painting

whiteEJ8 · 12-13-03, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sixt9coug
my 2 cents here... ( new guy 2 cents lol ) 400 grit is too fine for primer to stick too well. i would at least use 220 wet and do the whole car with that and a red Scotchbrite pad. masking is key as well. laquer primer in my experience sucks. get a primer that will require a hardener with it. ( PCL Polyprimer is a fav of mine and isnt hard on the wallet... $60 or so a gallon.. not really for flexible parts like bumpers though ) my first gun was also an HVLP Harbor Freight gun and well i still have it and it still works as well. for heavy duty primering i use my Sharpe Cobalt HVLP. it has a 2.3mm tip on it ( auto body guys know... that gun doesnt **** around lol ). it was about $130 on Ebay. the Harbor freight one is about $50. i spray primer at about 30 psi as well. so i agree with that above. well....... thats a start to doing it.... have fun. i love painting

2.3 mm

Thats a big tip. That's ideal for primer surfacer. Is that what you use it for?

Sixt9coug · 12-13-03, 01:55 PM

yup. in fact that gun really isnt good for anything else lol. but DAMN will it get material on a car

and with a tip that big and the pressure down very little overspray. love that gun.

whiteEJ8 · 12-13-03, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sixt9coug
yup. in fact that gun really isnt good for anything else lol. but DAMN will it get material on a car and with a tip that big and the pressure down very little overspray. love that gun.

I'll look into one of those. Right now I'm using an old old satajet with a 1.3 and it doesn't fill as well. I wonder what would happen if you tried to spray clear with that cobalt? Probably have some crazy bad orange peel.

Sixt9coug · 12-13-03, 09:04 PM

it gives crazy peel with even the primer lol. but well.. ill put it this way.. i put 2 coats of primer on the hood of a 65 Mustang i was going to block out... i used almost an entire quart on that ALONE.

puts alot on but gives plenty of meat to block out. i was dry blocking with 100 grit and it still took a while to break through. that gun rocks. try Ebay to get one.. its often cheaper than a jobber. i saved about $50 that way and the gun was brand new. i have a 1.3mm Sata KLC-B that i use for a basecoat gun ( technically its a primer gun but damn it works good ). i have my 1.4mm Harbor Freight gun thats regulated to minimal primer work and nothing else... my 2.3mm bad boy Cobalt and my 1.2mm Sharpe Cobalt that i use for clearcoats. yes a 1.2 and a 2.3 are in my stable... i run both extremes with the tip sizes for full sized guns lol.

DSMtuner · 12-18-03, 12:33 AM

SUPER LAUBO,
Be carefull though. My friend primed his car himself, then when it came time to bring it to get painted, when he got out of the car, they looked at it, and said "that all has to come off". Just thought id let you know

monk · 12-21-03, 11:44 PM

Be real careful!!! Today's clearcoat paints do not like the easy to sand laquer primer. Most shops use an epoxy type of primer that is meant to be topcoated within 24 hours.

whiteEJ8 · 12-23-03, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by monk
Be real careful!!! Today's clearcoat paints do not like the easy to sand laquer primer. Most shops use an epoxy type of primer that is meant to be topcoated within 24 hours.

That's what I was trying to tell him but I think he just wants it primered for now. Otherwise the bc/cc would have to be sprayed directly after the primer sealer.

I don't think anyone used laquer primer anymore, do they

12-02-03, 03:32 PM	#4
SUPER LAUBO KiMBO's Hubby Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: San Hose Jose Posts: 3,474	thanks!!! anyone else??? btw, what's a HVLP gun? i bought a cheap one from Harbor Freight, but forgot the rating on it... __________________ A wise man once said, "Go to sleep naked, wake up with stinky fingers." "Never let school get in the way of education"

12-03-03, 03:51 AM	#6
SUPER LAUBO KiMBO's Hubby Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: San Hose Jose Posts: 3,474	my tank is on the bottom.. oops!! sounds like i need to exchange it... people have told me that you need a huge 60 gallon tank to keep the pressure going for these guns. is my 33 gallon one enough? __________________ A wise man once said, "Go to sleep naked, wake up with stinky fingers." "Never let school get in the way of education"

12-05-03, 05:27 PM	#9
SUPER LAUBO KiMBO's Hubby Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: San Hose Jose Posts: 3,474	just to get the experience and its cheaper. i'm planning on getting it repainted soon anyways, but i wanted to get my car all one color for awhile. i have some body work done to it. __________________ A wise man once said, "Go to sleep naked, wake up with stinky fingers." "Never let school get in the way of education"

12-10-03, 04:08 PM	#11
SUPER LAUBO KiMBO's Hubby Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: San Hose Jose Posts: 3,474	when i sand my factory paint, how far would i need to go? i was thinking about sanding the clear coat and the top layer of paint.... __________________ A wise man once said, "Go to sleep naked, wake up with stinky fingers." "Never let school get in the way of education"

12-18-03, 12:33 AM	#18
DSMtuner (-_-)/'i') Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,151	SUPER LAUBO, Be carefull though. My friend primed his car himself, then when it came time to bring it to get painted, when he got out of the car, they looked at it, and said "that all has to come off". Just thought id let you know __________________ 94 Integra LS - Daily 94 Miata - 11.9 @ 112, stock block and self tuned. 00 Eclipse GT - For sale!

11-27-03, 02:25 AM	#2
2d-ink Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 4	use 400 Grid Wet Sand paper. if you want to save time hit it with 80 Grid Dry Sand Paper and then go over it at the end with 400 grid and make sure its all smooth and no deep scratches, and then go get a compressor and a gun any kind of gun cause its just primer not paint, and set it on 80 psi and spray it on wet and I think its Layer over lapping layer. and at the end make sure to clean your gun and dont let the primer dry inside of it or its gona be a bitch to clean.. Well Hope this help.

11-27-03, 09:14 PM	#3
whiteEJ8 Member Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 504	also take your time masking. Thats the most important step. Use scotch brite to scuff all the edges and anything else you can't get with the sander to prevent it peeling later. And if you've sprayed armorall or another type of silicone lately you could get fish eyes. Hopefully you won't. Good luck. And don't cheap out on the primer. Go to a paint supply store and and talk to them. PPG and Dupont are great. Also, 80 psi is way to high. That will just cause more overspray. I spray my primer at 30 psi. Do you have a HVLP gun?

12-04-03, 04:59 PM	#7
Lundarius Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sacramento Posts: 5	Be careful w/ the primer, if you want to get a different paint job on you car, don't primer the whole thing, most people think that shops primer the whole car, hate to break it to people though, most shops just sand the clearand a very little of the old paint but not down to the metal. If you use the wrong primer, the paint that the shop uses might not work correctly together and it'll peel and shops don't cover that cause theiy didn't prep it.

12-13-03, 03:45 AM	#13
Sixt9coug Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Norwalk CA Posts: 17	my 2 cents here... ( new guy 2 cents lol ) 400 grit is too fine for primer to stick too well. i would at least use 220 wet and do the whole car with that and a red Scotchbrite pad. masking is key as well. laquer primer in my experience sucks. get a primer that will require a hardener with it. ( PCL Polyprimer is a fav of mine and isnt hard on the wallet... $60 or so a gallon.. not really for flexible parts like bumpers though ) my first gun was also an HVLP Harbor Freight gun and well i still have it and it still works as well. for heavy duty primering i use my Sharpe Cobalt HVLP. it has a 2.3mm tip on it ( auto body guys know... that gun doesnt **** around lol ). it was about $130 on Ebay. the Harbor freight one is about $50. i spray primer at about 30 psi as well. so i agree with that above. well....... thats a start to doing it.... have fun. i love painting

12-13-03, 01:55 PM	#15
Sixt9coug Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Norwalk CA Posts: 17	yup. in fact that gun really isnt good for anything else lol. but DAMN will it get material on a car and with a tip that big and the pressure down very little overspray. love that gun.

12-13-03, 09:04 PM	#17
Sixt9coug Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Norwalk CA Posts: 17	it gives crazy peel with even the primer lol. but well.. ill put it this way.. i put 2 coats of primer on the hood of a 65 Mustang i was going to block out... i used almost an entire quart on that ALONE. puts alot on but gives plenty of meat to block out. i was dry blocking with 100 grit and it still took a while to break through. that gun rocks. try Ebay to get one.. its often cheaper than a jobber. i saved about $50 that way and the gun was brand new. i have a 1.3mm Sata KLC-B that i use for a basecoat gun ( technically its a primer gun but damn it works good ). i have my 1.4mm Harbor Freight gun thats regulated to minimal primer work and nothing else... my 2.3mm bad boy Cobalt and my 1.2mm Sharpe Cobalt that i use for clearcoats. yes a 1.2 and a 2.3 are in my stable... i run both extremes with the tip sizes for full sized guns lol.

12-21-03, 11:44 PM	#19
monk Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Long Island, N.Y. Posts: 6	Be real careful!!! Today's clearcoat paints do not like the easy to sand laquer primer. Most shops use an epoxy type of primer that is meant to be topcoated within 24 hours. __________________ monk 99 Accord EX Coupe

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