Primer question for you paint guys

[JoshStratton]

Let me ask this. Since the car is going to be without paint for a while and I still hope to drive it, would it be ok if I spray the car in DP90, drive it around in the elements. Then, when it is time to do the paint, strip it all off and do what Jim suggested?

Will it protect the bare metal from the elements in the short term?

[manicmechanic]

I have been reading an article (series) by Larry Lyles out of Amarillo TX. and has said that PPG has changed their procedure's on rust protection to a 3 step process. It is going to bare metal and doing and hammer and dolly work, but not plastic then covering the car, panel etc. in PPG DP74LF epoxy primer in 2 wet coats w/ 10-15 minutes between them. Allow 24 Hrs to cure and then scuff w/180 grit to apply plastic at this time. if you go back to bare metal while working the plastic you have to recover it W/ the DP74LF. It mixes 2.1 with DP402LF catalyst. If anybody wants a copy of the article I can email it to them.

[Jim Nilsen]

Hey Josh, I don't see any reason you couldn't put on the epoxy primer and then drive around for a term and then just go back and sand it down and clean up anything that started to cause problems. Taking it all off would be a waste IMHO of time and good protection along with a bunch of money. DP epoxy isn't cheap.

The best thing is to ask the person you are buying your paint from is what the body shops are doing along with the other amature paint guys. Like was just stated,PPG has just changed again on what to do. When I was doing my car the DP primer had lead in it to start with and then when the beginning of the year changed it went to the LF which is lead free. So all of my main shell,doors and trunk lid have lead primer on it and my hood and front fenders have LF.

I can see why PPG changed their way of doing things because people like me tried a few different ways to do it more than likely and have had excellent results.

Just remember to follow the directions for mixing and temp, epoxy really does get sensitive to temp for best results even though it is rather forgiving compared to other primers.

A few tips that helped me were to use a coil hose and make a heavy and I mean heavy item with a hook to move around the car with to hook the hose on along with a few hooks in the ceiling and on the walls. You can then move around the car and not have the hose dragging and getting close to the car. Also buy a couple of filters that go right at the gun for moisture control, without a drying system for your air moisture can creep up on you when you least expect it and it will really mess things up. I put one of those plastic drop covers on the floor so I didn't have to worry about dust and cleaning up overspray,make sure you use a new one each time or the dried primer or paint will flake off on to your car when you least expect. I tried wetting the floor on a previous paint job once and all it did was create a bigger mess. Wear a mask that is approved for everything,don't be cheap or you will cause brain damage to yourself along with respiratory problems that might not be noticable but will be there just the same. Get as much lighting on the car as possible,especially down below at the rockers. It is very hard to see down that low without a lot of experience and you will miss things if you don't have enough light on it all.

Have fun,be patient,spend time before you mix and look over the car and imagine yourself going through the whole process and go over a check list to make sure you didn't forget something like tacking the dust off of the car because you got excited. Those few minutes of meditation before you start will help you relax and not forget to srpay areas that need extra paint during the color sanding process. Always do the edges first and then go back and do them again,they never seem to get enough paint. Remember that runs are better than not enough paint but don't sag the paint or it is really bad.

Goodluck, Jim Nilsen

[StRacerDuke]

From what I hear DP90 is fine to seal the car and drive it around. I don't think you'll have any issues with it. I have heard that it doesn't like the sun's UV light but I can't confirm that. Regardless I don't think it's a problem.

Don't worry if you screw up at all. It's a learning experience. It took me 3 attempts in a row to get my first paint job right . It sucked but I learned more in screwing up than I could have paid a pro to each me.

[Gordz32]

Hey you can always tint the primer if your painting the car one color, just a side note, I agree wit hyou guys on the sealer , then primer then sand then seal. Remember your prep is the hard part, Laying the base/clear is cake!

[Gordz32]

Hey you can always tint the primer if your painting the car one color, just a side note, I agree wit you guys on the sealer , then primer then sand then seal. Remember your prep is the hard part, Laying the base/clear is cake!

[JoshStratton]

Thanks for all of the excellent posts and ideas! I really appreciate them and will definately be incorporating a lot of them into my job.

Why is it that when a car is in a bare shell, people still mask off? What does that accomplish? Just prevent over spray?

[Duesey]

If you guys really want an exceptional epoxy primer then try Valspar. They have a DTM high build epoxy primer that doubles as a sealer with the proper reduction. I use it entirely without any of the soft/high shrinkage build polyester primers. It likes a couple weeks before sanding which is smart for any primer. I've was a DP40 epoxy guys until they pulled the plug on it 5years ago or so. I've tried numerous products since then but I really like this stuff. The price is good also, I think it's around 140 or so for a sprayable gallon. I was turned onto the stuff from John Weeler who makes the adjust flex sanders. Which are the best sanding blocks on the market by a long shot. Only downfall is I don't have a dealer near me so I have to pay truck freight but it's still worth it.