Temporary Paint post rust removal

[Cletus Lange]

I'm cleaning up an 85 c10 that has just a little bit wrong with every panel, and badly done cab corner replacements. There's a ton to be done to the truck before bodywork and making it pretty becomes a priority, but I can't stand the rust spreading in the meantime. My initial plan is to get rid of the rust. So here's a bunch of questions on how to do that:
1) Should I sand each panel down to bare metal, or just make sure the visible rust is gone and leave the factory primer in place elsewhere? I expect some spots like the upper fenders will have holes going through and be candidates for future replacement or cutting (tubbed is a long term option)
2) What should I prime with?
3) If I apply paint directly over primer, am I making a ton of extra work for 5-10 years from now when I have the time/budget to take care of dents and make a nice paint job? Should I do body filler now?
4) Knowing that I'll be fixing individual panels and probably making new dents over the next 5-10 years, and don't have a great setup for paint, how bad will I regret rolling on tractor or industrial paint? I know it won't be pretty, but my goal is more to have an easily repairable tough surface to keep the underlying metal from further damage until making the truck pretty becomes a priority. BUT, is there a reason everybody isn't using tractor paint on their projects in progress?
Sorry for the long post, but I don't want to start taking paint off until I know what to do next.

[krom]

strip it bare, coat it in epoxy primer.
Filler goes over the epoxy whenever you choose.
Once you get the metal protected with good epoxy, you can brush or roll on tractor paint if you want, in the future you'll have to sand it off, to get to the epoxy, or bare metal.

[Cletus Lange]

Thanks! I always like a second opinion before I do something major that I can't undo.

[jlcustomz]

Epoxy is the best raw metal base for sealing it . Lot of different brands & characteristics with using epoxy. SPI has on of the best at a decent cost & their forums have a lot of good info. I'll list a few important things about using THEIRS. Big downside this time of year is minimum 65degree metal temp for about 24 hours or it won't properly cure. You want it to dry about 2 days before applying filler & doesn't need sanding for adhesion within a 7 day window. If sitting for months it's really best to sand & spray a light coat for best adhesion. Epoxy can be built up & sanded as with or even instead of 2-k products, just a far slower process. It also makes a great sealer coat , sprayed at a reduced thickness just before paint. Adds adhesion for durability. Dries much quicker when reduces. Black has a uv additive in it.
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/8ced3...2b7c6af093.pdf
http://www.spiuserforum.com/index.php

[Cletus Lange]

Thanks. It's been below 10 all week, so I haven't been doing much on the truck. Media blast and prime will probably be waiting on spring.

[TheJDMan]

Who says no one uses tractor paint? Truth be told all of my under hood black is John Deere Blitz Black. It is arguably one of the best quality rattle can paints you can buy.

[vintageracer]

Truth be told all of my under hood black is John Deere Blitz Black. It is arguably one of the best quality rattle can paints you can buy.

And one of the biggest secrets of old Corvette restorer's everywhere when it comes time to match the original blackout paint!