Confused on what primer system I should use on my resto.

Y

y5mgisi

I have done research enough to confuse myself at this point. I have read a ton on self etch, epoxy, 2k, polyester, etc.

I'm painting my 77 chevy crew cab. It's mostly original paint and I plan on sanding it roughly 50% to bare metal.

It's pretty straight and won't need much body work. It's also a driver/camping truck so I don't want to spend too much time getting it perfect just to use it, scratch it, ding it later.

I just want it to look good for a first timer painting in his garage!

So with that, can you recommend what way I should go? It seems that a system of epoxy over the combination of bare metal and original sanded paint, followed by 2k blocked, followed by epoxy reduced to be used as a sealer is what I need to do
I'm less than excited about priming the truck 3 times but if that's what I have to do, I will.

Thank you!
 
If your looking for a 3 year life, now would be the time to use up and get rid of the self etch and save your epoxy for a good job. Allso not a bad time to use up your polyester as the activator for that does not live for ever, block it and seal with your epoxy and paint.
 
Thanks for the reply! Just to be clear, I have not yet purchased anything. I'm trying to figure out what products I should be purchasing and what system is right for me. I really like the idea of the polyester primers as it sounds like a good way for the novice to achieve good results, but I can't figure out if it's worth it as opposed to a 2k primer.
 
Polyester primer is good for certain things because it has a lot of filling power. This is important on hastily done bodywork, novice bodywork, or very large areas where it's difficult to make the whole thing perfect. You might think of poly primer as the last skim coat of filler, minus the spreader marks.
 
How do I know if I should use it vs 2k? Safe to say that because I'm a beginner I should just use the polyester? Or is 2k fine because the truck is fairly straight? Thanks again!
 
I personally wouldn't use poly on your job. If it's straight then a couple coats of epoxy first, whatever filler you use, and then 2k, followed with epoxy sealer. Poly requires a third gun you'd probably never use again.

You'll probably end up with 2 applications/sanding of the 2k. First round for straightening and the second round to fill scratches from the first round.

I always spray one coat of epoxy over the bodywork/sanded epoxy before the 2k is applied to seal any metal spots Sanding is the name of the game and their isn't anyway around it. If you want it smooth you'll be doing it all by hand also. Lots of fun....
 
You guys are a helpful bunch! Not only to me here but in many many other threads I have read around here! So thank you all for that!

I have the devillbiss starting line 2 gun kit. I believe it has 1.3, 1.5, and 1.8 tips.

The only thing I worry about with 2k is shrinkage. There is nothing uglier than being able to see body work under a fresh paint job! What are the ways to ensure that doesn't happen? Or maybe I should ask, why does that happen?
 
Also I do know that the polyesters call for around a 2.2 tip.
 
I normally do the all epoxy thing but I've used Turbo 2k and I haven't seen any shrinkage on the 59' Cadillac that I did last year. It was epoxy with turbo over it. I never abused it and sprayed 2 or 3 rounds of 2-3 heavy coats from a 1.8 tip.

In my experience most of the shrinkage is when the fillers aren't blocked down to 180 grit. When the guys try to fill 80 grit scratches with primer instead of a 2part putty is when I've noticed the shrinkage.
 
So I went and talked to my local paint place today. They recommended an epoxy primer followed by a "primer surfacer" which I'm told is different than both the 2k and polyester primers. Is that accurate and is that a good idea? He recommended top coat straight on to of the primer surfacer.
 
A primer surfacer is a urethane 2k primer that is available in high build, regular build and turbo from SPI. I typically use the Turbo, but have used the regular build as well. A 2k product simply means that it contains two parts, hence the name 2k. A 2k product requires an activator/hardener to crosslink/chemically cure the product. I would recommend epoxy on bare metal, followed by 2k surfacer and block sanding. I would also recommend top coating on top of epoxy rather than a primer surfacer, as an epoxy will give you better stone chip resistance over a urethane product.
 
y5mgisi;n74667 said:
So I went and talked to my local paint place today. They recommended an epoxy primer followed by a "primer surfacer" which I'm told is different than both the 2k and polyester primers. Is that accurate and is that a good idea? He recommended top coat straight on to of the primer surfacer.
Click to expand...

make sure they aren't selling you lacquer primer surfacer
 
It was a 2k. It's a complete omni system that they were quoting me on. I think I would like to use all SPI products since I read literally nothing bad about them and read tons of praises! Whereas the omni has spotty reviews. But I think I will have to use omni for the color coat. For this red metallic color (original color on the truck) they quoted me $167 a gallon for the color and for omni plus was some huge jump like $500 a gallon.
 
y5mogisi, if you have code for the paint try Wanda or U-Teck you will be surprised on the price.
 
I do have the code and formula. Is that something I can price online? Your talking about the color coat right?
 
It's important to buy a quality base coat, ignore the price and find out what is the best you can obtain in your area. Picking a cheap product can wreck all your hard work. Either that or just pick an SPI base coat color, the color selection is limited but the quality is second to none with a decent price. See the colors at the bottom of this page:

http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/#!pricing/c20uv
 
y5mgisi said:
I do have the code and formula. Is that something I can price online? Your talking about the color coat right?
Click to expand...
Yes I was referring to color code, you can price it on line or you may call. Check it out on this forum what they say about Wanda and U-teck and you have to use your own judgement.
 
I'm told by my local place that for the Deltron by ppg it's some outrageous amount like $600 a gallon whereas the omni is I think $167.

I need the proper color since I'm going with the original colors of the truck. I'll look into the paint lines mentioned.
 
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