The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Sanding bare metal for primer

I have all my rotten metal replaced with solid metal now and straightened the panels. I am ready to sand the bare metal and apply body filler to get the imperfections flush. What grit sand paper do I use to prep for primer? I did a search on the internet and saw 80 grit mentioned. Is that what most guys use?


This is my first project truck, I have done some work on restoring my antique tractor so I am very inexperienced. On the tractor I used epoxy primer and enamel tractor paint from AGCO on that project. Any good references on painting would be very helpful.

The Technical Data sheets for every product you want to use are on the internet. I am not trying to be a smart [censored]... but every product on the market publishes their technical advise to avoid failures. My recommendation is read them a couple of times, fully understand them before using them. If you are still not sure, contact the manufacturer with your concerns. They want you to have a successful result.

Having said that, bare steel with a "tooth" for body filler to adhere to is a good thing. 80 grit seems pretty coarse, but again, the TDS will advise.

You didn't ask, but I will mention anyway... "tightly adhered" coatings do NOT need to be removed. Painting over existing, tightly adhered coatings is perfectly acceptable. No need to remove all the coatings to prime and paint.

Excellent advice: find and read the product sheets.

Also be aware metal sands different to paint and fillers.
Duh
I mean,
Used paper may get your surface rough enough when sanding paint.
But use fresh paper on metal so you get proper surface prep for your primer.
If you have a good magnifying glass you can see the difference in the scratch depths.
It's like traction for tires...lugs or slicks
One you fight to make stick
The other fights to hold on