Stovebolt.com Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Interior paint

I'm gearing up to paint the interior of my AD 49 3/4 ton. The former painted the dash, window trims and the heater orange. It looks like a good job and the paint doesn't seem to be cracking or pealing. My question is, do I need to strip it off or can I paint over it. It doesn't have a clear coat.

Any help would be great.

Don

Scuff, seal, and paint.

I understand scuff but what is seal? Primer?

Don

That right there is the best "dumb" question ever asked since the beginning of time!
I never understood what a "seal coat" consists of either.
Thank you for asking that question so that I am not the "dumb" guy (even though since I just posted this, I am indeed the other "dumb" guy).
Carl

The reducers in paint are able to react with the old paint or sometimes even you high build primers and melt it.
That leads to adhesion failure.
Your remedy is sealer coat.
Usually just a very thin/reduced coat of epoxy.

Caso to the rescue of the short bus!
Thank you.

So scuff, spray on some reduced epoxy, skip the primer and paint?

Don

Prep is prep.
If your going for best practice then stip off everything down to fresh metal.
Apply 2 -3 coats epoxy.
Do any filler/high build work needed to get your surface as perfect as your needs require.
A coat of sealer just before painting does two things.
Seals the layers below from moisture.
Provides a chemical bond for the paint to lock onto BESIDES the physical bond to the small scratches left from the scuff pad.
If your really serious check out "the perfect paint job" thread over at
link to SPI

Well Caso that's a bit too much for this truck. Not a frame off and I didn't buy it solely to work on it. It's in really "good" shape but all I want to do is make the paint stick. I also don't want to do too much so future owners won't have a mess on their hands.

Then sand it down with 80g as far as you need to get it as smooth as you need.
As long as the paint that's there isn't coming off and your not hiding rust (even on the edges) then just work off that.
Only reason for a sealer now is to keep your volatiles in your fresh paint from reacting with your old paint.
A quick test of your new paint in an inconspicuous spot will tell you if you even need to worry about it.
If your old paint lifts easily you'll have a clue as to it's long term properties I guess and the make decisions from there.