What type of prep work should I do to this for primer? Bed is pretty rusted out but I have another bed/fenders/tailgate/steps that are just primed that I will swap out when the time comes. Should I blast it of just block sand? This is my first time prepping something like this. I have a spray booth and paint equipment at work that i will be using. I use it to paint cabinets at work. Also what is the best primer to use?
What is your ultimate goal for this truck? Since your options are patina to show winning over the top paint job and everything in between. They guys need a little more information on what is your plan so they can guide you. Like body work plan? Are you going to fully blast or just prep and paint over. etc. Since you already have the paint booth and gear I am assuming you are in line for a little more than a quick paint job.
I'm not going for show quality by no means. I just want to be able to do a decent looking paint job sometime down the road. I would love to leave it patina but the bed is just too far gone and my replacements are a different color so painting is the way to go. I've seen people just prime over existing paint that has been sanded and filled where required. Ive also seen people blast but I know that can be very costly. I'm on a budget so I want to go with whatever is less costly but will look good and last. As far as body work goes I have someone to help repair any rusted out spots. My main thought right now is to get it to primer to prevent further rusting and paint down the road. Even if that means priming and then repair any rusted out areas and spot prime that afterwards.
When I've had a project like that, I've taken my electric DA and a pile of discs and sanded things down to metal. Then coat with an epoxy primer. Since epoxy is non-porous, no rust will reform for quite a while. Get around to painting it when you feel like and now you know what shape the metal is in under your primer coat.
I'm with Mark. Strip it to bare metal. That will give you an opportunity to deal with any rust that's crept under the existing paint. If you can afford it, blasting is a quick way to do that, and gives you a good "tooth" for the epoxy primer to grab. Definitely use epoxy primer.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
