Help! Order of Operations for Bodywork?

[rowdy11]

Looking a straightforward list for bodywork. Also looking for a great body person here locally as a bonus. I'm not a bodywork artist and want my finished build to look good, not like I did it myself

Do I:

1.Mediablast body to remove all rust. Do I need to remove all paint as well even if certain areas are clean?
2. Epoxy primer to prevent flash rust on bare metal. Which primer is best? Can I primer over painted areas as well? How long between steps 1/2 can I wait?
3. Block sand, filler if needed for body blemishes. Can most epoxy primers be block sanded?
4. Paint - how many coats, top coat as well? If doing an original two tone job, do I need to have the body mounted and panels aligned or can I have the cab/bed/panels painted separately?

Frame and axles I have under control myself...anything I'm missing? Thanks in advance!

[mongocanfly]

heres how I did mine ..(except for the uh-oh i had)..sandblast every panel..epoxy prime all bare metal...let it dry for about a week... sanded everything ..then did body work...got it like I wanted it,,then sprayed epoxy over body work...sanded some more...then came over the top of everything with high build primer ...then sand some more...did touchup bodywork...high build primed over that..sand some more...now I'm ready for paint...

yes if I was doing a 2tone id have all the body panels installed and aligned..a good painter might could lay it out blown apart without lining it up... but id want to assemble it all ,and lay out my lines, then blow it apart for paint if doing myself

[nsb29]

this is what happens if don’t mask it assembled

[rowdy11]

Thanks for the detail Greg. That helps a ton. And man...pictures are worth a thousand words. Going on the body before masking!

[nsb29]

One thing that might help save you some work, epoxy primer‘s have a window for a Chemical bond as a rule one to seven days that you can recoat without sanding, so if you have let’s say a fender that don’t need body work go ahead and put your high build primer directly over you’re epoxy within the window for a chemical bond. Epoxy’s can be sanded but the high build primer is for blocking

[theastronaut]

Bare metal, or sanded to a stable base if existing paint is in good shape. Bare metal should be sanded with 80 grit on a DA to ensure adhesion of the epoxy.

Two coats of epoxy to seal bare spots/old paint.

Body filler- block with 80 to shape, 180 to smooth. Use guide coat to ensure it's sanded fully. Don't leave any 80 grit scratches.

Epoxy to seal bodywork.

High build primer- polyester if you need a lot of build for blocking it straight. 80 grit to cut the panel flat/straight, then 180 grit to remove the 80 grit scratches and refine the body lines and edges, then 400 grit to remove the 180 scratches and prep for epoxy. Use plenty of guide coat every step, I like Mirka dry guide coat because it gets deep in every scratch so you're sure to fully remove deeper scratches when moving up to the next grit.

If you don't need as much build, three coats of epoxy can be enough to block out light imperfections. Start with 100 or 120 grit to level the epoxy, then 220/400. I don't like 2K urethane high build, it shrinks.

2 coats of reduced epoxy to seal the polyester primer. This can be *lightly* sanded with 400 (6-800 if spraying metallic paint) to smooth out any dust/trash or runs.

Base coat. If using a solid color you can get away with painting each part individually. If spraying metallic you'll want to spray the jambs, then assemble everything and shoot the exterior all at once so the metallic particles are oriented the same across all panels. I add a small amount of hardener to the basecoat, if you accidentally sand through the clear then shooting more base and re-clearing the panel won't cause that spot to wrinkle/lift. The number of coats needed will vary depending on how well the basecoat covers/hides the epoxy. At least two coats, sometimes 3-4 are needed. SPI has a few different colors of epoxy so you can use whatever is closest to your base color so it hides easier.

Clear coat. I like SPI Universal clear, three coats for a daily driver or 4-5 coats if you're going to wetsand and buff it.


I really like using SPI epoxy. It has a 7 day window for chemical adhesion so any top coat bonds, it sprays out very well with enough gloss to show imperfections in your bodywork, and it builds thick enough that it can be block sanded. It also sands much better than other epoxies I've used.

SPI has a good guide for painting a car on their website.

https://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/perfect-paint-job

[rowdy11]

Thanks for the additional responses, including the brand recommendations Astronaut. This has helped me a ton this week!

[Keith Seymore]

I have updated your steps:

Originally Posted by rowdy11

1.Mediablast body to remove all rust.
2. Epoxy primer to prevent flash rust on bare metal.
3. Block sand, filler if needed for body blemishes.
3a. Sand
3b. Sand
3c. Sand - verify your work
3d. Sand
3e. Sand
3f. Sand - verify your work. Take a vacation
3g. Sand
3h. Sand
3i. Sand - verify your work. Consult with local paint shop
3j. Sand
3k. Sand
3l. Sand - determine it is close enough
4. Paint -
5. Review finished product and wish you had sanded some more

This is usually how it goes for me, anyway.

K

[mongocanfly]

^^^^^^^^ hahahahahahaha^^^^^^^^^^.....you got that right Keith...!!!

[nsb29]

Lmao

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

^^^^^^^^ hahahahahahaha^^^^^^^^^^.....you got that right Keith...!!!

I forgot the part about taking a year off.

K

[rowdy11]

Facts!