Im painting my 91 EF hatch rustoleum sunrise red. I've been inspired by how good the finished product looks so if decided to try it. My car is red now (faded...blah..) and I'm wondering if it would be ok to just put a good key on the paint thats on there and spray, or if primer is necessary. Time is an issue, since this is my daily driver.

 

There are many different types of primer and it's hard to say definitively which, if any, you will need without looking closely at the project. The short answer would be that since you are rattle-canning it, don't bother with any primer. Here's a list of the primers that might be used for this job so you can decide for yourself.

Primer Surfacer: Used for final leveling of the surface. It fills in most coarser sand scratches and incongruities of coating layers. This is the typical (usually grey) stuff that most people think of when they hear the word "primer."

Primer Sealer: Basicly a cheap and mostly opaque paint. It's used to block colors under the new paint from showing through so less of the new and more expensive paint needs to be used.

Self Etch Primer: Sticks to bare metal (typical paint doesn't very well)

All primers should be wet sanded with 400-600 grit before color is applied.

 

Im not "rattle canning" it. Im going to thin the paint out and spray it through a gun. But thanks for the list.

 

I didn't think that you needed primer for the $50 paint job...search for the thread and see what others are doing.

Also, read the link in my sig so that you are aware of the fact that you will basically never be able to paint the car with automotive paint again after you spray it with Rusto. At least not without sanding every little bit off, or stripping it and going through the whole corrosion protection process (Big $$$ either way)

Good luck with whatever you end up doing!

 

yeah i've read that. I've decided to just paint it with real automotive paint, primer, and clear and just do it right the first time. I wanted to do something quick, but screw that.

 

KUDOS to u for deciding to do it right the first time around

hurrah!

 

OMFG yes yes yes, good good. Thank god. You'll be so much happier, and you'll thank yourself later. Not to mention, when you park next to someone elses car that they did a rusto job on, yours will like a million times better! DAMN dude. Glad you chose to do it right, not cheap.

 

Does anybody know how many cans of spray paint I need for an EF? Me and my boy are just painting the exterior which will include the bumpers but no door jams or anything. Oh and how much cans of clear coat I will need also.

 

a lot of how much you need depends on how efficiently you utilize your paint material... how many coats etc.. do you spray heavy or light

 

Good choice