DIY paint sequence

[Micromoose]

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm rebuilding a 90's Lancia and approaching the end of the bodywork stage. I've epoxy primed the underside, applied seam sealer and this weekends job is to apply Gravitex which will finish off that part of the project.

The top side is in pretty good condition with most of the factory paint in place but the plan is as follows;

Strip to bare metal where possible
Epoxy prime with Lechlar 29107
High build prime with Lechlar Green TI then block to achieve a good finish
Epoxy again to seal and prevent water ingress
Top coat with Max Meyer Duralit 2k acrylic solid

Does this sound like a reasonable process to follow? I've read so many threads that my head is swimming and non of the manufacturers will claim anyone else's products will adhere.

Thanks

 

[ajlelectronics]

High build prime with Lechlar Green TI then block to achieve a good finish

Pointless and can introduce moisture. If you need a higher build just use more coats of 29107.

 

[Micromoose]

Ok, thanks for that - appreciated

 

[norsa]

You're making hard work for yourself. AJ uses his epoxy a a surface primer whereas I being old skool use epoxy as a primer and 2k as a surface but it's pointless putting another epoxy on top of your surface primer. The most important thing is to do your correct flatting sequence for a good finish. Good luck. Nick

 

[stichill99]

I am in the middle of my mk1 golf and am using the novol for classic cars range. I am pleased what the body looks like after epoxy and don't think I will bother with the high build primer.

 

[Micromoose]

Thanks both for your opinions. I was under the impression epoxy primer doesn't sand well. I guess the answer will reveal itself when I get a coat of epoxy on and try to flat it. If it then needs some high build use it.

 

[bert]

I use 1 to 2 coats of epoxy on the bare steel.

Filler workover the top of that then 3 coats of epoxy.

Flat back then paint over the top.

 

[Micromoose]

I'm assuming the MM 2k acrylic will bond ok to the lechler epoxy. My question was not only about the process but using products from different manufacturers, they all use different terms to describe essentially similar products. Missing out the high build seems the way to go if it's not especially needed.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

I use lechler epoxy the their 2k high build as I need a good depth so I can sand off the orange peel.

 

[bert]

So I stick to the same manufacturer for the whole process as it eliminates potential issues of products not liking each other.

 

[ajlelectronics]

I'm assuming the MM 2k acrylic will bond ok to the lechler epoxy. My question was not only about the process but using products from different manufacturers, they all use different terms to describe essentially similar products. Missing out the high build seems the way to go if it's not especially needed.

A lot of it is protectionism and some of it is **** covering. Any quality paint will go over perfectly well. Epoxy is inert when cured and so will take anything that you want to use, as long as the epoxy has been prepp'ed properly.

 

[ajlelectronics]

I use lechler epoxy the their 2k high build as I need a good depth so I can sand off the orange peel.

You can sand the epoxy you know? Try upping the air pressure a touch or thinning the paint a little more.

 

[Morris]

I find that Lechler epoxy makes a good high build as well . Slap it on, flat, touch up if you cut through, then your choice of finish.
The last bit I did.

 

[MrMac]

I did epoxy and then hi build on my scooter - I found the high build way easier to sand compared to the epoxy. You could really cut through it quickly and get a nice flat finish. The epoxy was very hard and needed a lot more effort. Mine was all dry hand sanding though - lots of small panels with curves and corners. On bigger car panels with a DA maybe it'd be OK to stay with the epoxy.

 

[ajlelectronics]

I did epoxy and then hi build on my scooter - I found the high build way easier to sand compared to the epoxy. You could really cut through it quickly and get a nice flat finish. The epoxy was very hard and needed a lot more effort. Mine was all dry hand sanding though - lots of small panels with curves and corners. On bigger car panels with a DA maybe it'd be OK to stay with the epoxy.

Which epoxy primer? Automotive primers are very different to mastics. A Scimitar body is a myriad of delicate and intricate mouldings yet I have no issue with flatting Lechler 29107. Jotun epoxies were a different matter because they are designed for non automotive body use.
Adding a conventional primer just adds the risk of moisture contamination unless overcoated very quickly and is more likely to risk microblistering from the mistaken use of close fitting car covers.

 

[Micromoose]

29107 bought. Just(!) need to mechanically strip the paint with the careful use of Clean & Strip disks and hopefully by the time the weather picks up I'll be ready to lay some down.

 

[Morris]

I did epoxy and then hi build on my scooter - I found the high build way easier to sand compared to the epoxy. You could really cut through it quickly and get a nice flat finish. The epoxy was very hard and needed a lot more effort. Mine was all dry hand sanding though - lots of small panels with curves and corners. On bigger car panels with a DA maybe it'd be OK to stay with the epoxy.

I hand sand all my primer. I find the Lechler to be an easy sand (I'm 71 with arthritis so it has to be!). As I said, I use it as a high build as well and have no issues with it.
I have heard that some epoxy primers are hard to sand but I haven't used them (and won't be obvs).

 

[ajlelectronics]

29107 bought. Just(!) need to mechanically strip the paint with the careful use of Clean & Strip disks and hopefully by the time the weather picks up I'll be ready to lay some down.

Make sure that you leave plenty of curing time before sanding. At least 24 hours and preferably 48. The "skin" of the coating works well as a guide coat too. I use Mirka Abranet and that works well with 29107. My final coats are tinted to something similar to the colour coats for two reasons; 1) It shows if you are flatting too far and 2) colour coat chips are not so obvious.

Although a 1.8 tip is suggested, I find that a 1.3 / 1.4 gives a smoother finish although it needs more coats.

 

[Micromoose]

Nice one, thanks. I painted the underside with Rustbuster Epoxy 121 with a 1.8 tip and it went on ok but with so many people on here recommending 29107, it's hard to ignore the advice.

At the rate I work, it will be weeks, not days before I flat for base coat but thanks for the heads up.

 

[ajlelectronics]

Nice one, thanks. I painted the underside with Rustbuster Epoxy 121 with a 1.8 tip and it went on ok but with so many people on here recommending 29107, it's hard to ignore the advice.

At the rate I work, it will be weeks, not days before I flat for base coat but thanks for the heads up.

Rustbuster is rebranded Jotun from what I can gather, great for suspension and underside etc but less ideal for cosmetic areas. It is also more expensive than Jotun.