Anjiru

Hey guy's I have a question how long exactly can you have your car in primer???

What if I plan on leaving the car in primer how many coats should I spray and do I sand it smooth or should I leave it rough???

Im poor and can't afford a good paint job( I was actually thinking of rattle canning the whole car!) then I just thought I remeber a el camino that was always in primer and it was recently painted and it looks amazing so c'mon guys help me out

CrazyHawaiian

The thing about primer is that it will soak up water. So if the car gets rained on it will start rusting from underneath. Its actually a really bad idea for a daily driven car. But if you must do it, you can spray clear over the primer and it will be protected from rust. If you really want a cheap paintjob and you're considering primer, you should look into that new chalkboard spray. Its more fun because you can have friends draw on it with chalk (and then erase or whatever lol). In any event, I would just save the $$ until you have enough for a real paintjob, Macco or not ...

Spdfrk1990

they have apoxy primer that is water proof used for sealing

SX Stinger

Anjiru,
I know from first hand experience that you can drive a car for over two years in primer. IT HAS to be a two part epoxy primer though. Epoxy primer is similar to a sealer it is ent to take sanding and body work and with stand the elements. I used Nasson(Dupont) epoxy primer and it is a greenish grey color however it is very hard. I suggest that you use PPG DP Series primer. I put on two coats of primer and it lasted two years and then I painted it. IMO do NOT sand the primer until you are 100% sure you are going to get it painted. I made the mistake of sanding it before I was ready and drove around for two years with a car ready to paint. However two years of wear and the primer became pourous and hard to wash and sand when I finally gat ready to paint it. So spray two coats on it and leave it until your baby is ready to be squirted.Here is a pic of my baby before I squirted her....

TX_1987_GTA

iTrader: (1)

Yes I agree with all of these comments to some degree. As a Automotive painted, I don't recommend driving the car for a few years in primer ( even though we have all driven them this way ) then just scuffing and shooting the car. Primers either catalized or not, can be used as a sealer or a filler but these surfaces are not designed as topcoats. They have no longevity to the harmful rays of the sun or the different kinds of weather we all see all over the world. Primers do soak up water, causing rust under your finish, If your going to spend the money Id have to agree with the CrazyHawaiian, save your money and get a real paint job in the future. If nothing else save the money, prime it yourself & then let Maaco paint is as soon after as you can. Bad paint is better than no paint..... Good Luck, and the most important thing is do what makes you happy, If you want primer, then PRIME IT...

SX Stinger

I am not tring to be argumentative but Anjiru has already stated he does nothave the money for paint at this moment. The question I need to know is Anjiru is you car able to be driven as is without having to worry about rust? If so drive it. If it need sto be primered then primer it. You can go to Maaco and get a cheap( in price and qaulity) squirt. Only problem. The paint is watered down as well as the clear so it will not last long. They spray one coat of paint, if some spots are not covered too bad, followed by one coat of clear before the paint has had a chance to dry. So your clear looks distorted and your car looks terrible. essentially you would save time, money and headaches by just priming it and waiting to get YOUR paint job the way you mant it. I did it and all I did was scuff, reprime( a sealer so it needed no sanding), squirt and clear and my baby is gorgeous. also theguy who painted my car has been doing body work and painting for almost 20 years.

Do what you have to do and what makes you happy.Good Luck.

Drew

HamSpiced

in my opinion, it should only be primered as long as it takes to dry and get the new paint on.....

primer isnt a fashion statement, its a sign of progression, dont half *** it.

since it absorbes water, its probably best to primer it for a day...max, then repaint it....

give it long enough to cure...

SX Stinger

here anjiru, like i said before my car was in primer for over 2 years. this is her now..

87z28camaro

yea but u just got that painted, no tellin how long it will last since u had it primered for two years , i hope it lasts, but theres a big chance it wont

SX Stinger

87 z28 if you will read in one of my earlier posts the guy who helped me paint it has been painting for over 16 years. My dad has also been painting for over 20 years so I dont think my own father would screw me over and give me the shaft on a paint job. It took three days to paint the car and the fiest day was prep work alone. The paint will last as long as it is good paint and not wal mart paint. If you actually take the time to prep the car for paint, as i did, the paint will last. Hope that explains why my paint will last even though she was in primer for two years.,



Drew