How do you make primer paint job look better

Here i go with a delema, I'm about ready to get my car driveing for the season but dont like how the primer looks right now. I am broke so painting it will have to wait but would like the outside to look a little nicer. I have expoxy primer on it right now but it is a little spotchy and I dont like that part of it. I would like to do somthing to make the car look smoother without reapainting it. I dont mind having the primer look weathered a little but spotchyness I need to get rid of. If you guys have any sugestions let me know, I just want some ideas to make the apperance look a little nicer. here is the most recent pic I have but it really does not show the spotchyness but gives you an idea of where i'm going.

 

I had a 41 Chevy that was tinted urethane primer. I water sanded it with 600 wet and buffed it with a coarse compound . Gave it a flat satin look that was really slick at very little cost.

 

thanks both ideas are exactly what I am looking for. I heard of buffing primer but the additive may be a better idea in case I decide to paint it. I will look up the additive and see how much it is and maybe try it of maybe I will buff it dont know but both good ideas.

 

Please post how it works! In the same boat hate how the car looks but no $! Guy i boughy the car from was a "painter". So theres that.


Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad

 

My old black primer pickup was fading and blotchy. I invested in a few green scotch-brite pads and spent about 2 hours cleaning/blending the old primer.
Same story with the Porsche except it was painted with John Deere blitz black.

 

will have to buy some scoth-brite too. I think I will test the process under the skirts so I can get an idea what way to go but the pickup and Porsche look good

 

I used WD-40 on Faye and she looks great. Don't know if Im in trouble if & when I paint her. Used the new fog style can sprayed & wiped.

 

I'm afraid you are going to have trouble when it comes time to paint,,it works the same on primer as it does no something rusty,,it penetrates to the metal. HRP

 

Scotchbrite, different color pads for different "grit". You can go a lot softer than the green ones

 

When I had my 48 in Black primer both in Texas in the 70's and here for a number of years I would scuff it down and spray on another coat or two every time it got looking bad. When I was in Texas in the mid 70's it was pretty common for the guys in the club to swing by WH Thomas Automotive on Thursday nights to see if I was primering the truck again so it would look half way presentable on the weekend. I was going to school on GI bill and working for a flat 75 bucks a week for Tommy in those days and didn't have any extra money for paint.

If you are going to run primer you have to get used to the idea of redoing it on a regular basis unless you are ok with it looking like crap.

The last few years I had the truck on the road I redid the tinted primer the day before Vintiques. Usually in my friends driveway before going home and loading up to go up to the show. One buddy mixed the primer for me where he worked and the other let me use his air hose.

 

I knew a guy that used to rattle can primer his in the motel parking lot on fri nights before a show on sat

 

I know you mentioned a low dollar situation, but.....once you get it primered like you like it, sand it smooth and put a coat of satin clear on it...it will last and stay nice.

 

that's what I was thinking, just spray cheap rattle can primer over over it periodically. Sand back down to your epoxy primer when its time to paint.


Posted from Jalopyjournal.com App for Android

 

Satin Klearcote,,been there done it!

 

I didn't know you had ever met me I did take the 48 out behind the horse barn at Vintiques in Yakima a time or two to freshen up the primer with a couple of spray cans.

Scott, here's my 51 Merc in 1988 with it's two day old fresh primer coat at Good Guys in Puyallup a week before my dad and I took the kids back to their mom in Texas in it and stopped at Bonneville for a couple of days on the way back.


It got a lot of those freshen up the primer spray jobs over the years too.

 

So that's were all the black speckles all over the side of my car came from.

Along that line of thinking, we were attending the Nat's South in Knoxville probably 15 years ago and my friend Spence had the padded top rip loose in the front driving done the interstate,,we pulled over and out came the duct tape.

by the time we reached the Motel the tape pulled loose,,seems it didn't stick too well to the wax and by the time he arrived the top had ripped almost all the way off.

This car has been on the road for almost 35 years and was built in the resto rod style.

He had originally filled the top so the decision was made to go ahead and pull what was left off,,we went up to the second floor and was talk and looking down at the raw primer-ed looking top and the thinking the candy apple red paint sill looked good after all these years but that top killed the car.

I believe it was one of the wives that suggested we got to the parts house down the street and get a few can of black spray paint and just make it look better,,we looked at each other,,laughed and thought why not.

So in the parking lot to the amazement of a lot of other hot rodders we laid out the newspaper from the office,,masking tape and 3 of us proceeded to paint the top.

That car stayed like that until about three years ago when Spence completely rebuilt the car. HRP

 

Hey like it, I dont mind Yakima either. I was over their for buisness about a month ago. It was alot warmer than here in Idaho.

 

On my short bed chevy I used scotch brite and PPG grease and wax remover

 

The reason the primer looks bad is because it's not paint. You will continue to have problems until you seal the primer. It is not designed to be used as a top coat.

 

Try some Lemon Pledge.

 

Honestly if I were really hard up for money and just wanted to have maintaining at a minimum I'd tape it off and rattle can it shiny black. A lot of the nicer rattle can paints are as good of paint as a cheep spray job would use anyways, it'll seal it better then the primer and you shouldn't have any upkeep outside of washing it off.

Take your time and you should have something that's passable from 5-10 feet with out wet sanding it

 

Give it a quick sand/scuff and spray it with an activated basecoat. It's inexpensive and will last. Plus you can do it any color you want. Nothing but a respray will solve your problems.

 

were can i buy this product??

 

I used to throw a once of clear in the pot of primer which gave it a slight sheen and a little UV protection as well. Was good for a summer or two.

 

look out for fisheyes,

 

When I was younger we used to clean our primered jobs with Comet or Ajax, water and a wash mitt. Since the scuff pad has become popular I would try maybe a white one with some Comet and water. Or just try the wash mitt first, the oxidation may not be so heavy as to need to be scraped off with a scuff pad. Do the quarters down low behind the wheels first and let it dry for a look see. Be sure to let it dry because the primer will hold a little water. Testing in these kinds of places won't mess you up in case you don't like the look. Usually mine would look semi-gloss, smooth but not shiney, but would show the swirl marks from the abrasive cleanser.

Dave.

 

I like it! Drive it and have fun!

 

extra fine steel wool works the best ..wont leave scratches like a scotchbrite pad...

 

Sand it and cover it with paint. Fixed.

Brian

 

Home depot may have it....marine suppliers do for sure