priming a car

[Them and Us]

know it has nothing to do with hers but i can't find any good car message boards. can it be done with a roller? something with a low pile I'm guessing. and yes folks i do work at the paint section in home depot. i can faux your walls and tell what type of sheen in what room is best but i have no idea about priming a car . thanks.

[HetForHuman]

No do not use a roller it will look like hell man.
i am not an autobody specialist or anything but if you want to do it right it mst be sprayed on.
lets say you were to roll it on you would have to put like 50 coats on.
just take it to the body shop to get it done.

[Hamster of Borg]

You can get yourself a pretty cheap spray gun and automotive primer at most body shops. Probably wouldn't run you more than 50-60 bucks total. Depends entirely on how good of a job you want to do. You could always just go nuts with several cans of automotive spray primer you can buy at Walmart. Just remember, primer is a flat color and you'll need to cover it up with a real paint to properly seal it - if you even care. :)

Ham

[Bryce Masuk]

spray it with a gun but first do some body work take out the dents then sand to bare metal then prime and sand and prime and sand untill its right it will take a bunch of coats very light coats

[Tim and Julie B]

O.k. I took autobody in college! I think if it's a car you care about get it done proffessionaly. If it's one you don't have fun invite friends and drink lots of beer (canadian beer of course)! Just make sure you mask (cover the windows and trim) before you start drinking. This is important. If there is body work get it done for you. If you don't care then start here.

Get a real car soap not dish soap or cleaner. Wash it well!!!
Go to an autobody supply store and buy yourself a fine grade sand paper for wet sanding! Believe it or not Scotch Brights work well and are cheaper! Also save your hands and buy a sanding block. Not for use with Scotch Brites. Buy a couple because your going to convince someone (more being better) to help you if you buy beer (see this is were the beer comes in). Just attach the paper to the block grab a hose (this is wet sanding) and where the water is coming out do circular motions and work your way down the car. You can see the shinny paint ( clear coat) dull. This takes a while and therefore lots of beer! Just dull it up don't remove paint. Watch out for your trim .sand paper marks look like s#@t! You are scratching up the paint so the primer has something to stick to. Dry it while drinking beer. Mask all windows and trim with tape ( not duct tape, masking tape that's why it's called masking tape. Make sure you aren't to drunk for this step because you don't want paint on your windows, lights, etc. Buy yourself a spray gun nossel that fits the top of a spray can. It's just a fancy spray can handle and tigger. Buy a suttable primer for the color you are going to paint it. I suggest you paint it because primer is not meant to be exposed to moister or dirt. Start on the roof, do the entire roof then the pillars, then half the hood( watch out for overspray on anything you don't want spatter painted. While drinking beer of course! You can cover the tire with an old blanket. From the hood to the front. Down the fender across the door trough the quarter pannel across the hood (on vertical surfaces top to bottom 30% overlap) on flats bumper to window and back) down the back don't spill beer on the paint, across the next quarter, door and fender and accross the rest of the hood. Make sure you have enough paint and beer! Doing it all at once makes it look better! Step back and admire the work even if you f%#ked it up you will be so drunk it looks good! I suggest doing it at a cooler time of the day so the paint won't dry as fast! Don't do it at night there is to many bugs to ruin the smooth surface. Drink lots of beer until it drys probably the next day! LET IT DRY before taking any masking tape off it will peel new paint right a long with it! Wake up and unwrap it. Repeat with paint and beer if you want color! Good luck!


Scotch Brite is a registered trademark of 3M!

[Burmies]

Get yourself a paint sprayer for the best result.

Burmies

[Them and Us]

its an 88 acura legend haha. i'm going to spray it with a few coats of black primer and then a coat of clear coat. its going to be like a year car. its just unil i can build credit and buy something nice. thanks for all the advice though.

[Leo-Land]

Dude, you should get it sandblasted before you paint anything on. My family invented sandblasting :) and it works well to take all the old paint and rust off of your body. Then you will have that nice bare metal to prime on :).

Think about it!

[garethuk1]

what sort of paint are u using because some paint is not weather proof u could hire a compressor and spray gun, i spray cars for a living and never heard anyone using a roller. lol

[norman]

I am just about to paint my 83 olds cutlass station wagon....pretty much just for s**ts and giggles.... And i just finished taking all the crappy looking trim off. Now my main problem is getting the fake wood pannelling off,(now you know the kind of car im talkin about) Then im not going to worry about too much body work, as in about a month its only going to be used as a get around vehicle for my grandpa at his "swamp"(yeah ill take it out for some hazard style driving too...) So anyways...then im going to spray it with some flat black...and to whatever remaining trim in either orange or red.
Once it actually does get taken off the road I have big plans for it... The top and all doors are coming off....(yes i said STATION WAGON)....Oh yeah... and ill fiberglass the underneath of it so it floats....
Well alright..im not sure the fiberglass thing is going to happen..but the rest sure is! Im gonna have a hell of a time with that angle grinder!
-pete-

[Shane Tesser]

I once primed a car with a wagner power painter...it actually came out not bad..but you have to have a clean area first off...and it will blotch and run so expect lots of sanding. If at all possible why not just rent a paint gun for the day...sand the car and spray away...most primers sand fairly easy so you can allow for mistakes....Tim & julies reply was excellent i thought....probably your best advice to follow imo...but what ever you decide to do...please be away of the laws in your area...where i live..it is illegal to paint a car with a spray gun..outside..or inside any area that is not a properly ventilated spary booth.

[Big Mike]

You could always dress it up to support your favorite Hockey Team.