Preparing Your Bodywork For Paint

1. Clean your panel with an approved cleaner.

2. Look over the entire job, determine if their are any other scratches or dents that you will be needing to repair on that panel before you start.


3. Feather your paint. Preferably using a DA with 180-240 keep your sander flat and carefully seperate each layer of paint until their is about 1/2 inch inbetween each layer.

4. Backsand. the reason for this is to ensure your primer always lands on a sanded surface. You are only going to be priming to the edge of your 180-240 scratches from feathering, you need to backsand anywhere from 3 to 6 inches beyond thoughs scratches with 320-400. If you don't backsand far enough you will end up priming onto an unsanded surface, easily identified when sanding as a shiny edge. This can cause problems so make sure your backsanding far enough to prime your feathering & scatches beyond.

5. Blow off your panel and clean with an approved cleaner. Mask for your panel for primer .

Masking Tip -make sure you don't tape across the panel your priming, if you accidently prime to a tape line on your panel you may be left with a hard line, even after sandinf it out, it will be visible after painting.

6.If you have bare metal exposed you have a few options for your primer types, here they are:

Etch Primer - usually a 1k product that is applyed primer to a regular primer. This is an acid that provides the best adhesion to bare metal. Some require resanding prior to applying a surfacer.

Epoxy Primer- A 2k product that offers excellent adhesion to bare metal and excellent hold-out. May be used over etch primer for maximum protection. Usually may be applyed as a precoat that requires no sanding before applying a surfacer.

Primer Surfacer - Can not be used over bare metal, may be applyed over cured paintwork & bodyfiller for filling and hold-out.

Direct to Metal Primer Surfacer - Easiest choice, can be applied dirct to metal or over bodyfill and cured paintwork.

6. Apply your primer using the recommended equiptment and number of coats specified by the manufacturer of your primer. Bring your first coat to the edge of your feathering, each coat after should be just inside the previous coat. Bake or allow to dry for the recommend drying time.

7. Apply a guide coat over your primer, a light coat of paint contrasting to your primer color will do. (black spray bomb is fine, or a graphite powder)

8. block sand with 320-400 your primed area until the guide coat is gone, keep your block flat. If a spot of guide coat remains it indicates your surface is not flat, block sand until it is removed.

9. refine your 320-400 scratches with 500-600 using a DA preferably. Sand your primer and primer overspray to just beyond where you backsanded earlier. Their should be no 320-400 scratches remaining.

10. Prepare the remainder of your panel using the Blend Panel Preperation.