Finishmasters treats me pretty good. I bought all the SEM products to revamp my interior from them. About a gal of Colorcoat and several pints of Surecoat. One of the guys at the Greenville SC store told me to clean the vinyl with ammonia, ivory liquid and water solution and save ignore all the expensive prep products.

I did and bought the XXX prep for vinyl and the no-sand prep for plastic.

I'll definitely get the Transtar. What do you think a quart w/activator will cost, any guess?

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$45+ for the primer, about the same for the activator and don't forget reducer if needed.

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

I have the Utech e350 single stage black 040. It calls for a reducer if thinning is desirable. Would one type reducer work in both the paint and epoxy primer?

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If what you are doing is under body and inside the fender, you probably won't need to use a reducer on the primer.

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

Check out the original post in this thread for the pictures. The rust blistered the paint just behind the right rear wheel well and it appears to run back along the break which the bumper cover mounts beneath. I am cutting the rust out of that section and replacing that sheet metal using my donor car.

That section will need to be primed with epoxy. I also may get to metal in the rain gutters. While it appears there is some type caulk in those I suspect the paint is thicker and thus the cracking.

I'd like to put the epoxy primer on it as level as possible for as I understand this stuff doesn't sand so easily.

I noticed that reducer is used on certain products and thinner for others. So far I don't recall using a reducer. Perhaps with the Interlux two part clear. It's been a while and I don't remember.

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You are getting ahead of yourself. FIRST, find the extent of the rust. THEN, determine your course of action.

Regarding the primer (un-thinned), you can get away with quite a bit since the lower portions of the body are generally not finished to the quality of the upper fenders, bonnet and upper sides.

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

I'm using a .8mm tip on a HPLV trim gun to shoot the single stage and I'm quite unsure of my ability. Seems more coats of thinner paint would be the safe way for me to go about shooting the paint. I will use another gun for the epoxy I'll shoot on the undersides and inside the trunk.

I picked up some soda yesterday but if I don't work out the details of the remainder of the project I won't start stripping. I don't want it sitting in the weather while I figure out details. Bare metal and SC fall weather are a recipe for rust.

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https://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/common-sense-spray-gun-tips/

I have a selection of tips which I use depending on what I am spraying. I also have three or four different guns, primer, finish, trim and clear coat. There is no ONE tip which serves all purposes/paints. It's a matter of experimentation to get the exact finish you want. I think you will be disappointed/unhappy using the .8 for the prime coat on the inner fenders. You'll get a lot of "mist" and not really the coverage you are looking for.

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

I picked up a qt of Transtar 2L epoxy primer this morning. Is this used on bare metal?

I'm taking your advise on shooting this without reducer where no finish coat goes but I'm using it on the finish side of a quarter panel so I need to know which reducer to use.

If you're thinking I don't know what I'm doing then you understand why I'm asking such basic questions.

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It's a primer, so "yes" on the bare metal question.

Talk to your guys at FinishMaster. They'll give you the scoop on what you need/want for the exterior.

I usually don't use a reducer but that's me. Everybody's spray techniques, equipment or conditions vary.

I think you'll find it is more critical to get the mix exact than anything else.

Of course, if you don't care for the way it looks without the use of a reducer, you can always sand it off and re-apply.

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

So I bought a gun with a 1.4mm tip and found a qt of Transtar 6700f reducer. I also discovered that temps must be above 60 degrees for 24 hrs to allow the epoxy time to harden.

No garage so the minimum temp of 60 degrees is going to be a holdup for me. Any recommendations for some cheap primer to keep the metal from rusting until weather permits spraying epoxy?

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A "normal" primer is not going to prevent rusting. In fact, in some instances, it will actually promote surface rust. Like body filler, it is slightly porous to allow a top coat to bind to it.

That being said, if you are intending to media blast the area anyway then I'd "rattle can" the area with something along the lines of Rustoleum Rusty Metal primer.

https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/stops-rust/rusty-metal-primer-spray/

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

I might be getting ahead of myself. I'm putting this part of the project on hold until I find a place to shoot the epoxy primer.

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Sounds like a good plan. Looking forward to seeing your progress.

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

I have door cards to install, the grille after painting the insert, exterior plastic trim on fenders, doors and qtr panels, some center console components and need to flush the cooling system. I think I have about everything I need to do all that and probably more.

I appreciate the help, Mike. I look forward to finishing this and doing a road trip.

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