Paint and Body Fox Body Painting 101

a91what said:

@Davedacarpainter
It's not a fox but important none the less....

I got my wife a 72 vw type 2 "bus"

I want to start the rust repair soon, but I think my first point of action will be to save the roof and pillars which are in good shape from getting worse during bodywork.
I will be using a DA to strip the old paint off and sandblasting the drip rails because they are hard to get into. I will be doing this in steps because of a lack of time to do the "whole roof" at once.

My main concern is the prep after this step and products to use. I am thinking an epoxy primer over bare metal.
When and how clean/clear of rust does por15 need? I was going to coat the drip rails with the por15 before spraying the epoxy primer. What step between these are needed? Do I need to top coat the primer if the bodywork is stretched over a few months?

Of course the undercarriage will be por15 as well how much surface rust is acceptable? Do I need to ospho the frame before coating? Sandblast?


Thanks a tonne Dave, this is my wife's dream car I want to get it right.

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POR 15 is a "rust encapsulator". meaning it seals the surface from any new moisture from getting to,the rusted areas. So, you could literally coat a rotted out area and stop further rotting of the area. Mind you, you should at least remove any scaley rust since it will harbor moisture that you will seal in with the POR 15.

Drip rails? I would remove any seam sealer in it with a wire wheel prior to anything else. Sand blasting really doesn't remove flexible products very well.

Epoxy primers are made to go over bare metal. You won't need to use POR 15 first, nor an etch primer.

POR 15 won't stand up to UV radiation (sunlight). It's not good for a topcoat other than for things like i've used it for. Interior panels that'll be covered by trim, etc...

It will never hurt to use some form of rust converter. But it has it's limits as well. You will need to remove any scaling prior to using it, or you'll just convert the top layers of rust leaving the underneath rust there.

Epoxy primers seal up better than urethane primers do, so they will last a little longer. But if i were to do a repair that might take a considerable time before a regular topcoating, i would spray almost any rattle can paint over the top of it just to help out with UV protection. Then sand it down later in preparation for paint. Primer is just what it's name suggest, a primer (beginning) of an entire coating process. It does it's part to fill, not provide protection from the sun.

BTW Steve, an old micro bus can be some cool stuff. You can make it as cool as you want to be.

a91what said:

I know! I'm excited.

The por15 on the drip rails.... then primer over the por15... this was my thought because the rails have a curve to them that makes it very hard to really get into.

Maybe I will spray a white single stage over the primer that can easily be scuffed later, then shoot my top then clear. Thoughts?

I'm not sure there is any seam sealer... but I could be wrong. I will find out soon enough...

Is there a product line you suggest? I have a ppg dealer about 13 miles from me.

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Yeah, a single stage will protect it.

Product line suggestion? Heck yeah! If you can swing it, Spies Hecker or Sikkens first off. Though PPG offers a viable and less expensive product. I actually might choose Sherwin Williams over most PPG products and the price will be easier to swallow. R&M products aren't bad, or even Dupont as the last choice for me personally.

Most roof rails do have some sort of seam sealer. If you can't get in there with any other method, just use a flat tip screwdriver to scrape it out.

My helper has a '70 micro bus. I'll ask him about his roof rails.

5.0 Nostalgia said:

Hi Dave,

Just a quick question. I am harvesting the front clip and cowl from a donor car. Would you be able to tell me the best way to cut these out so that everything is salvageable? I was going to cut at the back of the engine bay closest to the firewall and cut straight down, then figure out the best way to remove the cowl, preferably without removing the windshield.

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Honestly the best way is to remove the windshield. There's a thread on here about two guys that cut just above the windshield. I wouldn't do that myself. Taking out the windshield is really easy. It's really good to have it out of the way as well since sparks and flying metal can so easily put the glass.

With the windshield out it's just a matter of following the spot welds around it. The welds will go around the seam in the eb and up under the fenders. Have about three or four spot weld cutters handy. With concerted effort it really won't take much more than an hour to have it completely removed. Of course that's with the assumption that you have removed everything already.