Painting a Suburban part two
 

I’m getting ready to paint the roof on my 70 Suburban. I’ve been using a random orbit sander to remove the paint. I used 80 grit to remove the white and gold paint and now using 150 grit to remove the primer. I’m wire brushing the drip rail. My plan is as follows.

Treat and then paint the inside of the drip rail with POR15
Prime with epoxy primer when the POR15 gets to the topcoat window.
Prime with a sanding primer. In another post Martinsr recommends a polyester primer. Slicksand is the name I think.
Block sand the roof and paint factory white.

Am I missing something?
Any comments or problems with the plan?

Paul

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

Might want to look into sealer before applying top coat

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

I don't know much about por15...but if I had it to bare metal id be putting the epoxy primer to it 1st..

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

I agree 100%

You got 2 choices filler over epoxy or filler over bare metal if you are taking it down to bare metal. Once epoxy is covering everything that can rust, then you can move on to your fill primers. I use slicksand and its nice but unnecessary if you don't need that high of a build, its like sprayable filler (but it will not hurt anything to use it) the epoxy will act as your rust protection. Once you get to high fill primer its time to guide coat and block. This is where the work comes into bodywork.

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

Greg the problem is that the drip rail isn’t down to bare metal. The wire brush doesn’t bring it down and make it rust free. It’s only in the drip rail itself that I’m planning to use the POR15. I guess I could drag out the sandblaster again but it will take 20 minutes to sandblast and either 4 hours to set up plastic curtains or 6 hours to clean the garage!

Paul

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

gotcha...I sandblasted mine cause I wanted a super clean surface in the drip rail

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

I’m going to bite the bullet and sandblast the drip rails. Thanks again for the input.

Paul

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

Full marks! 100% correct!
A good epoxy primer covered with a good quality high build urethane primer is perfect for this job.

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

Thanks for the input. I bit the bullet and sandblasted the drip rails so everything can get the epoxy primer. I'm using Omni from the local autobody supply store. The other primer I've been using is Nasom. On all my other body work I topcoated with that so it was easier to scuff and sand. I'll have to look into a high fill primer for the roof now.

Paul

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

Skip Omni and Nason as they are cheap, entry level products sold on price. There's no such thing as as good, cheap paint! You'd be better off with an alternative brand such as Five Star or SPI.

With primer, you get what you pay for, everytime!

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

Sub'd for future reference as I will be in the same boat with my '67.

Paul have you decided on what product you are using to seal/fill the gutters? I would like to pull my windshield this summer, recaulk/seam seal my gutters and paint the roof on my Suburban. Pending time and available funding. ��

Thanks!

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

For seam sealer I'm going with SEM self leveling seam sealer. I'll let you know how it goes.

Foot stomper, I'm afraid it's too late to change primers now. Almost the entire truck is covered with the Omni. Which of the SPI primers would I apply over the Omni to begin my finish bodywork?

Paul

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

Paul, SEM self leveling seam sealer is not a good choice for your drip rails if you plan on filling them. Just use a thin coat of a good quality sealer (air dry or 2K product) and prime and paint.

Any urethane high build primer that is expensive will do the job better than the cheap ones. Less shrinkage and easier sanding with finer grits is what the premium primers provide.

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

Except some expensive primers can be junk as well, stick with one brand and don't mix and match unless your a pro and know exactly how other products work together. You can reduce epoxy primers and turn them into sealers if you feel the need to seal. Read the tech sheets some primers can be painter over directly.

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

To be clear, you can mix different branded product layers. It's perfectly acceptable to use different brands of primers and top coats. What should never be done is mix different branded activators with branded primers and top coats. The reason for this is because once the product applied has cured, it is ready. There's lots of brands that recommend staying with same because they want to sell their "system". Reducers can vary in quality, but a good one can be used in all the products on the market, so long as it's a good quality. Lots of crappy reducer out there, so pay for a good one.

I have never seen a lousy expensive primer in all my years in the business, but I have seen lots of junky, cheap primers and crappy spray guns make a mess of nice primer.

There's no such thing as good, cheap paint (and primer).

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

Nuts

I had already ordered the SEM self leveling seam sealer for the drip rails prior to your post. The package does say that it is made for drip rails. I'm going to apply it after the epoxy primer is applied and see how it looks.

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

I'm not a novice, but go ahead, let us know how that works out for you. We love pictures!

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

So what rong with self leveling other than the price it works very well on gutters your not the only one that’s not a novice

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

I have to say the SEM self leveling seam sealer laid down very nice. The only screw ups were where the gun hit the plastic to keep the paint dust out of the rest of my garage and when I attempted to level it out with my finger. It says in the instructions you can level it out but it sticks to your finger and makes a mess. I let it fill the gap and find it's own level. Also I started at the center over the windshield and there is a bump where the joint is when I started the other side. At the ends I let it drip down the rear pillar to seal the vertical gap.

Sorry no matter what I do the pictures are rotated!

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

Looks good if your taking them with your phone take them with the phone horizontal not vertical

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

I took them with a camera and they are right side up when viewed on my pc. When I upload the pictures they rotate. If I rotate the pictures on my pc, save them rotated and upload them they are still rotated the same way as original! I've tried a dozen times to get them right. I give up!

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

This help?...

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

Some tape of the roof panel would have given you a nice edge on that side...

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

There is one in every crowd ha ha I always use my phone it took a while for me to understand that I had to hold the phone horizontal don’t know anything about doing it with a camera would like to know how you straighten them out I think you had straighten it for me in the past as well

Re: Painting a Suburban part two
 

Yes I should have taped the roof side! Luckily only 7’ plus people will be able to see my screw up.