stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

I have my cab sandblasted and Now I need to do a few repairs like smooth out the fire wall and a few other holes

What is the best way to approach this ?
I am using eastwoods epoxy primer
I am using Vintage air so I am going to fill in the fire wall before epoxy primer.
Should I do body filler before the primer or wait till after the primer ?
What about other holes that need filled, if I wait to long then the cab will start to rust up again and I do not have the time to fix all repairs immediately.
Can epoxy primer be ground down for welding and then epoxy reapplied ?
I only have 3 spots that need rust repair with no replacement panels only spot repairs.
I also need to fill the gas tank hole and I do not have the time to get to that right away.

Should I shoot it with a regular primer within the 5 days so I do not have to sand down the epoxy primer ? if so what should I use ?

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

I'm no expert but I would get it all in epoxy primer and then start the repairs.
You can sand it off anywhere that needs welded and re apply new epoxy over it after scuffing hat is there.
The epoxy will protect the metal from rusting. I applied my body filler over my epoxy.
Just make sure you scuff it if you are past the re-coat window.
Hopefully some experts will chime in.
Good luck.
Kim

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

You need to get the epoxy on it first thing. Don’t put filler on bare metal!! No matter what primer is on it once you’re past your window it has to be scuffed. Once you’re metal work is done epoxy the repair then do your filler, when body work is done scuff the hole thing before you apply your sanding primer. I prefer slick sand or feather fill for your high build primer and follow the manufacturers recommendations

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

Some solid advice ^^ . EpOxy before filler, and another vote for Featherfill G2.

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

Thanks all for the suggestions,
I should have mentioned it was blasted a while back and was not primered ( I was not the one that did it ) It has not rusted over but does need to just be scuffed before the epoxy is applied. what about the bottom should I just shoot primer on that seeing it will not need any body work I would rather not have to flip it again until it is ready to be painted. or wont it matter seeing it will need to be flipped for paint and when that is done just shoot primer on it then before painting ?

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

Check out SPI user forums. Barry, the owner, personally gets back to everyone on his tech line.

Great Product, Excellence in customer support. Hands down.

I just sprayed some of his epoxy (first time spraying anything) followed the guidelines and came out smelling like a rose for way less than the corporate stuff.

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

I used SPI on most of my sheet metal too, it is great stuff but if you’ve already invested in the Eastwood epoxy I’m sure it’ll work just fine.

I had the cab blasted and epoxied at a local shop, after I replaced all the rot, just asked to have the bottom side sprayed with satin black epoxy and plan to leave it as is.

If you’re worried the metal may have flash rusted while sitting you can always hit it with some Ospho, it’s basically phosphoric acid that will neutralize any rust that may have formed. Just double check with Eastwood that it’s compatible with that primer. I know Barry doesn’t want Ospho applied before SPI.

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

According to SPI tech sheet if you’re going to use a rust converter use ospho. I personally don’t like using it do it right get rid of the rust don’t cover it up. I have seen it come back as little ghost spiders not w/SPI but with other brands

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

Good to know! Sorry I remember this was debated on the SPI forum and I thought Barry said there’s already phosphoric acid in their primer and using it beforehand could be costly. But obviously not.

Rust can be hard to get rid of when it’s buried in tiny pinhead sized pits or crevices. Sandblasting is the only decent way to get rid of it mechanically and sometimes that isn’t an option or can cause more problems.

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

If you use sand that has been reused a lot to the point that it’s like dust and keep the pressure at 60psi or so you can get the rust out of the finest pits with out warping

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

That would be true. But its the only rust convertor he will endorse if used properly in certain applications.

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

Another question along the same line, do you think epoxy primer in an aerosol can good to use or would you advise using a paint sprayer?
Thanks for the heads up again on SPI.

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

Well at $30/can it would likely cost you a fortune, lol. I did use that SprayMAX 2K epoxy aerosol once on a rocker panel because I was out of SPI. It seemed to work fine and cured as it should. Just make sure it’s a true 2K with the button plunger to release the activator.

But if you’re doing your whole truck 2 gallons is what you’ll need. 1 gallon of each part.

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

Another question along the same lines, I got my hood, 2 fenders and 2 doors back from media blasting. I was thinking I would see smooth shiny metal, but instead there is a "grit" to it. It almost feels like sand. Is this normal, because I'm thinking that needs to be sanded off? I just dropped off my bed today and since I've taken on another job, I don't have a day off to shoot epoxy primer on it. I've been calling around and hopefully I can find an auto paint shop that will do it for me.

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

Yes, you're spot on. 1 Gal. epoxy primer and 1 gal. activator. Thanks

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

Dont sand off the gritty surface from media blasting...that's what you want for the epoxy to bite into....
dont wait to long to get it sprayed or itll start surface rusting on you and then your back to square 1...

Re: stripped cab then repairs and epoxy primer questions
 

The Texture left by the sand blasting gives a tooth for the primary I always go over my parts with a scuff pad and air hose to remove any sand stuck to the surface wipe it down with a degreaser to remove any contamination that may still be on your parts like all the fingerprints from handling it since it was blasted