Bare Metal Panel Preparation

Q: Bare Metal Panel Preparation

I just bought some brand new metal panels for my car. Do I need to do anything to prepare the pans for priming? What type of primer and paint should I use? What do I do about the paint that burns/peels off when I weld?

A: Clean the bare metal with lacquer thinner (the type you would use to clean a paint gun). This will remove all of the machine oil coating. Then, use a self etching primer. If you want to install them before painting you can. It’s just been easier for me to hit them with paint and then later retouch them as needed.

I usually do all my cutting and trimming before priming, then tape off the area I plan to weld and prime and paint. After installation, clean the area with a light sand paper, then thinner, self etching primer (I like the aerosol cans), and paint. If your painting the whole car, It may be easier to wait on the paint.

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