Who wants to take a stab at explaining the best way to do body work to a
relative newbie who has never done much more than (poorly) repair rust
areas on other vehicles? In the build-up of my 1950 AD pickup this
spring/summer, I should finally be able to turn my attention from the
chassis and begin to focus on the body work. I have a cab, doors, hood,
and fenders that are basically solid and have been painted by different
owners in the past. I don't really know where to start. I think I know
better than to attempt the paint myself, but I'd like to get as close as
possible to being ready for paint. In general terms, I think what I
need to do is sand everything down to bare metal, repair metal as
necessary with patch panels and/or plastic body filler, spray with epoxy
primer, sand again, spray a guide coat of paint, sand again, fix low
spots with body filler and sand, spray more paint, deliver to paint shop
for them to finish. How does that sound? What is not necessary or what
am I missing? Even if the general procedure is correct, I could still
use some guidance as to what tools to use to sand, what grits of sand
paper to use, what kind of body filler, primer and paint to use, etc.
Any suggestions including specific brands would be very appreciated.
I was watching an episode of American Hot Rod, and they were building a
roadster beginning with new sheetmetal. They started by coating the
entire body with a skim coat of body filler, then sanding most of it
off. That seems like a lot of work, but is that the best way to start out?
Another thought that I had was to sand everything down to bare metal,
then paint it all with POR15, then use body filler and primer on top of
that. I used POR15 for my frame, and I'm pleased with the results, but
I brushed it on, and it's OK if it looks bumpy on the frame. I'm not
sure how the POR15 would look (even the clear) when used on body
panels. I'm just concerned about rust coming through the paint, but
maybe I'm just paranoid.
Sorry to ramble on, but I could really use some direction when it comes
to body work, and I know we've got some experts on this list. Plus, I
doubt that I'm the only one here who could benefit from such a
discussion. Thank you in advance to anyone who replies, and please feel
free to be incredibly detailed with any advice or recommendations.
There are a few of us who don't mind, and even enjoy, the long-winded
posts to the list.
Mark
1950 Chevy 3100
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