Filler over Epoxy Primer

[dm289]

Who here does that??? Is it best to strip a car, epoxy prime it then do any filler work or strip car, epoxy prime and then sand off where required to apply filler?? I haven't done bondo work since Lacquer primer was the thing... thanks...

 

[Horseplay]

Strip the car and then epoxy. I then sanded down to metal where I used any filler. Not sure you even need to do that but I did. I didn't need much of any filler though. Just a light skim coat here and there to get things right. Most was just sanded off. I would think if you need filler to correct deeper issues going to bare metal only helps with adhesion of heavier layers.

 

[Midlife]

+1. When done with filler, epoxy again, then apply color/clear.

 

[buckeyedemon]

i strip the panel down to bare metal then do filler work and follow that with epoxy. in some cases if i strip the panel and know i won't be working it for awhile, then i'll apply epoxy first then scuff it before i'm ready to hit it with filler when ready.

it's typical that i'll just skim an entire panel with filler in order to get it really flat. they all seem to be a little wavy. doors, fenders and quarters on these old cars just seem to get dinged up pretty bad. generally when sanding the filler down (when applied over epoxy) i end up cutting through the epoxy. then i'll find some highs that need tapped and in most cases have to skim the panel again.

i guess people who insist on epoxy first are really good at applying/sanding filler or really use a lot of epoxy.

 

[Midlife]

If you're working on a small panel, yes, then sand to bare metal, apply filler, then epoxy prime. However, most people strip the entire car down to see what problems they have, and you have to protect the bare metal. You can't use filler everywhere if the car is stripped, as the panels will start rusting before you know it.

 

[buckeyedemon]

you remind me of a good point. i live in ohio (it does get humid in the summer) and my car is in a reasonably insulated garage with a dehumidifier running throughout the year. i had bare metal exposed in many places as i was doing metal work with no issues.

 

[dm289]

Thanks for the advice... I think I will strip the paint, epoxy prime and then remove the epoxy as need...

 

[stangg]

There shouldn't be any need to remove the epoxy prior to applying filler. Check the data sheets for the epoxy and filler to see what the manufacturers reccomendations are, but typically like Buckeyedemon said, just scuff it with a red scuff pad before applying filler.