What to paint the tub with?

Hi guys. My frame up restore of my 75 cj5 is to the point that I need to paint the tub. It is a 73 that has been sanblasted. Floors and hat channels replaced along with untold hours of other welding and grinding. At this point I want to paint it right with durability in mind. I saw other builds where rust encapsulator was used and then paint. Also others with epoxy primer and epoxy paint. I'm confused at this point and am open for any advice.

 

Im at the same point about on my jeep and I was told to check some other websites on bodywork.

autobody101.com and hotrodders.com

I used por 15 on the bottom of mine but after looking at those websites I might have just used epoxy and paint. We'll see how the por 15 holds up. I did not sandblast that is why I went with the por. If all the rust is gone i think you would be fine with epoxy and paint.

 

If sandblasted you don't need rust encapsulator or for that matter any self etching primer. An epoxy primer is good, but expensive. For my build I also sandblasted then used a high build primer to smooth out the metal, then covered that w/ a primer/sealer for a very smooth start for the color coat.:v6:

 

I haven't painted yet...but I did spray on a good epoxy on my sandblasted body. It adheres well and protects even better.

The drawback is if you wait too long to paint or use another primer, you have to sand the epoxy with some low grit paper to score it first, then re-apply...or so I've read.

Based on what I've experienced so far with the epoxy...I have no regrets.

 

I thought I would pass on a recommendation of a extremely durable paint that is fairly easy to mix and spray. Check out Endura paints http://www.endurapaint.com/productoverview.html I am an aircraft mechanic and have used these products for 15 years. They are ridiculously durable. I am a self trained painter and I have painted many helicopters as well as our truck fleets with these products. I see they are not as available in the US as up here in Canada though. I painted my buddies Jeep 14 years ago and it took an incredible beating in the bush up here and has spent the last 6 abandoned in the bush behind his house and is still holding up well. I find the price quite good for an epoxy paint as well. I get it up here in Canada for about $110 per gallon. I would suggest EP-2C primer sealer and EX-2C topcoat. If you need a hi build primer use their HS-421. All these paints cover really well and you don't have to get carried away with fine sanding in your prep. Sand up to 220 or 320 if you want and it will cover fine. These are the products I will be using to paint my Flatty this summer.
Greg

 

Yes, the consensus on the autobody101 forums is SPI epoxy primer http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/tech sheets new/epOXY 2006.pdf Note you'll have to top coat, since epoxies are not very UV resistant. Epoxy primer works well over bare metal - skip etch primer and apply epoxy primer directly on top of the metal. You can apply bondo on top of the epoxy, if needed. Note that epoxy primer dries really hard, so if you let it sit for long without painting over it (either with filler-primer or color), you'll hae to scuff it up for the next coat to stick.

Be aware - a 2K product, with isocyanates. Take proper safety measures.

hth!

 

The SPI primer is the one that I used...the company is local to me here in Georgia. I can attest that if the primer is left without over-coating, it dries super hard and is very difficult to remove...which leads to superior protection.

 

Great advice. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

I re painted my daily driver chevy with Epoxy primer and urathane paint about 10 years ago. It lives outside in a salt air environment and has held up extremely well. The brand is U-tech which is the "house blend" for one of the other big companies and you can usually find similar quality at your local auto paint supplier (Nason is the less expensive for Dupont etc).
**Take very strong heed of the safety warning. Moon suit and a fresh air supply from a remote forced air mask (hobby air) is a must with that stuff. A simple mask wont do the job.

Epoxy has outlasted POR15 for me in most cases. But if you use POR15 remember that it is not UV stable so it will chalk and flake if you dont top coat it with something else.

Tom

 

x2 on the fumes coming off the epoxy primer, very bad stuff.

 

http://www.jamestowndistributors.co...yName=Hammerite+Rust+Cap+"Smooth+Finish"+Cans

I've been using that stuff for years to do the undersides of bodies and frames and any other metal thing I don't want to rust.. Works great but a bit hard to find in the US.. It's one step and less than $80 a gallon... Seems to last forever.

BUBBA