strip before priming?

[red79]

so now that I've finished all the suspension, mechanical, and most of the interior, it is time to get my 72 ready for paint. unfortunately, I'm not sure how to go about prepping and priming the layers of fun that the previous owner left for me.

there seems to be some primer over about half the car and some minor bodywork in the wheel lips, a good amount of original paint scuffed up over the other half, and everything has been covered with a patchy coat of flat black 99c/can wally world spray bombs that's begun flaking off the roof.

despite the appalling surface, the bodywork is excellent and all the panels are very smooth, and i really don't have the facilities or budget to sandblast or chemically strip the entire exterior for a clean slate. I'm simply trying to get the best possible coat for a car that will see driver duty.

so, what should I do? my first instinct is to get an orbital sander with some 120 grit and get rid of all the black, throw a few coats of primer on it, and start blocking. will this give me a surface I can rely on for a simple base/clear topcoat?

[hemi-hampton]

Yeah, you could do that, Sand, Prime yourself, But who knows how long or how good the previous owner really did on the body work. Could last 6 months or 6 years.    LEON.

[Alaskan_TA]

I would recommend coveralls. If you strip first, the primer is going to find its way to some annoying places.

[red79]

 

[1968_Charger]

I would strip the whole car if you are planning on painting it. It will take a while but you might be surprised what you find underneath. I found bondo in places I would have never guessed. Glad I stripped mine down.

[nrt69]

a good paint job starts at the bottom and involves ALOT of prep work.

However, since your body is "smooth", and its going to be a driver, id just knock down the top layer and prime/paint...assuming there isnt too many layers of old paint or bondo underneath.
if you get all the "dead" paint off before priming, you should be good to go. Thats what i did and the only thing coming through my 14 yr old paint job is rust.

taking it down to the metal may unecessarily cause you more time and money in the near term.
not knowing what is under your current paint and leaving it that way may cost you time and money in the long term.