[64speed]

The reality of getting every nitpicking piece done and finished before I finish my car is weighing me down both mentally and financially. My friend who has a very nice Nova told me the best time he had in his car was when it was in primer. He drove it everywhere and didn’t worry about people keying it or it getting dinged in a parking lot. I already have half the chrome done so I am gonna get the rest of it done and then my body man is going to paint the inside while it’s a bare shell then I am gonna have him reassemble it and I am gonna drive it in primer while I save for his top of the line show paint job. Thoughts? Experiences?

[lust4speed]

Depends on the primer. Old fashion primer was meant to absorb and bond with the top coat, and the pores absorb everything else as well - including moisture. Maybe not a problem at all with the epoxy primers?

[64speed]

It will have sealer on it so rust is not a concern

[aceaceca]

If you can get the good old DP40 primer it will take care of your problem. It is epoxy based with catalyst and does not allow water penetration. I had to get mine from Oregon as California banned it. Ask you master painter.

[64speed]

Originally Posted by aceaceca

If you can get the good old DP40 primer it will take care of your problem. It is epoxy based with catalyst and does not allow water penetration. I had to get mine from Oregon as California banned it. Ask you master painter.

This is South Carolina we are talking about here. We don’t even have codes or anything like that out in the county. I can go to low ray, buy a gallon of any paint I want and spray it in my driveway without a face mask

[64speed]

I got AN fittings from Holley today and they had a huge California proposition 65 or whatever warning on AN fittings .That just blows my mind that anyone would want to live like that. Like I said in my last post I could spray whatever I want in my yard but I don’t because I have respect for my neighbors. We still have that here. We don’t need a warning to keep us from eating insulation like cotton candy.

[Greg Reid]

I drove mine in primer for the summer before taking it back apart get it painted. It wasn't so much for enjoying the car more worry free, it was about finding problems before I went so far that I wouldn't want to tear into it with nice paint, interior and so on. I call it the 'shake down' period.

[Squidward]

I forgot how long ago I primed my Firebird. It's all chalky now, and surface rust is poking through. Not good, but it makes it every bit as much fun to drive without freaking out over ever door ding or potential scratch. But this is AZ, and I get a few benefits that you won't.

[Scott Stoneburg]

I drove my Fire its in primer for 2 years before pulling it down to paint. I used epoxy primer.

[dataway]

I'm afraid if I ever drove mine in primer that it would never see paint

[jamaca85]

drove mine for years primered... finally a friend of mine shot it for free, just so he wouldnt have to see it primered no more,,lol

[389]

For me, one of the worst things you can do to a car is get a high quality paint job..

When I was looking at my 69 el Camino, the seller was apologizing for the paint job, I laughingly said the worry free paint job is one of the pros on my pro/con list. It was a 20 year old paint job, the prep was top notch but who ever sprayed it didn't do to swell. I can park my car all over the place if need be but I watch..

On a car that waves back at you, flat paint is your friend..

[Formulajones]

Our dailys are classics. My wife didn't want to deal with worrying about paint.

So I shot the Z in a grey primer that's also a sealer (5star) Then for giggles I put the stripes back on it and covered the whole thing in a satin clear.

Been driving it like that for 5 years with no intention of painting it until my wife is tired of it being a daily car.

What's funny is people actually think it's paint. I've had all kinds of comments like "that's a rare color for that car and not many made" to comments like "what color is that I like it" and some think that from a distance it looks like the factory Cortez Silver that was offered that year. People are shocked when I tell them........"it's just primer" It's had nothing but compliments, so I find it comical. It gets more compliments than the factory Frost Green it's supposed to be.

[dmac]

Originally Posted by 64speed

This is South Carolina we are talking about here. We don’t even have codes or anything like that out in the county. I can go to low ray, buy a gallon of any paint I want and spray it in my driveway without a face mask

Manufacturers put that warning on everything to avoid a lawsuit just in case there might be something in their product. Other than a few cancer causing products being unavailable, there is really no difference. You can't spray dangerous products in your driveway, which is really a courteous thing for your neighbors anyway. I've lived in Missouri, Oregon, Washington, and California, and like I said, there is really little noticeable difference in lifestyle. California did have air so dirty you could see it in the past, even in rural areas. With 40 million people now, almost double from 40 years ago, the air is still much much cleaner than it was back then. I have no problem with laws and regulations that keep the air clean. When you have this many people, you need regulations. Even if only one person out of 500 was spraying paint with noxious chemicals in their driveways, it would be 80,000 people doing it. I wouldn't really want my kids breathing it in if it can be prevented.

With 40 million people, even if only one out of 500 is an idiot, it means there are a lot of idiots who need those warnings. The warnings are there to protect to seller of the product, not the idiots.

[JSPONT]

Love my 1/2 azzz painted/different color car. I can take it anywhere, park in between cars not a worry in the world. I lean on it just have fun with it. Car is clean just not painted well. 19 years. It's the driveline that makes me love the car.

[rustedgoat]

So those that drove around in primer. When you had the car top coated, did you just scuff and reprime? Did it hold up in the long run?

[Formulajones]

The 5star I use is a urethane primer filler and a primer sealer in one. You can reduce it as much as you want depending on what you're doing.

I simply blocked it with 220 and then 320 and shot satin clear over it. It holds up like a regular paint job with the satin clear on it. 5 years of daily driving, rain, washing, etc...

And since I put 4-5 thicker coats on as a filler (not reduced as much) when the time comes to paint it I simply start blocking it down right through the satin clear to the primer. Other than a dent or scratch I may have to fix from being used, it would essentially be ready for color as it sits when ever I'm ready.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by rustedgoat

So those that drove around in primer. When you had the car top coated, did you just scuff and reprime? Did it hold up in the long run?

In my case the painter re-blocked it since l did the bodywork.. I mean no painter worth his salt is going to be totally satisfied with someone else's prep...and painted it when he was satisfied.

[Scott Stoneburg]

Originally Posted by rustedgoat

So those that drove around in primer. When you had the car top coated, did you just scuff and reprime? Did it hold up in the long run?

I sanded it like I was starting over.

[Bill Eveland]

Mines not a street car but doubt I will ever paint mine . Some ask when are you going to paint it, and other are like please don't change a thing.