Build thread for the 72 GMC, finally. Thanks John!

The next mistake, apparently, was setting the gun incorrectly. I'm still not sure exactly what went wrong, but when I was spraying I had the material to high the fan too small and I kept getting a weird surface finish on the inner fenders which looked for all the world to me like contamination. Knowing that I had spent far more time cleaning the cab, I switched to the truck. I saw some of the same patterns showing up and it was actually tuna kid one who recommended I try reducing the amount of material. It's strange because it didn't look like a run, when I get to a place where I can show pictures I'll share. At any rate, I reduced the material and increased the fan and got far better results. I went around the whole truck two or three times along with the inner fenders of the tower. I made several mistakes, other than the aforementioned readjustment to the gun, a couple of times the plastic sheeting I was using as masking touch the paint. I'll have to redress those areas soon

The pic does look like contamination.  Not a huge deal since you will be revisiting several areas when doing high build, if not the whole panel.

What I was taught by a BASF paint tech was when wiping down the car, do so only in one direction, not back and forth over the panel. Otherwise you are smearing the stuff around rather than removing. 

In reply to NOHOME :

Interesting. Well it seemed much better when I adjusted the gun, but I agree it looked like contaminant. Anyway very little shown through the second coat. As you said, lots of body work to do yet regardless. 

In reply to NOHOME :

Yep. It's just like cleaning windows. 

I really did clean like that. Tunakid 4 and I cleaned it three times with rags soaked in the prep stuff spi sells, then I sprayed it and we wiped that off. Then after masking the windows I wiped it off again anyplace I was near with a rag again. 

I guess next time I'll do it more?!

In reply to tuna55 :

Nah...probably just that there was a lot of muck  to start with from all the years of work. You probably got most of it now or it is harmlessly encased in the high build primer.

 I would just give it a quick wipe-down each time you plan to spray anything. 

Seeing the truck in one color is pretty awesome.

Do I do filler next or 2k primer first? I think goes like this: filler, da sanding, epoxy again as needed to cover bare spots, then 2k primer, then block sanding, then a sealer coat of epoxy, then base coat. 

NOHOME said:

In reply to tuna55 

Seeing the truck in one color is pretty awesome.

Yeah it is!!

Amazing!!

And filler over epoxy, till tye filler works out flat with a block. Then high build, block sand. Repeat. And repeat. With finer and finer grits of paper. 

Then sealer.

Wipe down with paper towels and wax/grease remover anytime you are about to apply anything anywhere. 

At least thats how i did the neon and truck. 

Ok!

Well the interior of the cab, and the bed in its entirety to go on epoxy before I proceed. The good news is that now that the gun is set properly and I have a working cup, and the bed has nothing to mask, it should be much faster. 

Sadly I used two vacation days for the latest sprint and that's unrepeatable. 

Go Tuna!

epoxy is the foundation

filler over epoxy sanded with 80 grit

high build over filler ( if your filler is not "direct to metal" then use spray bomb etch primer to cover any bare spots and allow extra drying time)

once the car is flat from sanding the high fill, I use a 2k urethane sealer coat. Urethane sealers tend to be mixable as either a high build ( less reducer) or just a sealer. Sand that out too 600 and soray color on top.

EDIT to above:

( if your filler is not "direct to metal")

I meant to write" if your high build spray on filler is not direct to metal"

I'm getting some contradictions here. I think..

Epoxy over finished filler work before featherfill?

Epoxy as a sealer after block sanding the featherfill?I bought white intentionally because of this thought. 

I do epoxy first.

Then fill with whatever you want to fill with.  Filler.  High-build.  Featherfill. Even just more Epoxy if your bodywork is good enough.

Then epoxy over that.  Black epoxy primer makes its own "block coat" as it were.

Final sand and shoot.

But.... I freaking HATE bodywork.  I'm no pro.  This is just what I'm doing.

SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) said:

I do epoxy first.

Then fill with whatever you want to fill with.  Filler.  High-build.  Featherfill. Even just more Epoxy if your bodywork is good enough.

Then epoxy over that.  Black epoxy primer makes its own "block coat" as it were.

Final sand and shoot.

But.... I freaking HATE bodywork.  I'm no pro.  This is just what I'm doing.

Same program only instead of capping with epoxy before paint, I use a urethane sealer/primer. 

You can drive yourself nuts over this stuff.

Alright folks! I'll decide upon which primer brand soon, and I'll stick with epoxy for the sealer coat as long as I have enough left. 

I'm a bit prematurely annoyed about the interior, stuck on the bed inside (was initially planning on a roll on liner, now reconsidering paint) but no matter which, very out of time for a bit. 

Now to do the interior. I also have to make the call for the inside of the bed. My mind says bedliner. If so, do I use an epoxy coat?

Can. Probably don't have to.  It's not a high-corrosion area, is it? How quickly do things rust where you are??

I dare you to tell me you are not happy with how that bed came out! 

The jitters never go away with paint. I have to spray the firewall on the hot rod in prep for the engine to go in, and have to admit that I am now procrastinating because "paint-stuff".

Pete

In reply to NOHOME :

I'm pretty happy with it, for sure. I have a few spots to address. There was an accident that was repaired "correctly" while the truck was still in blue which I discovered today, and will need to rerepair. The tailgate still needs some attention, but yeah. It looks even better than the cab did. 

SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) said:

Can. Probably don't have to.  It's not a high-corrosion area, is it? How quickly do things rust where you are??

It will have to be stripped regardless. Not much rust here, but this epoxy is probably better than whatever people typically use for bedliner. 

I'm doing 2K bedliner over epoxy. 

I hate rust.

Looking amazing sir!