Anyone know how much primer it takes to do a third gen camaro? I dont wanna go buy too many or not enough.. I found it for like 1.90 a can..
thanks

 

Hey Fastkitten. It depends. I checked out your site. Lookin good keep it up. Now as for the primer in the cans. Are you doing the whole car in primer?? do yo plan on painting the car or just leaving it primerd??? If you are going to paint the car, then I wouldn't load it all up with primer I would just do the spots that require it. Once you've primed the spots that need it. You just need to sand the whole car down really good to try and make it all flush. But hey if you're just going to prime the whole car and leave it like that...go for it. As to how many cans. Well at least 10-15 I would think. But for $1.90 I would 20 just so you have them. Hope this helps ya.. Let me know. Keep us posted how the car is coming along.

PS: Welcome to the board Heather!

Keiran

 

Wow thanks for writing.. I have the hardest time getting peoples help here. I've been working very hard on this car for months now. Sometimes I wonder if shes worth it.. lol Should be driving her in a few weeks. Were looking at bondoing a few places like where the antenna was and what not then primering the whole car then when it warms some painting the car a mazada purple. I can get it from Napa, it looks black at night and purple at day. Next year when I get my tax back comes the turbo. My husband is going to make me headers since v6 camaro dont have any. I'm going to have Cornetts Machine do my enging block for me and make me a few parts and so by summer I should have done or be close to having an 88 2.8 v6 ram air turbo charged camaro.. Something different...

 

Actually Heather I do beleive they make headers for the V6. As for the paint work...well if you do plan on painting it then I wouldn't cover it all with primer. If the car already has to many layers of paint to begin with, and then you add a few more layers of primer, and then go and paint it...Well that is not a good idea. When there are to many layers under your new paint job it allows the paint to become brittle and cracks very easily. I would just cover the spots that really need the primer and that's it. Remember if using bondos and puddy's to grind all the rust in the area completely off, then primer some...then put your puddy on, sand the bondo flush, prime again..one last sand and paint away. Hope this helps you a bit more. As for those headers...I know they make them but who??? Plus if I remember right they are a little expensive. Try www.summitracing.com they may have them.

 

When painting a car "correctly" primer is only necessitive in areas where you need it, ie: rust repairs, body repairs, shaving etc.

Fix what you need to, then when you go to paint, you should break down the clear, feather all the chips and high spots. Clean the car right before painting with a good (3M, PPG, Dupont, Sherwin Williams) cleaner. No matter who is doing the paint, either you or someone else, shoot the car with a good sealer (prevents bleeding and contamination of the previous paint), then lay your base coat then clear.

 

first of all, the 1.90 stuff at wall mart isnt bad if youre not going to go all out, but i reccomend the du-pont stuff. right now im in the middle of restoring my 85 iroc. im going for a show car finish so i did my homework. basically, a good paint job is all in the prep work. i like the du-pont because it comes with a much better nozzle on the can. the spray is much more even and easy to control. another tip, look for du-pont filler primer, it shoud be right next to the regular stuff for the same price at your local wally world. i love the filler primer because it really works to even out the old chips and nicks in the old paint. no matter how hard to sand it, it still makes it look better. also, save tendons in your arm, go to home depot and get a rotary sander. i got mine for 25$ and it made all the difference in the world. BELIEVE ME, youll thank yourself if you get one. other than that, just take your time and do it right the first time, youll end up with a lot less frustration. make sure everything is perfectly smooth and if it shows through the primer, it will light up like a neon sign under the paint. as for how many cans youll need, depends on how bad your original paint is. im about 45 cans into it right now, and im still not done, but im close.
Good to see your taking care of your car, your husband is a lucky guy
after this i have the wonderful task of painting my girlfreinds car hanging over my head.

 

Well this is my .02... im am almost done with my 2nd restoration of a 3rd gen... well both cars were sanded completley down to bear metal and each took almost a full gallon of primer... i dont kno what kind you are talkin about but im assuming they are just regular spray cans... well i dont kno much about them but i have heard they are good for small spots but definatley are nott good in my case... well i just had to go out 2 nights ago to buy a gallon of primer... and i gott the dupont filler primer and it ran me around $96.00... so if thats any help...

 

Just remember, if you are using any kind of body filler to put your last coat (or what you believe to be your last coat) of primer on pretty heavy so you can see if there are any defects in the filler that have to be smoothed out some more. If not, they will show up in the finished job.

Later,
Harry