Apply SPI Epoxy with paint roller?

69fastback

New Member
I'm receiving my car back from a restoration shop that's 90% in epoxy but has some bare metal areas on it I need to address before any rust starts forming.
Entire Hood both sides has been DI sanded to bare metal.
4 Patch areas on quarters and front valence where we filled in side marker light holes.

Can I just hit the bare metal spots with epoxy primer on a roller? It's below freezing in my detached garage right now but I can raise the temp for a few hours using a kerosene heater and some space heaters in my garage.

This would be good to know for any future metal cutting that exposes anything - I want the entire car to remain encapsulated in SPI epoxy.
 
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Mustang bare metal 01.png
 
I have applied epoxy with a roller and a paint brush before. Mainly on frames, suspensions and hard to reach areas.
The epoxy is generally covered later on, so it gets sanded and resprayed prior to top coating.

The issue you are going to have is the temperature. It is best to get the metal temperature to 70 degrees before applying epoxy primer. After that you will need to keep the temperature in the booth above 60 degrees for at least 24 hours, otherwise the epoxy will not cure properly.
 
I have applied epoxy with a roller and a paint brush before. Mainly on frames, suspensions and hard to reach areas.
The epoxy is generally covered later on, so it gets sanded and resprayed prior to top coating.

The issue you are going to have is the temperature. It is best to get the metal temperature to 70 degrees before applying epoxy primer. After that you will need to keep the temperature in the booth above 60 degrees for at least 24 hours, otherwise the epoxy will not cure properly.

What if I "did my best" to keep the temp up with a space heater in the area, roll epoxy on and mark the areas so later on we can take it back down to metal before repriming and resuming work? The intent is to prevent any corrosion from starting on the car. We went to great lengths to assure a 100% rust free car and I want to keep it that way.

Maybe I could just use some regular primer that is faster drying, for now?
 
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If it's just that small area, place the space heater near that panel. Not too close but enough to keep the temp in the range you need it.

Regular primer doesn't protect the metal like epoxy primer. Those primers are subject to moisture and contaminants.

I use a space heater myself to keep the booth warm overnight when applying epoxy. You just need to block off any spaces under doors or through walls, so the heated air doesn't escape.
 
I've used a 3 or 4" long very short nap roller with success in a pinch for some unexpected coverage needed quickly and without the spray gun. The air temp in the storage space was 61F/55%RH and I heated the activated epoxy on a hot plate to around 80F--no reducer. It dried fine and adhered well-- looked a lot better than what I thought it would and was very little sanding later to flatten things down later.
 
Unfortunately I'm also going to have to do something soon with my other body panels. They have regular primer over them now, but my shop sanded through the epoxy to a lot of bare metal on the fenders, doors and trunk, then hit them with a coat of regular primer and that's how they are today. So they're vulnerable to moisture until I do something with them, too.

I'll just have to keep it as dry in my garage as possible until I decide how to move forward.

IMG_5972.JPG
 
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My suggestion? Buy an Infratech 1500W infrared curing lamp, you can get them on Amazon for around $150. It's perfect for small spots like that. Use it to heat the metal and then leave it on the epoxy for a few hrs. You can use it for anytime you want to get paint or filler cured down faster, or for personal heat in the winter when working in the shop. I think it's a must if you live in a winter climate and are restoring a car. I use mine year around.

In SW MI where I'm at I'd just leave that spot sit bare for the entire winter and prime when it gets warm. It won't rust much, if at all, and any rust that does form is superficial.
 
Unfortunately I'm also going to have to do something soon with my other body panels. They have regular primer over them now, but my shop sanded through the epoxy to a lot of bare metal on the fenders, doors and trunk, then hit them with a coat of regular primer and that's how they are today. So they're vulnerable to moisture until I do something with them, too.

I'll just have to keep it as dry in my garage as possible until I decide how to move forward.

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I think that regular primer, whatever that is, will need to be removed before applying epoxy.

If you can’t keep the panels above 70 for 24 hours I would not use SPI epoxy.

Don
 
One man's body shop prison is another's free climate controlled storage.
Until you realize that the shop is under water, and your deposit is being used to work on the previous guy's car. And your car isn't going to be worked on until the next chump makes a deposit.
Learning experience and the work done was top notch. Just took a year longer than promised.
 
Deposit? Oh, that's where everyone goes wrong. Let me post this as a PSA: Any shop that asks for a deposit might be run by crooks or drug addicts, either do your homework, or run far and fast!

Edit: I apologize to anyone I may have insulted with this post, clearly there are legitimate business reasons to ask for a deposit.
 
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Crash What? You don't take a deposit on a resto job ? I do but it is ONLY used on that job for parts or materials. But I do know what you are saying . Customer has to do research on shop.
 
I went to paint prison many years ago with my 69 Z28. It was the reason I decided to try painting my own cars.

I don’t ask for a deposit although some customers offer to and are surprised I don’t take them. I think some want to use a deposit to lock in their spot in the waiting line.

Don
 
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