Primed for action… but what to use?
QI'm restoring my 1970 MGB GT and I've stripped parts of the body to bare metal. What should I use as a temporary rust-proof coating until I get round to formally repainting after repairs are complete? Also, I've dismantled the front suspension and will sandblast and repaint the wishbones.
What paint should I use on them?
Jeremy Spikins, Highclere, Newbury
Matt says
AThe best paint to use on bare body parts is epoxy primer, available both in aerosol form and in tins for brushing or spraying.
Buy from any paint supplier (best quality) or motor factor. We recommend aerosol or spray application – rubbing brush marks down later will be arduous. Epoxy primers are waterproof and can be left almost indefinitely after application until you're ready to progress further. They're unlikely to react with any paint subsequently applied on top of them. For the suspension parts we suggest epoxy chassis black, which is selfpriming. This forms a very durable coating. It has low surface tension, so flows into all the pits and folds of the metal giving very good coverage and adhesion. Both Rustbuster (rust.co.uk)
and Bilt-hamber (bilthamber.co.uk)
make high-quality versions designed exclusively for automotive use. Non-aerosol epoxy paints are supplied as paint and hardener to be mixed before use and sprayed or brushed on. A measuring cup or a digital scale helps to get the proportions right. They go off in time, so don't buy a huge quantity with the intention of it 'coming in handy' years down the line – unless you want a very large
paperweight.