Expert: Gary - 2/24/2010

Question
I have a two different cars that i am asking about, one is a 93 jeep Cherokee, and the other a 73 Datsun 240z.
I have been reading up about prepping for better paint, and my question is,
do you have to strip all the paint completely off to paint over it? or can you just sand it down to the factory primer, and paint there?

On the jeep, it is just bad clear coat that is starting to peel,
and on the 240z i have rust spots that i am slowly fixing, and replacing.. But i'm really more concerned about prepping it for new paint etc.
any help appreciated
john.

Answer
Hi John,

The Jeep you can just sand it out (usually called feathering) until everything transitions smooth when you rub your hand across it. At this point you can apply a sealer then apply paint directly over that.

The Datsun, I would really recommend that it be stripped to bare metal and be re-primed using a good quality epoxy primer. The reason being is that the coating system that Datsun used was very inferior. The only way to remedy that correctly is to totally remove it and apply new.