Expert: Gary - 6/16/2011

Question
Hi gary,
My son and husband are restoring a 1979 ford bronco and recently bought a new fuel tank...they cleaned it with paint thinner, primed it, and spray.painted it, and the paint is peeling off in sheets...what to do ?

Answer
Hi Gale,

Sorry to hear that you're having problems with it. I know how frustrating the painting process can be when things start going wrong. Unfortunately, to fix the problem all the primer and paint will have to be removed. Then you'll have to pinpoint what caused the peeling. Peeling primer from the metal can only be 2 or 3 problems. First, I would be suspect of the paint thinner. Paint thinner can leave a residue which would inhibit paint from sticking. Secondly, I would also be suspect of the rags or towel used for wiping down with paint thinner. If it had ever been used for some other job it could have some type of contaminant that is causing a problem. Lastly, to get paint to stick to bare metal the metal has to either be etched or primed using a primer suitable for bare metal. Any of these steps that are not done correctly could cause the film to fail.

I recommend 2 coats of Epoxy Primer. I have found that is easy to use and works extremely well for all bare metals. This should five you a very good ground coat for the paint to stick to. You will need to apply the paint about an hour after the final coat of epoxy has been applied.