OK my friends I'm after some simple DIY bodywork advice.

I have decided to respray my RRC project myself. Never done it before but am willing to give it a go.

I have now removed the wings, doors, bonnet and lower tailgate etc so they can be hung in the garage for spraying. The roof does not need spraying - am confident a cut and polish will do here. I have access to the mother of all compressors free of charge and have acquired a gravity fed gun. I have a primer / paint / lacquer supplier on standby (approx £250.00 the lot). I have flap disked down the bad parts rust treated and filled. 90% of the bodywork is however, good and I'm looking to respray the same colour (Ardennes Green paint code 413).

Having visited you-tube etc it seems there is a lot of contradictory or differing ways to approach this job. It seems it would have been better to etch prime the bare aluminum before filling but hey ho too late now and not apparently the end of the world.

My questions are:

I am assuming I etch prime the filled areas before spraying - is theis correct?
The 90% of the bodywork which is good will only need flatting down for a key - what grade wet and dry would I need to use?
What kind of primer do you use on the current good green areas prior to applying the top coats and lacquer? Does it even need a primer coat assuming the filled etched areas are flush and smoothed etc?

Its a bit of a minefield and some simple no BS answers would be very much appreciated.

Cheers  405 AB exec seats Baltic and Cirrus
93 RR Classic efi

Remember it's easier to get forgiveness than permission!

Gone in order:
4.4 TDV8 SE - gone to a good home
93 Classic hard dash Plymouth Blue
03 L322 Oslo Blue
2000 Disco TD5 ES Epsom Green
98 P38 Rioja Red
89 Classic Cairngorm Brown

OK, having sprayed a few cars over the years (I'm no Picasso mind you) I will offer the following advice.

Aluminium does like to be etched to give the paint something to stick to. It's an acid etch primer which roughs up the surface of the bare metal. However, it's not the end of the world if not done as long as the new paint has a key.

Anything which was rusty is steel so doesn't need etch, but a good primer is well worth doing. I'm old school and like 2 pack paint (isocyanate based) but this does mean 2 things. First you must flat back the primer and second, you can only put 2 pack on top of it. If you spray cellulose over 2 pack it will very likely pickle. Note that old school paint is not always easy to get hold of but I can offer zero advice on water based stuff. Besides, even water based paint uses a 2 part lacquer, go figure.

Flatting back grade depends on how far you want to take it back. General keying can be done with a scotchbrite pad as long as the existing paint is sound. Non-sound paint should be flatted back with 180 grit used dry, and primered. Primer and intermediate coats should be flatted with 400 grit used wet.

Once you've lacquered it you will likely have some orange peel effect. Takes a damn good painter to avoid this, I certainly don't manage it normally even using my trusty DeVilbiss gun. Flat this with 1200 grit and then machine polish to a gloss using a good compound such as Menzerna or 3M.

Can I add the appropriate health warnings about 2 pack paint please? Thanks 2007 Vogue TDV8 with 255/55/20's fitted

Ajac, if you have the time? Repair & prime everything that needs priming then boot the car out into the weather for a couple of weeks... This way if any of the repairs are going to sink? They will do it before you spend your time & money painting the panels only to find some of the repairs will sink! Dooohh too late then... They do need to be outside though getting hot, cold, wet & dry for the sink ages to happen sir

Hi ajac,you re quite right about paintwork being a minefield i ve been a paint sprayer for`30 odd yrs [feel old reading that ]used all sorts of paint inc waterbased.Dont cut corners on your prep work, its worthwhile in the end.In answer to your questions-etch prime the bare metal/filler,1or2 light coats. Etch has no build qualities so a good primer [ two pack ?]should be used, it can air dry overnight, depending on which hardener you use[ fast / ex fast]. If your paintwork is sound you can just prime the repaired areas.As for flatting,depends on a few things,finish sanding the filler with p180 then p400 onto the surrounding area to give a good feather edge.As previously said, you can use scotchbrite to key the paint or flat it with wet 400 no coarser.The surface should be smooth,scratch free as the basecoat will not cover up all. You could dry sand all the paintwork but we re getting into needing quality sanders ect ? Wet flatting is more forgiving but messy.You will need a good panel wipe or degreaser and tack cloths. Your paint supplier should give you advice on requirements.I would use solvent base coat over waterbased .As jonnyboy has said, two pack paint is dangerous [ carceongenic]An air fed mask should be used,its v unpleasant if fumes are breathed in .Gloves and all skin covered too . The mist will stick to everything including next doors car if the winds in that direction] I ve only just touched the subject but i hope it helps. good luck. Ray

Many thanks Gents, very useful info especially the health matters.

Thanks again.

 405 AB exec seats Baltic and Cirrus
93 RR Classic efi

Remember it's easier to get forgiveness than permission!

Gone in order:
4.4 TDV8 SE - gone to a good home
93 Classic hard dash Plymouth Blue
03 L322 Oslo Blue
2000 Disco TD5 ES Epsom Green
98 P38 Rioja Red
89 Classic Cairngorm Brown