Today I placed an order with SPI, and as per their "Perfect Paint Job" instructions, was going to thin some epoxy to use as a sealer over the 2K. The fellow I ordered from said it wasn't a necessary step. He said to paint the base directly over the 2K. What do y'all think? This is going to be my first paint job,( although I have prepped a few cars). Thanks...

 

Sealer is a barrier coat or like insurance against the color coat attacking the primer or old topcoat in the case of panel repairs. In restoration where you are painting the entire vehicle and you have a well prepared uniform surface, sealer really is optional. If you have a uniform primer finish on the entire car, you really don't need sealer. What sealer can provide is:

*Uniform color for better coverage when you apply color.
*Helps compensate for poor preparation, may fill missed sand scratches.
*Might help hide poor prior repairs.

Epoxy primer makes a good sealer if you have some left over, but it is also expensive if it's not really needed. There are 2 ways to do sealer. One is wet on wet where you apply the sealer and apply the topcoat after the minimum dry time. Another is to let the sealer cure completely which would completely prevent your color coat from penetrating into anything below the sealer. It's not advisable to mix 1k & 2k products so stick with the same line of paint.
When sealers are really needed is when you want to spray a colorcoat over a combination of primer and old colorcoat. The sealer provides a barrier so that the new color coat will not attack the old color coat. In the old days, sealer also reduced sand scratch swelling in lacquers, but that's another story.

 

i would strongly recommend a coat of epoxy. let the 2k primer cure as long as possible as it will shrink and cause die back later in the job if not sealed. i use no 2k in my restorations for this reason. once cured the epoxy will give you a solid base to work on. did you order from spi or a jobber ?

 

I talked to someone earlier at SPI (very helpful) and they gave me a number to call when I was ready to order. It was with B.S.W, in LaGrange, Ga. Whenever I get to that point, I guess I can just call them(SPI), but I wanted y'alls experenced advice as well. Thanks for the replies.

 

spi users forum is a good place to get imfo on spi products. barry kives is the owner of the co and can be reached by cell anytime if you need help. he is also a corvette restorer.