UTAHYOTA

I've never done body work before. I have a lot of surface corrosion due to the paint chipping on my Mexican paint job. I only say that because it was painted in Mexico. It looked good when I bought it, but later found out it was single stage paint. The paint work is sub-standard at best and it tends to chip and peel whenever I brush against trees, bushes and the like. I have been spot sanding and priming for a little while now but I'd like to get some proper paint on my rig. I have discovered a few cancerous spots that are going to require at least some filler if not be cut out and patched. I need tips on this. I've never done this other than on plastic models. Where do I start? Then there is the matter of getting the rust out from under the lip on the bed (1st gen pickup), how the hell does one do that?

flg8r22

iTrader: (1)

If your ready for a project, start by stripping the old paint. Either with an aircraft stripper (very caustic) or a nice 7" flap disc on a grinder (very messy) Either route you chose, make sure you follow safety protocols. With the flap disc, do light passes in different areas so you do not heat up the metal and warp your body panels. Hoods are vey suseptable to warpage. Take it down to metal. If you live in an arrid climate you wont have to worry about surface rust right away. After all the paint is removed, wipe down all metal with wax and grease remover. This would be a good time to weld in your patch panels, grind welds and also do any metal shaping thats required. Next step is to lightly wipe with a tack cloth to get any lint or dust off the metal. An autoclave would be nice to have to dry the metal but not many folks have access to one. So the next step would be to epoxy prime all the exposed metal. Your body filler can be applied over the epoxy. Body filler should be applied as a skim coat and not used as a filler. You may have to repeat this step a few times depending on the condition of the body. Then its ready for primer. A good high build primer will yield the best results along with the use of an engineering fluid (dykem) or guide coat. If you sand thru the primer, its best to respray the area so when you paint, the color will be the same all over. Im sure i missed some step but if you need any help, PM me and i will send you my # if i can be of any help

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

Welding on Toyota sheet metal has been a difficult experience for me. I had read about it several times until I started on a Toyota project and they were correct. I am not a great welder anyways but have far better luck on domestic autos. I have seen guys with far more experience then me have difficulty.