ok heres goes i read so many threads on painting im totally confused, I put a new front clip on my 83, the cab and bed were originally red but it oxidized really bad, the front clip and hood were white, I sanded all the rust areas down to shiny metal, used a etcher then applied bondo, to several places I washed the truck 3 times with naptha soap and water, i then used a DA sander with 400gt sandpaper over the whole truck and used primer surfacer light coat, wet sanded with 1000 gt. glazing puttyto fill minor imperfections, wet sanded these then another heavy coat or primer surfacer, now the question due to cost and the paint availible. I am going to use white acrylic urethene paint, the dealer suggested since the paint won,t be here untill 9/16/03,
that prior to painting use a da on the primer surfacer wipe with laquer thinner, the reshoot the surfacer, wet sand then shoot a urethane sealer and the pain the next day, the total cost will be about 230.00, i have not done perfect body work this is still a ranch truck i want a good paint job to protect from rust and the elements, tell me what I need to do or not do

 

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First off, you made an excellent choice in the color of the paint. White is the most forgiving, of the less-than-perfect bodywork. Black is at the other end of the spectrum and shows every little flaw.

It appears like you have gone to a good deal of prep work and as far as I can tell, have done it right. Just hang in there and don't cut yourself short at this point.

Don't use lacquer thinner as your degreaser. You can buy a gallon of degreaser for about $8. When you use it, spray it on and wipe it off with paper towels. The idea is to float any grease, not rub it in.

Since you have a little time on your hands, you might want to block sand, after applying a guide coat. A guide coat is a light misting over your primer with a color that contrasts the primer color. Use 400 grit to sand the guide coat, just until it is gone. This will show up the areas that could use a little more work.

A final sanding of 400 grit is fine with non-metallic paint. If your white has metallics then you will probably want to finish with 600 grit.

If you are using a 2K (a 2-part paint) filler primer, you don't need a sealer before you paint. A sealer is normally used to protect older paints from the new paint you are applying.

A sealer is needed though if the filler primer you have applied is a 1-part paint. In that case, most likely the filler primer is lacquer based and needs protection from the urethane you will be applying.

Remember to post a picture when your done !! It sounds like you have done a good job.