Prepping trailer for primer

[Juneaudave]

What's the best way to prep my homebuilt trailer for prime? Some rust, lots of black steel oily protective stuff, some prepainted pieces like the axle and coupler, many bad welds, way too much weight, not square, bad tires, etc...You know the type.


Anyway, I wasn't going to go fancy on the paint, just Rustoleum prime and black spray paint. Are there better coating products out there that I should consider?

[Miriam C.]

did you appropriate my trailer?

I used Airplane paint remover from the auto parts store. Works real well but will burn your skin. Took all the questionable stuff off. Then, ordinary rust remover and wire brushes and sand paper.

If I had to do it again I would sandblast the daylights out of it. Or try to electrocute it.

Used farm empliment primer and paint. I used gray so I could see if I covered it all.

Good luck

[doug hodder]

Dave...got a grinder? use a hard disk on the bad welds...a sanding disk on the crappy paint and rust...wipe it all down with lacquer thinner, spray on primer and paint...just remember, how good your paint job comes out depends on how you did the prep work, and no one will probably ever see much other than the tongue anyway...and if the welds are solid, but appear bad...bondo...makes it all look like like "buttah" Doug

[Juneaudave]

...and if the welds are solid, but appear bad...bondo...makes it all look like like "buttah" Doug

I find JB Weld does well on crappy welding... gotta love chemical fixes!!

[madjack]

I second Doug recommendations...I would also use an acid etch primer...comes in rattle cans from the auto paint supply house
madjack