Take Me To Paint School!

MrSurly said
Ok, guys, Old man, here. I did some auto painting way back when my brother and I had a shop in the '70s ~'80s. Since that time, *everything* has changed and I am at a loss about where to even start. We were doing base coat/ clear coat at the time but it was long before HVLP, Low VOC paints and of course now there's even water based (!!) auto paints.
I have a project The Yard Dart, a Reclamation. '64 Dart GT Ragtop that I will be blasting, rotisserie, the whole bit. I'm going to do all the work myself, re-learning as I go.
The basic question is, starting with sandblasted steel what would be the *best* primer that I could spray immediately after blasting? My question is not so much concerning the majority of the primer that I will follow up with sanding and repairs, etc, its about the primer that will NOT be removed by other steps, in out of the way areas that will eventually get color applied. Is there a primer that will NOT lift because of whatever paint was applied over it? If you've ever sprayed lacquer over enamel primer, you'll know what I fear. I'm looking for 'universally compatible' primer if it exists. Also, do I need an 'etching' primer?
Thanks in advance

My advice to you is take an adult education class at your local community college, you can learn the fine art of refinishing an automobile while working on your project at home.

You will get hands on practical training as well as some theory from a competent teacher.

You will get to practice on someones else's ride or they ask you to bring something to practice on. Either way you get to make all your mistakes on something other than your ride.

Some schools bring in painting professionals from the top paint suppliers. Most of these guys are the best refinishing resources you'll find. They are up on the latest paint technologies and paint application techniques.

You might even get to bring in some pieces of your project to work on, which in some cases is a bonus.

NOTE::: Above all please work safe, your family depends on it.

That's my 2 cents for whatever it's worth.

Good Luck with your project!

sscuda