Primer Sealer and Red Oxide question

I'm getting close to the stage of laying base on the car (GA4) and have a couple of questions. Currently, the car is in PPG Urethane high build and is going to be block/wet sanded to around 700 grit, I have been debating if I should use a sealer over this or just skip the hassle and spray base directly on the high build. The second question is how much does the color of what the base is sprayed onto effect its shade and look on the finished product, seeing as the factory used a Red Oxide primer for GA4 how much did it affect the finished color and if I do use a sealer should I get it tinted like it? This is going to be my first time painting a car and would like some feedback on this, it would be a big help.


This is the Color of the car

I had a debate when I was a bodyman about coverage over Red oxide primer. I took a junk panel primed half Gray and half red oxide. Sanded painted 5 coats of color and cleared. When in the light you could see the color difference. My Charger Red Dart I painted really popped. I sealed in white before paint. I think you are correct to tint and or seal the car 1st. JMO
If it's the rim color (Nice) I would seal White,light gray or tinted.

Also, when I worked at a Ford dealer bodyshop, they painted over DP40 Primer or the high build. They had issues with a handful of colors matching. If the car had white primer from factory I would spray a coat of white paint then factory color and match would be dead on.

Years ago, a friend brought me his 67 Riviera to paint. It had a combination of light gray, dark gray, & red oxide primer all over it. He wanted the car painted in the factory light blue metallic & I told him that unless I either reprimered it, or sealed it to a solid color that I wouldn't do it. He found someone else & 2 weeks later he brought it back to me to repaint. The paint job had spots where you could see different shades because of the different colors of primer under the paint. I don't do much painting these days, but if it were mine I would either primer it one color & wet sand it or put a good heavy coat of sealer on it & then wet sand it before final paint. As they say, "A good paint job is 90% prep work".

Jesse Martin said:

I'm getting close to the stage of laying base on the car (GA4) and have a couple of questions. Currently, the car is in PPG Urethane high build and is going to be block/wet sanded to around 700 grit, I have been debating if I should use a sealer over this or just skip the hassle and spray base directly on the high build. The second question is how much does the color of what the base is sprayed onto effect its shade and look on the finished product, seeing as the factory used a Red Oxide primer for GA4 how much did it affect the finished color and if I do use a sealer should I get it tinted like it? This is going to be my first time painting a car and would like some feedback on this, it would be a big help.


This is the Color of the car
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If that's your first shot at painting, those rims look very nice. And if you like that color what was the paint/primer color under that paint? That should give you the answer to the primer/paint color under the base color for the car question that you need.

I agree the color of the primer can make a difference. I bet the color of topcaot might be a factor too. Did you use an epoxy primer over it first? If so I reduce it a little and use as sealer. Disclaimer: I am no pro! lol

Thanks for the feedback, Think what I'll do is get some tint for my urethane primer and do a little test panel half and half one with the red oxide and one without to see how the final shade is. Right now the whole car is primed in a single color so I won't have the problem of matching panels.