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Why did nobody tell me I was putting filler on bare metal this whole time?
I was working on a 2015 Ford F-150 quarter panel last Tuesday and kept getting pinholes after sanding. My buddy Tom walked over and asked if I was using epoxy primer first, and I just stared at him like a fool. Is this something they teach in real shops or am I the only one who missed that day?
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martin.felix2mo ago
Bullcrap. I've been doing bodywork for almost 20 years and never used epoxy under filler once. You just gotta clean the metal good with wax and grease remover, scuff it with 80 grit, and blow it off with air. Those pinholes you're getting are from rushing your filler work or mixing it too dry, not from skipping primer. I've got a 2012 F-150 in my shop right now that I did a whole quarter on with no epoxy and it's been fine for three years. Sounds like Tom is just repeating what some forum guru told him.
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lane.eric2mo ago
Hang on though, that 80 grit is pretty aggressive for bare metal if you're going straight to filler. You'll leave some deep scratches that can trap moisture under the filler over time if you don't hit it with something finer first. I usually go 80 to rough it up but then hit it with 120 or 150 before filler, just to smooth those big gouges out a bit. Your 2012 might be fine now, but three years isn't really a long test on a repair.
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