Primer and prep and paint to use on ford 3000

[willy3000]

How to prep and primer and paint ford 3000.
It has surface rust and how should I sand prep and primer and paint. I have never painted a tractor and want to do it right so the rust does not come back for a long time.
 

[Stephen Newell]

Winter isn't a good time to paint a tractor. I would wait till closer to spring to do it. You need 60-70 degrees to paint. To do the job right it will need to be stripped down to bare metal and be primed soon after being stripped. I prefer automotive paints and would recommend using epoxy primer and topcoat with a 2k urethane. The paint is expensive but it will last a long time.

If you are going to do it now I would start with washing the tractor with a de-greaser and a power washer. If you have access to steam cleaning equipment it would be better. Stubborn grease can be gotten off with oven cleaner.

Then with a sandblaster or abrasives I would take strip as much of the existing paint off as you can. Then I would wipe the metal down with a wax and grease remover and let dry. Then on the cast parts go ahead and prime it with the epoxy primer. The tin parts if any body work needs to be done I would hammer out the dents out as much as possible, wipe it off with the wax and grease remover and prime. Any bondo work can be done over the epoxy. After sanding flat there will likely be bare metal spots again from sanding so I would spray another coat of epoxy primer on the bare metal spots. When that dries a surfacing primer should be used because epoxy primer doesn't sand very well. The surfacing primer sands between coats very well. Once everything is leveled out and primed then it should be ready to topcoat. I prefer a 2k urethane. Automotive paints don't normally have instructions on the can so when you purchase the paint be sure to get a specification sheet on any paints you buy.
 

[showcrop]

I will give you my slogan on tractor painting: Don't put expensive paint over a five hour prep job and don't put cheap paint over a 50 hour prep job. If you plan on doing a really good job you will need to do some disassembly in order to be sure of getting all of the rust off from hard to get at areas so you may want to start soon in order to be ready to paint when the weather is warmer.
 

[Jr. Roby]

if u put epoxy primer over cast parts do u still have a 72 hour window?
 

[CNKS]

The window is the same no matter what you are applying the epoxy on.
 

[souNdguy]

ditto what the others said.

when ambient temps drop past 60.. I don't prep anything for paint till temps come up.

I don't even like painting at 60.. I like more like 72-76 and low humidity.

I stage my projects so metal prep is ready when it's ok to paint.
 

[rustyj14]

There is one thing not mentioned here, in getting some machine ready for paint, and after sand blasting and sanding! DON'T forget to blow out all of the nooks and crannies as that's where the dirt, dust, and sand blasting stuff lurks!
And also, wash (as in clean rags) with a good cleaning product for pre-painting operations, using clean rags, or towels. The clean towels, or other things might leave a bit of lint or dust in the cracks, So another blow off is seemly. If your compressor is old, one of those little ball shaped filters, at the gun end of the air hose will catch most of anything coming from the compressor. But, they won't catch old polishes,oil, wax, etc.
Always use a "Tack-rag" right before spraying. available at auto paint stores, and others. Great for small pieces of dust, etc. that may remain before paint work begins!
A good practice is to wash the original surface before any work is done, with Prep-sol, or any product for that purpose. then go to the rust removal process and any surface sanding, priming of repairs and final sanding and blow off. Then do the final wash again, tack the readied surfaces again, then apply the finish coats. Always do the things that will produce the best results, before you begin to apply the paint!
And---DO NOT use gasoline to wash the surface prior to applying any paint products! If you do--you will end up with a coat of livered paint, which will require a complete removal of all of yer hard work! And--a mess that will make you want to blow yer brains out! Seen that!