Primer on undercarriage?

[rpthomas]

I'm working on my first model car build and wonder if members use primer before painting the undercarriage or just paint it the color it's going to be. Any tips appreciated.

[MeatMan]

I've done both, and you'll hear comments both ways.  I think it depends on the color and what kind of paint.  

On my most recent build I painted the frame and floorpan black enamel with no primer and no problems.

However if you're painting the floorpan the color of the body you may want to prime depending on the color, especially if you are using acrylics.  

The main thing is to wash the part first to remove any foreign matter to give the paint a good surface to adhere to.

[rpthomas]

Thank you...was going to use flat black so didn't think primer was necessary.

[cobraman]

I pretty much prime everything.

[gtx6970]

Thank you...was going to use flat black so didn't think primer was necessary.

Its not.

[StevenGuthmiller]

If you're going the flat black route, I wouldn't bother priming either.

a couple of coats of black will do the trick.

 

Steve

[MrObsessive]

Like others have mentioned, if you're just using flat black, using a primer beforehand is unnecessary. If you want to get fancy though, you could paint the undercarriage a different color, then very lightly paint the sides with the body color. Not a lot, just enough to represent what would have been overspray coming out of the paint booth.

Kinda what I did with my '67 Mustang I recently finished..................

 

This is Rustoleum red oxide primer which was a Ford staple through the '60's. It's your call------some us here can get a little more carried away than others!

[rpthomas]

Nice.