Appreciation post: that tip about using filler primer on bare metal

Honestly, my buddy Mike at the shop near Cleveland told me to always spray a coat of filler primer before any seam sealer on bare steel repairs. Tbh I thought it was overkill until I did a rocker panel job last month without it and the sealer started bubbling at the edges after three weeks. Anyone else run into trouble skipping that step on floor pan patches?

1 comments

1 Comment

umamurphy1mo ago

Oh man, I gotta push back a little on this one. I've been doing body work for years and I actually skip the filler primer on bare metal before seam sealer most of the time. The key for me is making sure the metal is super clean and etched right, like with a proper phosphoric acid wash. If your sealer bubbled, I bet it was moisture trapped under there or the metal wasn't prepped right, not the missing primer. I've done floor pans and rockers both ways and honestly the filler primer just adds another layer that can peel later if you don't do it perfect. Keep it simple and focus on the prep, not the extra coat.