Author Topic: Can primer be removed from paint?  (Read 1643 times)

Offline deadllama

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Can primer be removed from paint?
« on: April 10, 2019, 07:59:33 AM »
My '80 C10 still has the original paint, but the previous owner decided to remove the body trim and the trim clips at some point before I bought it. After doing that, he sprayed everywhere that used to have body side molding with red primer, right on top of the original paint, leaving a nice set of red stripes on top of the brown on both sides of the truck.

My question is this: is there a way to remove the red primer that's been sprayed on top of the factory paint, or do I just have to live with it until I can repaint the whole truck? If I can remove the primer, I'd like to do that and just put new trim back on. "It's only got the original paint once," etc.

Offline zieg85

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Re: Can primer be removed from paint?
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2019, 08:41:07 AM »
Start with mineral spirits and see if you can take the primer of without harming what is underneath.  If the primer is cheap and the paint is a 2K it may come off.
Carl 
1985 C20 Scottsdale 7.4L 4 speed 3.21
1986 C10 under construction
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Offline JohnnyPopper

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Re: Can primer be removed from paint?
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2019, 01:12:11 PM »
You can also try wet 2000 grit, keep the water flowing and slowly cut it down.

Then buff out the last layer back down to the paint with rubbing compound. 
1957 Apache 3100 235 Inline 6, 3 on the tree
1973 C-20, 3+3 454 4BBL TH400  Water Injection
1978 K-10, 350 4BBL TH350 NP203 M.M. Part time Kit/Hubs
1980 C-10 under construction

Offline deadllama

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Re: Can primer be removed from paint?
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2020, 09:30:54 AM »
Just wanted to follow up on this--I know it's an old post, but I've been trying all kinds of various things over the last year and finally found the solution. Lacquer thinner will take red oxide primer right off the factory paint like it's nothing. I'm not done yet, but I've been able to clean up one whole side of the truck with about an hour of elbow grease.

Now I have a bunch of messed up/sanded spots on my truck to deal with (which is what the guy I bought it from was trying to cover with all that red primer in the first place), but all the red primer is gone! Just wanted to update the thread in case anybody else runs into the same issue.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2020, 09:33:27 AM by deadllama »