So the etch primer has to come off. Ugh. Scrubbing with rags soaked in 2-way thinners (whee!) moved the bulk of the primer, but the real stars were 3M clean and strip discs. They’re magical and worth every dollar- which is lucky, because they’re not cheap.
The rear panels were a little more dented and rippled than I was happy with, but we’ll come back to them later.
To keep the metal from rusting we used Kephos, AKA Henkel Paint Grip 253. It’s a solvent-based phosphating treatment, you simply wipe it on and leave it to dry. It protects bare steel from oxidisation and fingerprints for at least 6 months, and I wish I’d known about it earlier.
I really shouldn’t put this all in one post, it makes it look far too easy. For the record, you’re looking at 2 months of disgusting, boring, horrible work, all of which could have been avoided by talking to a painter first.
TALK TO YOUR PAINTER BEFORE APPLYING ANY PAINT.