Paint. How many coats?

How many coats of paint (primer and topcoat) would you consider ideal?

Thinking of spraying an isolator coat over everything first. I'll be using celly and the shell is in god knows how many different paints.

Would a couple or 3 primer and the same of topcoat do or will i need more?

 

I guess it depends on how flat the bus is to start with and how flat you want to get it.

It's worth using an isolator coat first if you have that much paint and you dont know what it is, then perhapse 1 coat of primer and a gide coat, followed by a bit of flatting to see how straight every thing is.

if its close you may get away with another couple of coats of high build.

as you have had a lot of different paints in the past, would it be worth bare mettaling to see whats underneath? zed pointed out on a different thread that a bus that has had loads of resprays can end up loosing a bit of 'definition' and can look like its been plasticoated - and he had a point

 

There is a discussion about this in the how to section I believe

 

Cheers.
Its for my bug at the moment but my camper will eventually need spraying.

I couldn't see it in the How-to. Will have another look.

 

For some reason it's a sticky in restorations:

http://thelatebay.com/index.php?topic=4950

 

No wonder I couldn't find it in the how to section. Some moving of threads needed I think.

 

The answer is as few as possible. Paint's expensive and the thicker it is the more easily it chips.

 

i would do the car in 2k , first spray on 2k primer with primer 65% primer 25% activator NO THINNERS , this will act as a barrier coat and high build , the do a build up coat of colour , flatten then top coat owen nw