To strip or not to strip. Paint question.

[Nate239]

If the go kart has rust what would be the way to proceed about painting the cart. could i just sand things down ? or would that no be a good idea?

 

[BaconBitRacing]

If the go kart has rust what would be the way to proceed about painting the cart. could i just sand things down ? or would that no be a good idea?

For the best finish wire wheel the whole thing down, getting rid of the rust and paint. Others can chime in to help.

 

[Nate239]

Okay so the steps i should take is wire wheel but would i use it for the whole thing or get some sand paper too.
Im going with the paint Rust-Oleum 2x ultra cover gloss apple red.

 

[Denny]

Sand it definitely! The paint needs some tooth to bite.

 

[YetAnotherHobby]

I'm currently rebuilding an old Yerfdog 3206. Just finished painting it all this past week (for the most part, still need to finish the clearcoat on a few areas. That being said, I've also painted an old Cherokee with rattlecan Rust-Oleum.

I'd say, any rust spots (that aren't eaten through of course) wire wheel, sand, treat if needed, clean, dry well, paint, clearcoat.

With the Jeep I took it to bare metal, any rust spots I treated with a light mixture of white vinegar and warm water. Then soaped and rinsed it twice. Then I sanded it again before washing again. I painted it with 3 layers each of self-etching automotive primer, blue automotive matte finish enamel autopaint and finally enamel automotive matte clear coat. That was 3 years ago and (as long as its been washed recently) it looks good as it did when I finished it.

For this Yerf-Dog, I've done somewhat different. Cleaned it first, removed the old grip tape on the floor-pan, as well as any decals I could get off of it using a heat gun and a scraper. After that I treated the rust areas first with a wire wheel and then 80-120 sandpaper on an orbital/by hand. Since it is a go-kart I decided against going all out since its just going to get abused off road anyway. I sanded any rust spots I could find as best as I could then washed everything with water and dish-soap. Let it dry for a day or two after cleaning. Most of the original paint on this thing was sun faded and there was very little clear coat left on most of it. Except for the rust spots I decided against taking it all down to bare metal, instead I roughed everything up with 100-120 orbital/hand sanding, washed it all again, dried it, and then I used the same paint mentioned above (the 2x) and a couple cans of the self etching primer I had laying around. (I know the 2x has paint and primer but I did so anyway) Around 2 layers of each color paint and after letting it all dry for about a week in the sun. Its all hardened now and is holding nicely while I tackle all the mechanical stuff. I need to clean it again and then clear coat the floor-pan and roll bars I've not done yet but once said and done the entire thing will have 2 layers of paint and clear coat.

All that said, personally, when it comes to go-karts that I am likely to beat to hell off-roading in the woods, I'm way less prone to spend a ton of money on taking it all down to bare metal and using special paints. Its going to get pinstriped and chipped the first time I drive it anyway. I'd rather spend the money I save and spend more on the mechanical side of things.

Best of luck to you in painting!

 

[Hellion]

Rustoleum primer means you topcoat with Rustoleum paint only!

Nah, you can use almost any primer (enamel) and any paint (enamel) topcoat you want. They have basically all the same formulations and are (mostly) compatible. Now some might react and not coat well (bubbles up, "orange peels" or lifts/won't adhere well) or "does not play well with others" but you'd have to look long and hard to find some off-brand that is not compatible with Rustoleum, Krylon, Valspar, Ace brand, etc.

 

[Hellion]

Okay so the steps i should take is wire wheel but would i use it for the whole thing or get some sand paper too.
Im going with the paint Rust-Oleum 2x ultra cover gloss apple red.

As a few others have said, bringing the frame completely down to bare metal is not necessary if there are good patches of paint remaining. On most karts, they rust in the corners of the frame where water and mud collects and they rust where the paint was penetrated or worn away by impact and abrasion/scrapes.

Unless it was a $50 derelict frame that was lying in someone's back yard since 1999 when you bought it (and therefore almost completely rusted and pitted) you can do a marvelous job just sanding, grinding, wire-wheeling just the bad spots in the remaining paint finish.

Most often the factory paint is applied so well that the metal underneath is well protected and removing it is unnecessary and foolhardy. I have done just that that on a current frame that is awaiting primer. It has 80-90% of the old paint remaining. It's a lot of labor even with power tools, to bring a frame down to bare metal so avoid that if you can.

Sand the remaining factory paint and everything else with a 100-120 grit sandpaper to give the next layer of paint some "tooth" as they call it, but don't sand through to the bare metal, just sand lightly to where it dulls the factory paint a little.

And my final point is DE-GREASE. Nearly every single one of these karts have a fine layer of motor oil, chain lube and lubricating oil (for the pedals, steering wheel, steering linkages, etc) on them from years of use. If you don't wash it well your paint will not stick. I would use dish detergent, simple green or other cleaners, "Purple Degreaser" for example, and rinse those with water. Yes, I know WATER--the enemy of bare metal. Do it on a hot day and let the frame sit in the sun to dry, or alternatively use a heat gun to dry it fast so rust has no chance to form.

I could go on an on on this subject.