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Here we see Mike getting the quarter-panel straight on Jeff Rakers' first-generation S-10 in preparation for the primer job. Even if you didn't do any bodywork, the flat sheen of the primer will help your wavy quarters look straight. | |
Are you tired of driving a multicolored truck? Are your buddies razzing you about your blue fender and white hood? Then this story will be the perfect cure to those problems. With the help of Mike Cotton Midwest Images, the builder of the December cover truck, we are going to give you a quick primer on primer. We're going to show you a basic way to tint the primer for a little cooler result and also show you what each knob is and what it does on a spray gun. With this information and the instructions on the side of the materials, you should be able to cover up that custom bodywork you did and happily cruise your single-color ride.
Part One: Tint It!
So here is the gray we are all used to seeing when it comes to primer. It is a solid color, but who wants a color the other guy has? | 
To get this violet color, you will need to pick up a quart of paint and dump it all into the gallon of gray primer. Once the paint and primer are mixed, you will add the reducer and activator per the instructions on the can. Mike does it this way so if he needs to replicate the color again it will be easy to remember. Just make sure you use urethane paint and urethane primer.
To get the light blue that is on the truck in the lead image, Mike used HOK's SG-110 Marine Blue paint and a beige primer in the same manner as before: 1 quart of paint to 1 gallon of primer. The material for either the blue or violet will set you back about 300 bucks. | 
Tech Tip
Why Tint My Primer?
There are two reasons you may care to tint your primer. Number one: Everybody and their mother may have a gray truck rolling around, and you just want to be a little different on your under-construction ride. The second reason: A better color transition can be achieved in the final paint coat with a tinted primer. Check out the paintjob article on our S-10 on page 76. The truck was originally blue and since the final color is yellow, a yellow tinted primer really helped cover the blue paint and make the yellow paint pop. |