How To Prep Your Car for Paint with Kevin Tetz at Eastwood

Properly prepping your car for paint is a key element to getting a great finished paint job. Kevin Tetz shows you all the steps plus gives you some tips and tricks that will help you do the job right. Eastwood - Since 1978.

This is a segment from the series Hands-on Cars where Kevin (Trucks!) is turning an old beat up '78 Camaro into an awesome Pro Touring machine. He shows you how he preps a car before paint, starting with washing the car with dish soap, then wiping with glass cleaner, then isopropyl alcohol then a tack rag. Plus some great tips along the way that will help you get the paint job you want.

The final step in surface paint preparation—Eastwood's PRE™ Paint Prep—just spray or wipe on, and wipe off!

Proper surface preparation is one of the most important factors in helping you achieve a high-quality final finish. Our specially formulated PRE Paint Prep helps you prepare a surface for painting by removing dirt, wax, polish, grease, silicone, buffing compound, even road tar, ensuring a clean surface that's ready for final painting or powder-coating. Auto paint prep gets no easier!

Removes silicone, wax, polish, grease and dirt
Helps promote paint adhesion
Easy spray-on, wipe-off application
Available in aerosol, 30-oz., or gallon
Available in a Low-VOC formula for regulated areas
Eastwood - Since 1978. Eastwood has everything you need to do the job right when you're restoring your car truck or motorcycle - welders, plasma cutters, paint and paint guns, soda and abrasive blasters, hand tools, metal fab tools, rust solutions, powder coating supplies, specialty tools and more. Since 1978.

Are YOU an Eastwood Guy?

[panchoguzman]

this guy takes pride in his work, i wish more people in this world were like him...

[blakewilkerson]

Been watching Kevin for over 10 years… DUDE is the OG of YouTube How to paint a car… period

[scottloveday]

Seems like the alcohol is all you need to clean if it's will still getting dirt up.. thanks for the information, very helpful.

[fluorescentmug]

isopropyl is rubbing. the technicality is the purity/other ingredients. if you diluted yours with tap or distilled water its basically rubbing.

[MrCbell]

I was so excited to get the pre that Eastwood sells. Found out on my last job it was giving me a chemical reaction to my paint and event thought the base was put on months before. Just wiping it lightly after sanding a bit for my clear coat, I saw that it was removing the base coat and then actually caused my clear to crack. But I don't expect Kevin or anyone to answer. Just needed to get the word out. Thanks!

[dannyprincipate]

Getting ready to paint my 87 IROC for the first time, be watching for any tips

[ivanof]

I used tack cloths on 3 different paint jobs and they gave me job fish eyes. After that I just wash car then isopropyl alcohol prior to paint and no more fish eyes

[jackparmentier]

Watch out for the tack cloth, I just used a Gerson yellow tack cloth and it made my clear coat job full of fish-eyes ! Just spend 20+ hours resanding the clear on my doors, and now getting ready to re-clear them WITHOUT using a tack cloth !

[DJInclined]

Eagerly awaiting the last few episodes of the ZedSled project.

[Supanova]

Make sure epoxy is fully dry before cleaners...trust me One side note i used straight up W&G remover solvent to check body work filler stages.. Big mistake on my part it attacked all the feathered filler edges to the epoxy ground coat.After many $$$$ wasted found out that was a big mistake. Is your ``PRE`` the same as Water bourne w&g so scared to use the harsh w&g or your pre on anything but bare metal now. Maybe just water over panels and make sure it evaps really well before continuing.

[meghansuncle]

Isn't at least some of what he's lifting off of the primed car the primer pigment?

[rindellgilbert]

What type of soap should I use for washing my car before I sand it

[bkennb]

What do you use to clean bare metal that the paint has been ground off or sanded off and also what to use over the filler before painting?

[bensinclair]

Best info info I've gotten... Thanku

[mattsvintageshop]

hi kevin, can a person use just auto glass cleaner as a wax and grease remover?

[generalcmp]

What would you recommend for a guy doing his body work himself over a long period, for someone to professionally paint later? What can I put on the metal in my small shop to prevent rust over the long term, that the paint guy can readily accept? I imagine rattle can primer from the dollar store isn’t advised.

[eastwoodco]

Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss an episode of Hands-on Cars or other quality instructional videos that will help you do the job right.  Are YOU an Eastwood Guy?  Kevin sure is.      -  Eastwood - Since 1978.

[BaliMystic]

Ummm, rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol diluted with distilled water at about 50-70% concentration. So you are effectively using rubbing alcohol. I suspect that the more alcohol vs water, the lower the flash point. IPA fumes are definitely flammable so I’d exercice caution but I’ve personally never experienced or seen issues.

[AZTEC_ARTS]

What's good (degreaser) for BASE COAT before i put on the CLEAR COAT ? So the base coat does NOT come off ...

[eschrader]

Can I use mineral spirits for Step #2 if I dont have the time to get this pre paint prep solvent shipped to me?