You can try it, but I didn't have much luck. It turns out scuffed paint works great as a primer, just FYI. I repainted my motorcycle tank by leaving most of the old stuff on, and carefully sanding smooth in an x-pattern.
this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2025
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What grit sandpaper did you use?
Started at 400 to get through the clear coat, then mostly 600. Bondo, jumped up to 800 and that was good enough to prime. I'd then buff it with wet 1000 on a block to get it really smooth and uniform.
In retrospect, I was really broke at the time, I had looked into taking the tank to a powder coating place, they have a sand blasting machine but I had more time than money. I think it'd work out to $100 for a frame if you disassemble it ahead of time.
If the paint already on there is not damaged then you don't even need to sand it. Just use a scotch pad to dull all of the lacquer that is there to make sure the new paint adheres well to it and then it should give you a smooth finish equivalent to what is already there.
If you end up sanding any imperfections out you really want to finish with the highest grade you can as any small scratches will be more obvious when paint goes on top. I aim for wet sanding at 2000 grit to finish before adding paint.
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