Frankenvette

I purchased heim jointed adjustable strut rods to replace the bent oem ones. I plan on painting them before installation. They were used, so I used a light grit sandpaper to remove crap off the surface of the rods...not the heim joints themselves. Since they are bare metal, do I need to etch them first or can I simply prime them and paint?

lbell101

It depends on the primer. If you are going to use a urethane, you will need an etching or epoxy underneath. But the only reason to do that is to fill and sand. If you just want to paint them without having to smooth out the part, I'd use an etching or epoxy primer and then just paint them.

Frankenvette

Thanks!