Painting aluminum 2500 series passenger cars

[Prairietype]

It is probable that over the course of many thousands of messages this topic and an answer to my question has probably been discussed. But my search results didn't really pay off.

Like many kids who had Lionel way back when, some of my cars suffered battery acid damage from the leaking D-cell in the F unit. I'm not getting rid of them, but I have bought new originals and done some things to make things right (as much as possible.)

The shells of my 2500 series have some pitting, and I have completed the body work. I used green putty and it looks good. My intent is to paint the cars up Illinois Central, to mach the 2363 F-unit (there's nothing to lose on the shells).

Question 1. Was the green putty the right filler to to use?

Question 2. At this point the most important. What primer would you use? And can you suggest any type of prep that would help produce the best results?

Thanks to all who respond. When done I will post pictures, before and after.

Prairietype 

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[Jumijo]

Question 1: The green putty will be fine as long as you didn't fill a large void with it, because it does shrink as it dries. For covering shallow acid etched metal, it should be fine.

Question 2: Sand down the aluminum finish with a fine sandpaper. 800 grit would do a good job. This will give the metal a bit of a tooth on which the primer and paint will stick better. A quality primer will make the finish paint look and adhere better. I recommend Tamiya fine white primer. It goes on smooth and provides a great surface.

Jim

[SPFan]

Another option to rough up the surface prior to painting is to use an acid etching solution. You can find them in an automotive store where wheel cleaners are found. I use Eagle One Etching Mag Wheel cleaner to clean up rough alumnum engine castings. You don't use it on polished aluminum though or it would dull the finish. Leave it on for a few minutes, then scrub it off and finally rinse in clear water for a few minutes. You can also get etching primers at an automotive paint store but these might be overkill on this project. Etching primers will actually adhere to polished chrome.

 Pete

[PhilaKnight]

I used regular automotive glazing putty to fll in rust pitting and sanded it some. Then I used a spray primer and then the color I was going to use. Came  out nice. It was on bare metel a bead blasted clean to get all the rust off. Most of the pitting was on the cab. Heres a pic of the finished engine