I am preparing to repaint the dash frame for my Dart. I have not media blasted it as it didn't have any significant rust to speak of anywhere. I have thoroughly scuffed the original paint with sandpaper and wiped it down with acetone. I was getting ready to spray it with Rustoleum textured black paint (not concerned about having factory correct look) and I got to thinking as to whether or not I should put a coat of primer on it first. Do you think the original scuffed paint is suitable as a primer for the top coat to adhere to or should I spray a coat of primer on it?

Shoot it with black primer first. You want a thin coat of the texture and if you don't prime it you may have spots showing through. Also keep in mind the rustoleum is nowhere near as hard or durable as the factory finish. A fingernail will scratch or mark it. When assembling the dash afterwards, be very careful to get things lined up, etc.. I'm hoping storing mine in a hot attic will cure and harden the paint !!! If you get any dust, etc. on it after you paint it (and its dry), use a decent paint brush to clean it. If you use a rag you'll have more lint stuck to it than you can imagine.

The original paint was lacquer on bare meal with no primer. The Rustoleum paint is enamel, and it might not get along with the lacquer. You could do a test.

One coat of lacquer/no primer is very easy to get off with stripper. Much, much easier than exterior paint with 2 coats of primer.

I just took off all the paint from my 69 Barracuda dash frame out of the car. Should be not much labor even if still in the car.

Enamel over cured Lacquer is generally not a problem, however Lacquer over enamel is a problem and requires special sealers etc.
don't really need to primer unless you feel the need. The old paint will act as a primer.

Who in their right mind would do this in the car ?!?!?!

Folks who have a b-body and do not want to remove the windshield would do it in the car. If you don't need to swap the vins hen it is a fine way to go.

If you remove everything and mask off the car it is easy. Paying a shop to do it this way for you would result in a crap job and a high bill.

I'd like to meet the painter who can get good coverage right down where the windshield meets the dash - you know, that area that usually has rust from condensation running down into the corners !!!!

It is not too hard to get that covered. It is not with the gun you paint the outside of the car with.

How do you mask the gasket ??

The amount of time and effort to sand and prep the dash in place and then mask everything to do a quality job far outweighs pulling the windshield to do it right. Some people are suckers for punishment.

Sucker? Thats your opinion. If the car is painted, windshield glass is good and trim is on solid, there is no reason to touch any of it.

LOL ... Earl Scheib paint job !!!

Looks like you are enjoying your version of the story

Well, I started to paint my dash frame with the Rustoleum textured black paint and was pretty disappointed. It looked waaay to grainy to me. Kind of like black sandpaper. The original paint on my dash was not gritty like that at all. Fortunately, I only painted one corner of the dash and stopped so I was able to sand it back off in order to start over. I had decided on the Rustoleum textured black after reading some previous posts about dash paint where it was recommended if you were not going for the 100% factory original look. I guess I will go with a satin or matte black instead since that is what the original paint looked like to me.

If you want the best results use a proper automotive paint and spray it on with a gun. You can buy a good restoration quality paint from Mike Mancini at Instrument Specialties.

I think the problem is holding the can ! You have to spray evenly and go the whole length of the dash in one pass. Light coats are better than heavy. Make sure you shake the can well and keep shaking after each pass. Also, make sure to press the nozzle all the way down - I noticed that failing to hold it all the way down results in "dry" spots, almost like its spraying whatever the additive is but not enough of the liquid.

Here's a shot of two pieces - original versus the rustoleum