easy roll cage paint prep Question

fresh bare metal roll cage. I will prep it with wax/grease remover then spray it with some rattle can black enamel that the paint shop recommended. My question is how should I prep the bare metal? steel wool? sandpaper? (what grit) or nothing at all. thank you for your time.

I give it a going over with 120. Wipe it down with acetone. Light coat of self etching primer. Use Krylon 5 ball paint. Depending on what it is, I may do it in sections. You have to be able to keep it all wet to avoid overspray and have it shine.

sounds like a plan. thanks bro

Just finished my rollcage sand it with 220 grit preclean wax and grease remover primed it then sprayed it with VHT wheel paint then clear coated it with VHT clear coat for wheels. turned out great

Grease & wax remover first, a couple of times, wiping it dry.
I'd use 220 or 320 dry, then a good wipedown.
Mask the bejeezus out of the interior.
Start with the hard-to-reach areas.

I like to use a color that matches or compliments the interior, like B7 in a blue-interior Mopar for example.
If you have a clear-bra shop near you, some of that on the wear spots helps keep the cage nice.

Another thing you could try is the Home Depot Hammered (Rustolem?) enamel finish. Brush strokes disappear, finish looks great and is very durable. If you've never used it before its like a paint you've never put on before. But wear a respirator. I don't know what is in that stuff, but it is volatile.

i would just pour the wax and grease remover on a red scotch brite pad, scrub the roll bar, wipe the bar down again wax and grease 2 times and paint.

in the bodyshop where i work i have wax and grease in a sprayer so i spray it directly on the surface then i would scrub with the scotch brite.

if i were doing this job myself i would spray it with PPG epoxy primer catalyzed with 401 and spray it out with a prevail spray bomb. and then paint with a single stage paint with the prevail spray gun.

****NOTE prevail spray guns are just like spray bombs.
https://preval.com/

If there is any rust on the tubing Id use metal prep. Then follow the above suggestions. The brush hammertone sounds like a good idea. Spraying a cage sucks.
Doug

THIS.i use the black ,it turns out to be a dark grey but goes good with any color combo.dont get the spray bombs the brush on looks better and holds up great.Surface prep is key,alot of goog advice so far

POR-15 satin black in a spray can worked well for me. There is a whole system for it - Marine Clean (wax/grease remover) and Metal Prep (metal etch) that you use before the paint. Painted it right when I got it home from the chassis shop so there was no visible rust. Painting wasn't too bad though putting the panels, carpet and headliner back in was a nightmare.

Put clear vinyl on the wear areas to keep the paint intact.

Good comprehensive info. thanks guys! It is this years' stock car & at least at this stage I don't have to worry about overspray . Racing is tentatively still on but they are going week by week.