Resto respray

[beejay]

I'm now restoring a Mini, got to the point of welding new metal in and need to start thinking of paint. I've done a bit of spraying and bodywork over the years, learning as I go and had mixed results...

For the underside I'm planning on stripping the paint/underseal/loose rust off, then using Metal Ready and a few coats of POR15. Then a couple of coats of stonechip and maybe some Waxoyl or similar.

For the rest of the car the plan is to strip all the paint back to bare metal then etch prime. I hear zinc based primer is the preferred stuff? (Or is that something else entirely!) Not sure if I then use "normal" primer or go straight to topcoat. I take it theres no issues with using etch primer over filler? There may be a few areas where some high build primer would be useful to smooth things out, guess I should be using that after the etch coat in place of normal primer?

Also, as I'm cutting and welding new metal in what would be the best way of protecting the exposed metal areas? I've been giving them a quick blast of cheap black paint or red oxide (whatever I had to hand) with the intention of removing it later before I apply body filler (as needed) and paint it properly.

Apologies if I'm getting my terminology wrong Any recommendations on how best to approach it is appreciated. I'm not expecting or aiming for a perfect finish but don't want to waste my time doing things wrong!