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Hi Lincoln, Good choices :o). I'll give my own opinions: Certainly for the cast surfaces you do not need a surfacer. For the sheetmetal you may need one, in order to get a glass-smooth surface necessary for a glossy topcoat. If you have any sandscratches coarser than 400 grit, you should plan on using a surfacer over the epoxy. You can try sanding the epoxy with 400 but it really doesn't sand well and the use of a surfacer is quite appropriate for sheetmetal. If you want a recommendation for an iso-free surfacer that can be used w/o fresh air breathing equipment, let me know. Another advantage of using the surfacer is that once you get it applied you will avoid having to comply with the maximum 72hr time window for topcoating the MP170 w/o scuffing and reapplying. You can put the epoxy either over or under the bondo. Another good reason for epoxy over etch. I personally prefer the epoxy first but the other way around works just as good, especially if you rough up the metal for a good tooth for the bondo to bond to. Some prefer it that way. I find my bondo work usually takes several applications and I want to get any bare metal primed right away to avoid any flash rusting rather than waiting for me to mess around with the dings. That's why I like epoxy first. My cost two years ago for the MP170 was $39.09 for a gal plus $7.32 for a qt of MP175 catalyst that is needed to go with it. You'll need two qts of the MP175 to fully catalyze an entire gal since the mix ratio is 2:1. Unlike most other two-part products, there are no isocyanates in the epoxy catalyst. I am sure the costs are a little more now and they may be dependent on region. D.Mac has some recent costs to him in his post below. I also got a qt of orange MAE two years ago for about $12 or $13. I have no idea what it is today. I wouldn't expect it to greatly more on a local basis. Just make sure you understand the pitfalls of using an enamel w/o a hardener. There are some and if you are aware of them before hand, you will have a better idea of what you can do and what you can't. For my own opinions on what they are, see this previous post of mine. Also get the tech sheets for the MP170 and the MAE from the web site posted recently below by both myself and CNKS. They will provide you with a lot of detailed usage instructions that you won't find on the can labels.  Rod
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