Prepping for roller painting questions

Ive used rustoleum tractor paint quite a bit and am very happy with it. When I used it with brushes for small parts I was always impressed with how well it flattened out. As far as sanding goes there isn't really any rules you need to follow, the finer you go the smoother it will be, and that may or may not show through, but it doesn't sound like that matters a whole lot.

Here is my tractor after rustoleum rusty metal primer and two coats of international red paint through a $20 harbor freight gun.

I finished sanding before primer @ 220 grit.

You can check out my notes here:

Minimum viable product "build" thread

I used tractor supply primer and paint.  It held up great the last time I saw it which was about two years after it was painted.

I did this with my challenge CRX-results below. Notes:

1. Many thin coats is best, I used thinned out rustoleum, various types of sand paper and a buffer for the final coat. Because enamel will continue to harden it makes sense to take care of it for a few months and buff it out again at that point.

2. I didn't use primer and regret it. I would spend as much time as possible getting the primer finish to where you want it. Thin coats of paint essentially provide the pigment, and the "finish" is provided by the primer.

3. I used the original MOPAR thread already posted. 

Follow up question, and maybe one I should have asked before the priming questions. I've sanded the whole Jeep with 400 grit. How do I get all the dust and grit off? I wiped it off with a dry towel, but it still feels dusty.  At first I was thinking washing with dawn to remove any grease grit,  but I assume regular washing is out due to water getting on the bare metal spots. What about a acetone or mineral spirits rub? 

^ Blow it down with shop air, wash with Dawn, blow with shop air, wax and grease remover, blow, tack rag if you're fancy.

Go pick up a gallon of wax and grease remover. Not like you'll never need it again.  It's the best product for the job.

Tack rag, yes. Or, wrap a bunch of sticky tape around your hands and just blot all over it. It's a Jeep, so not that big.

A box of tack rags should work just fine. My vote goes under spray cans. I've had good luck with Sem EZ Coat and Norton Revive E-Coat. You can use them as primer with no issues. Also, 2K spray cans are a great option. I used a 2K Spraymax black can on a wrought iron table that sits on my patio all year round. No issues so far but they only make black and white colors in 2K cans. Maybe look for a Rust-Oleum tractor can in a blue? I think they make some blue options. You can find those lots of places.

Eastwood makes a roll-on primer.

Whelp, I did it. Rust oleum bare metal primer, rolled on with a shoe fine roller, and tight spots with a foam brush. Everything came out great except the hood. It ended up with some lines. It and the tailgate are the only parts off the other Jeep, but the hood didn't like the primer the same.  The two pics below show the lines in the hood.  I guess I'll sand that off and prime again.