Paint bubbled months later-how to prevent??

Yup Epoxy or Etch is the way to go over bare metal. Remember to wipe it down with wax and grease remover a couple time before you spray.

X2

use something to clean before you paint before you primer before you put on filler. degrease it or it will not stick as well.

you can even use rubbing alcohol if you dont want to buy body shop solvent

everything sticks better without grease (even fingerprints have a bit of oils in them)

http://www.eastwood.com/pre-painting-prep-12-cans-cs.html