Posted by: Mavaholic ®
2001/07/09, 16:12:26
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There are too many variables but I'll try to give the basics. First it depends on what is on there now & the condition. If your current paint is rough, then you should sand it completely off starting with about 180 and reprime. Its more work with this grit but less chance of gouging the surface with rougher grits. If its in pretty good shape, then you can use 360 on most of it & only use 180 on the rougher parts, followed by the 360. To get the quality look, you should do a final wet sand with 500-600. Use a garden hose turned on large trickle to get a continuos flow of fresh water. Don't use a bucket cause 1 piece of 40 grit dirt can gouge a half hour's work. The smoother the body, the better chance of a nice job. Any dings down to bare metal will have to be feathered out & primed. Unfortunately, even if you feather them out, dings will usually show up in your new paint because the bare metal surface is lower than the painted surface. Unless you build it up with primer. That's why its better to sand a car to bare metal & start over. The further you feather it out, the less noticeable it will be, & the less build up you'll need. But, the darker the color & the more shinny the surface, the harder it is to hide. I would recommend staying away from DA air sanders because most people have a tendency to tip them up & make things worse. also you can take the crisp body lines out of your car with them. Use a good rubber sanding block. If your old paint is staying on, make sure a sealer is sprayed on first to seal it up. Because your clear coating the car, it can also be sanded & buffed after its sprayed. Car Craft recently had a great article on sanding & buffing (Aug 2001) so read that if you can get it.
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