5.0 Paint Experience Paint.. Help... Please!!!

[AnthonyR23]

Hey.. guys.. any input.. much appreciated!!!!

So what I've done:
Took off ground effects... Sanded whole car down... to more than original primer in some spots... etched bare metal spots..masked and degreased/cleaning thoroughly ... primed with (paint shop's recommended... primer... hardener combo...) then sanded body thoroughly.. sanded and primed the gt ground effects with plastic primer... and put them on the body... (the paint shop actually gave me a few cans of base coat/ or some sort of sealing paint that I painted the primer underneath where the ground effects went on top of.... cause I heard it isn't good to leave primer bare... so after that I put the ground effects back on... sanded everything down!!! and primed anything plastic with a plastic adhesive promoter.. and primed everything once again that was down to metal/steel with a etching primer.. once that dried I primed all plastic once again with the plastic adhesive promoter.. and once that dried... coated the whole thing with the primer that was recommended...

Questions: The primer with hardener is 4 to 1... and I find it is very course... maybe that is part of the process... the next stage after sanding the primer down with something at least as fine as 400 grit... the next stage is to mix the base that was recommended 2 to 1 with a reducer that I already purchased.. just need to pick up the paint... anyways.. once the color is on... after 15 minute .. coats.. after about 45 minutes I put two coats of clear on... after that.. I'm not sure what to do.. I think I remember reading that you should wet sand after that... my dad thinks after the final coat that its done... which may be completely right...

Last question is about... the doors of the conv.. which I may post in another thread cause I may not get a response here... too long!!! Anyways... if I grab the door I can easily lift it up and down... so obviously something is worn... and the gap on the passenger side between the fender and the door is good.. but the gap beside the driver side door and the fender is awful.. it rubs.. and the door easily moves up and down like the other one.. any advice on how to fix this... I have just primed the car ... needs sanding and touch ups.. so I'm not too stressed.. but just don't want to put the final coat on before fixing the problems..

I apologize for the long post!!!!! Any input would be great!!!

 

[91lxttrim]

You have to replace the pins in the door hinge. The hinges themselves are welded on so the hinges and bushings get replaced.

Once you are ready to paint you want to give the car about three coats of base to make sure you get good coverage. Then make sure your painted surface is clean of any imperfections and dust before you clear it.

Reduce everything down like the directions say. If you clear coat seems a little thick you can add more reducer but be careful cause that's how you get runs and sags. Try to do at least three coats of clear for the wet sanding.

Once the clear has hardened, you can buff it one of two ways. You can just knock down the orange peel with some 1500 grit then buff with 3M Perfect It rubbing compound and polishing compound (with a foam pad). Or if you wanna live life on the edge and have a killer smooth paint job, you can cut it down with 800, 1200, then 2000 then buff and polish. It will look like glass but you have to be VERY careful not to burn through...

Here's a before and after... the left side has been wet sanded and buffed. the door still has orange peel, and a dusty pic of the fender...

View attachment 384026

 

[AnthonyR23]

Hey thanks for the reply!!! I was told by the paint place to only put 2 coats on.. they said that they have heard of some people who put too many coats.. I'm sure 2 or 3 would be almost the same... but anyways that have paint jobs that end up being brutal... foggy or something... have you ever heard of this... I guess.. I'm kinda nervous about cutting through though like you said.. that pic is really nice... good job!!! Like a mirror!! About the door... so would I have to have the hinge rewelded.. and cut off... to replace it.. or would just the pins and bushings do it.. would that fix the problem with the gap... how do I re-adjust the door.. needs to be pulled towards the back of the car... gap is too big near the back.. and rubbing at the front.. I am going to fix the imperfections before applying the base... I was told to spray the clear 45 minutes after the final base.. so the clear can kinda seep into the base.. while it is still wet... well not wet.. but not dry.. that sound right?? I'm at the stage where I have only a few problem areas that need to be blocked sanded.. and I am going to hit it with about 400 grit once.. then I'm pretty much ready.. but I don't want to do anything till I figure out this door situation!! Thanks so much for the reply... Oh about the gritty feeling.. is that normal for the primer to be gritty like that??? feels like sand paper..