got it primed.... now what?

Make sure you have enough primer on the hood. You definitely have to wetsand the primer with 600 grit sandpaper before spraying the basecoat. Wetsand it until the primer is smooth. Clean the primer with a good low voc surface cleaner and a tac cloth after it has been wetsanded. Spray two wet coats of basecoat on. Do not sand the basecoat. Allow the basecoat to dry, and then spray the clear. You spray clear exactly like you want it to look, so nice and wet almost to the point of running. Two coats of clear should be plenty. Wetsanding the clear after it dries is up to you. If you choose to do so use 1500 grit paper. You will then have to buff the clear with a high speed buffer and a compound designed to remove 1500 grit scratches. This can be tricky if you have never done it before.

Why wetsand the primer? I drysand mine when I do it (takes a couple of sprays and re-sands, but gets there). I try to keep moisture as far away from what's under the paint as possible.

when I did my mirrors I drysanded the primer and resprayed the primer till it looked really smooth and then I moved onto the base coat , sprayed three coats of base letting dry for a bit between each one,, then let fully dry and wetsanded after wetsanded then see if it looks/feels total smooth,, if so then add clear 2-3 coats will befine,, becarefull so you only need to wetsand alittle , then wait a few days and polish,,
-fred

Wetsanding the primer is how I was taught to paint, and have never had any problems using this method. Of course you want the primer to dry between coats, and then be fully dry after wetsanding before adding the basecoat. I couldn't see the picture of your hood, so I can't really say what it should look like after you add the clear. The basecoat should look smooth though. The basecoat will not have much shine or gloss without the clear, so maybe that is why you are worried. An old trick is to sray a little water on top of the basecoat after it is dry. The way the basecoat looks through the water is basically the way it will look once the clear is applied. If you try this make sure the basecoat is dry and cleaned with the low voc surface prep and tac cloth before applying the clear. Remember, clear must be srpayed the way you want it to look once it is dry. So spray it nice and wet, almost to the point of running. Let that coat dry and add another. Two coats of clear is generally plenty.

I have a theory to offer, with regards to clear. If you were to spray two coats, then wait 5 minutes or so, just so it gets a bit more viscous, then spray another coat, then wait a little more, then spray another, is that the way to get a deeper/more coats look?

I've read of people (with show cars) putting 8 coats of clear on, so do they put it all on "at once" or wait for a couple to dry, do a couple more, wait for it to dry etc?

In regards to your theory on clear, the answer is yes and no. An excellent paint job can be obtained by starting with a factory job. First the paint should be wetsanded with 600 grit sandpaper. Of course you must take extra care not to remove the basecoat, especially on the edges. Then shoot a layer of clear. Let this dry and wetsand it with 1500 grit paper. Buff the 1500 grit sracthes out. If done properly this will result in amazing results. The more times you do this the better it will look. However, you really have to know what your doing to start with. Secondly, eight coats of clear is an awful lot on a car that will see daily driver type exposure to the elements. The clear can actually begin to crack if too many layers are applied. You can also run into problems with doors, trunks, hoods closing properly if too much paint is apllied. Simply adding more layers of clear after each has dried will not produce the show car type results you are seeking. Each layer needs to be wetsanded and buffed out. This can be quite labor entensive, and product consumptive, which of course equals expensive. Many people opt to wetsand factory clearcoats and have them buffed out. This is not nearly as expensive, but is not really the way to go. The paint may look great, but you have removed some of the clear coat protection from an already relatively thin layer of protection supplied by the factory. If you want less "orange peel" and a clearer paint job the 600, clear, 1500 buff job at least once is probably the way to go. This process is not cheap, and should probably not be attempted by novices. The risk of ruining your paint job is far too great IMO.

ok cool thanks, the cars with the large number of coats weren't driven cars, totally show I believe.

When buffing, do you use an agent? If so, do you have to strip it afterward to apply the next layer of clear?

I usually use Malco True Grit as a buffing agent. 3M also makes some good agents. After I wetsand the new clear with 1500 I use the True Grit to remove the sand scratches, and then remove any swirls with Meguairs swirl remover. If you want to add another layer of clear skip the swirl remover. Clean the surface with a low voc surface cleaner before spraying more clear, and repeat the 1500 wetsand, buff etc. process after the clear has hardened. If you want to attempt this I highly suggest you practice on some junk body parts first. Body shops will usually give you damaged pieces they were planning on disposing of. These can make nice parts to practice with. You may want to intentionally run the clear during practice to see if you can wetsand and buff out the runs after the clear hardens.

Coool, this has given me faith. I think I'll buy my own compressor and equipment and spray my own car. Oh wait, I'll need a spray booth :\

Sounds like fun to practice though! Thanks for the info.