I started on my car's paint, But im new at this!!

[OrangeMustangGt]

i would like to ask a few questions about paint prep: right now im going to start using 320 grit sand paper, here are a few questions, how do i know when to stop sanding the stock paint, i know through the clear but how do you tell when your deep enough?. Also, can i hand sand it, or do you guys have other suggestions? Next, what grit should i finish with before i spray the primer (70 a gallon i just found out!) i do plan on using bondo to fill all my dents, etc. how does my plan sound? also what type of cleaner should i use right before the primer is sprayed? also any other tips would be great! thanks guys!

 

[shelbe67]

you really dont have to sand through the clear.what you have to do is sand it so that there is basically no shine to the original paint that is left. 320 is fine b4 priming as the primer will fill in the minor scratches but b4 you paint you should use 600 grit then thoroughly clean your car with a wax/grease remover and use a tack cloth to clean the dust off b4 you do the paint. also b4 you do any bondo work you should take the area that you are working on and sand it down to bare metal this will give the bondo someplace to adhere to as it is meant to be applied to bare metal for best results.if the spot you have to fix is not that deep you can use spot filler in that area and not have to take it down to metal.spot filler you can use right over the primer. Make sure that you try to pick up some tools such as a long board you can go to n autobody shop and pick one up for like twenty bucks believe me it helps alot! oh and make sure that you go beyond the dent or ding like about three inches so you can feather out the bondo. sorry this is so long but I just did my 67 fastback not too long ago so I have alot of info to share some might be right some might be wrong but all of it I read from a book and as soon as I find it I'll post it for you this book was extremely helpful possibly the best book so far ( I think anyway) hope this helps

 

[1105]

first off, start by filling in your dents. Sand the dented area with 80 grit paper, bondo it up, take the bondo down with 180 grit, then move to 220, then 400, spray with primer, sand that with 400, then spray with primer once more time and leave that alone for now.

Once all of your dents are filled in and the body is smooth, start wetsanding the whole car with 400 grit so the whole car has a dull look to it... You see a place that looks to shiny, sand that or else the paint wont stick that well. I think I just hand sanded my car before paint... You dont need to go through the clear, just as long as the surface is nice and scratched up for the paint to stick to.

After that, get some tach cloths (?) which are sticky cloths that are used to wipe down the car to remove and dirt, dust, etc from the surface, then wire the car down a chemical (check with the paint store to see what kind) to remove any grease left behind from finger prints and anything else... Oh yea, mask the car off before you wipe it down. Once all thats done, you're ready for paint.

 

[mo_dingo]

And the most important thing to remember is, you need a dust free enviroment. If you don't, anything that is floating around will get on the paint.

When I paint my car, I am going to build a paint booth out of PVC & clear tarps. Then get a circulatory system that sucks out the air, and replaces it with dust free air. Then you are free to paint.

A couple tips on painting. First, when painting, you want to begin spraying the paint BEFORE you reach the object to be painted, and continue spraying after you point the gun away from the object. Never start spraying while you are pointing at the object. Likely, you will spray too much & get runs.

Next, you don't want to paint it too thin, or too thick. Too thick leads to runs. Too thin leads to orange peeling. There is a happy medium that you need to find. This will entail you getting something to practice with, like a old bumper from the junkyard.

When spraying, you want to be perpendicular to the surface of the object. i.e. if you are painting the doors, you need to keep the gun level, and follow the contours of the door. If a section of the door has an angle of 10* upwards, point the gun such that you are spraying perpendicular. When you are ready to paint the lower section, don't point the gun down to paint, move the gun so you are spraying straight forward (always level).
Scott

 

[blksn955.o]

You can use scotch brite pads to scuff the paint on the area you didnt do work to, the idea as stated before is to get a rough (although slight) surface for the new paint/primer to grip to. You will have to blend the areas that need more sanding into the one another so that is were you should work with diff. grit sandpaper. Uniformity is key.

as far as bondo goes, make sure you dont make the layer too deep on any one pass, it is better to layer it so the bondo will not be too thick while it dries as this will produce cracks quick. Do it in layers and keep going over it and over it with sandpaper and a block (a DA or air "paddle" ,big narrow rectangle looking,sander would be best) the more you layer and sand the better it will be.

There are two schools of style on the bondo/dent repair, one being to have bare metel and the other is to have the bare metel sealed or primed and then filler. The important thing is that the surface has a rough tex. of 50-80 grit. maybe 100 grit so the filler holds.

also for any holes such as ground FX holes, use a ball part of a ball hammer to make a cup (after sanding down to grit bare metel) so the filler has a bit more surface to hold and not just over a hole.

 

[95BLKGT5.0]

Go To
http://www.autobodystore.com
This site has everything you need to learn how to paint.
There is a classroom and a forum.
This is the best site on the web for painting and I have painted cars for over 15 years.