Need some advice about prepping car myself

[TrophyHead]

Im gonna prep all the work myself then take it to a shop and get it painted.
Do you guys think I should re-primmer it myself or could I really mess things up? I have a cup gun and air compressor. I'm gonna use sandpaper in grits of 180, 220, 400, and 600. Is 600 a good finishing grit? Im not gonna skimp out on this I want it to look good and have the prep work almost flawless before I take it in.

What about the 1/4 window's do you think it's nessacary to remove them? If so how hard and what kind of tool do I need? I need a new upper front windsheild molding so Im thinking about popping that out. I'm sure I can get the 1/4 windows out but what about back in. Maybe I shoulkd have the shop do this. Headlight, tailights, side mirrors, and side ground effects are coming off. Could they just paint over the door handles or do you have to primmer them really good? I'm trying to save as much as I can with this.

I want a basecaot/clearcoat done how clearcoats should I have the shop lay down? How much should this run me if I get most of the prep done myself? Im thinking about a grand. But it's gonna be red and I heard its expensive? I got my painter and he has a nice shop with a heated booth so he can bake the paint. Not sure about this stuff.

One more question my one side moldings is flaking. Beacuse of the red sticker that came around the moldings from the factory. Is there any special way to get the flaking/sticker off? Dremel?
Also what about the door jams? should I sand or just have them painted over.

Sorry for all the questions this is gonna be my first paint job done. I just want it looking good. Any advice whould be great and am I forgetting anything else? Thanks

 

[HISSIN50]

im not any kind of expert by the slightest means (ok, if i went to a kindergarten class, i would be the expert there). LOL.

my thinkin is (stang is getting painted right now; eclipse got painted two months ago) that doing body filler and stuff like that is good to do if you can. that will save you a pretty penny in labor. for the primer coat and doing guide coats, etc, i suck too much. another thing is that some shops wont warranty the job if you primered it. i worry about shrinking, so i would rather have the monkey on their back. even with body filler areas, they may not warranty those spots, but they should be fewer and further between. it doesnt cost too much (relatively) to have the shop shoot the primer. dong the tear down yourself saves a lot. i always do my own. are you goin to paint the door handles? i personally like the black look (when everything is color coded, it looks like the shop didnt mask anything). i redid mine myself on the car, since they are riveted in. hit them with sand paper, cleaned them and sprayed. im sure my paint job is not anywhere near the quality you are going for, though.

but as i said, i really dont know too much about it all (there is so much to know). some of the decisions i made were based upon the really good advice of a member on here whom i ask about stuff. im lost when it comes to compatibility and all that.
like for some of you questions, i think it matter the type of paint and primer used (as to sand, seal, or primer the door jams, etc).

please, no fights on what i said. i have said that i dont know much at all. please correct me so i can learn.
and searching on various paint and prep topics helps. i did and read several hundred threads about stuff. read them all, as some of the real gems come from threads that dont sound like they pertain to you. thats my best advice. sounds like you know a lot more than me.

good luck. get some pics of the whole ordeal.

 

[mike keirstead]

Finish with a WET SAND. 2000 grit. Then clean it with some final wash and then hit it with a TACK cloth and then 2 coats of GREY primer. Don't use red primer it will show through on a light colored car.


Be very picky. The smallest imperfections will show up and look even worse when the paint hits.

My father painted my car and it looks very good. People actually don't believe it was painted in my garage with a regular paint gun. He did all the bodywork and I did all the sanding. FINISH WITH atleast 1600-2000 grit wet sand paper.

 

[TrophyHead]

Finish with a WET SAND. 2000 grit. Then clean it with some final wash and then hit it with a TACK cloth and then 2 coats of GREY primer. Don't use red primer it will show through on a light colored car.


Be very picky. The smallest imperfections will show up and look even worse when the paint hits.

My father painted my car and it looks very good. People actually don't believe it was painted in my garage with a regular paint gun. He did all the bodywork and I did all the sanding. FINISH WITH atleast 1600-2000 grit wet sand paper.

Mike,
I've always thought wetsanding was done after the paint and clearcoat is put on? So it looks really shiny and no orange peel. Would doing this to almost bare metal make it extra smooth? Would 600 grit be too corase before I wetsand with 2000 grit?

 

[mike keirstead]

I always finish my last sanding stage with wet sand. 600 will show tiny scratches. Use 1200 or so and then 2000. It's up to you what you do. I am just telling what I did.

 

[TrophyHead]

OK Thanks Mike

 

[mike keirstead]

OK Thanks Mike

The more bodyfill you use the more sanding and SMOOTHING you will have to do. The small scratches will show in the body fill more. It is softer.