91RS5spd

Hey everyone, I got two months left before i return from Afghanistan, when i do im going to be diving into my project car to get it prepped and ready for a fresh paint job. I am wanting to do my own prep work with the sanding and removal of the weather-stripping and such.

I just wanted to get an opinion on how far to go with the sanding. I am planning on using a long board sander to do most of the sanding with but do I sand all the way to the metal or just take off the cheap MACAO paint job that's on there now plus a little more?

sailtexas186548

iTrader: (2)

wish i could help but i've got no idea on the paint, but major props for serving! i just signed up for the draft last week when i turned 18, there wont be any complaining from me if i have to go. good luck on the car!

84ls1_transam

The best bet is to sand the off the paint, but don't go down to the metal. The best primer is from the factory. I'm am getting ready to do my own too. I have talked to alot of different body guys and that's what they told me. But they also said if you have alot of body work, going down to metal may be the best be, but make sure you get a good primer. I was told to get all the clear of, and scuff the paint good. If you go to house of kolor they will tell you what grit sand paper.

UNCLE TOM

iTrader: (1)

well i just got my car all back together after paint . remove g.f.x. , bag and label EVERYTHING . repair all g.f.x. , evaluate body , go from there . ( you will have repairs on g.f.x. ) been there done that ( check my profile ) good luck , come home safe .

92BLKL98

I stopped by the body shop that I have repairing the fender bender on my Z today. They were repairing all dings and had the damaged bumper cover off and the new one in the box. The GFX were all removed as well as the spoiler and the new Goodmark cowl induction hood was being prepped for paint. One question I had though, I asked about the tiny 1/8" tear in the roof on the passenger side they said they would fix but they said it would probably come back. I told them it should not since I had the subframe connectors in place but they said they really did not help that much. I know for a fact the car is much stiffer, it rides stiffer, heck I even jack the car from the center to rotate tires and it does not even squeak. I know the frame mods are effective you can feel them in the handling. I can't wait to get it back.

91RS5spd

Thanks for your support of my service to our country I feel like im really not making much of a sacrifice when think of my wife going it alone with my son. They are the ones that to me deserve the thanks.

Anyways, thanks for the advice, ill make sure to not go down to the metal, it makes since that the best primer is from the factory. I think I may just take all the paint off all the plastic panels such as the bumper covers and GFX. Is there a trick to get the GFX off, I tried before I left but couldn't figure it out. It seemed as if it was hanging by one bolt front and rear somewhere but I could never find out where.

bruce lamoureux

iTrader: (1)

the bolts for the gfx are behinde the door panels and the rear set side panels. once you pull the panels you will see them.

jamon8

iTrader: (3)

SEABEES can do!

get yourself an airfile, get one that has six screws on each side where the body of the sander connects to the pad, trust me

use the exsisting paint as primer and sand with the airfile and 80g to get nice striaght panels before priming

nikkev

When you get yours figured out, I'll be over to help. Then we can figure out how to get the 6 inch thick paint off mine!!!!

91RS5spd

an airfile, ill look that up and do some research on it. I don't want to use the small electric sander I have so that's why I was going to use the longboard sander. It covers a large area and give a some what block sanded effect, the airfile sounds like a good tool to have to, thanks for the advice!

Kevin, I think a chisel and jackhammer will be the remedy for your paint lol. Hopefully you buy a cowl or SS hood for yours so we can just skip that part.

North

as long as the clear is scuffed good you should be fine. use a DA sander for most of the body and buy some small scuff pads for getting in the seams and cracks without making dimples from uneven sanding.

just remember for the paint to stick it must have a scuffed surface to stick to.

also, another tip is to sand in long smooth motion so that the surface isn't uneven. I had this problem on the first paint job i did on my truck. If you do this you may see waves up and down the surface if you look at it close horizontally.

hope that helps..

good luck

91RS5spd

good advise north, what grit did you use? I have a layer of macco paint im wanting to take off so does that change the grit I want to use?

kcb37

It depends on how much paint is already on your car?
Is it a factory paint job?
If so it won't take much sanding.
What branch are you in?
Also if it's a project and you are planing to repaint it, wait to drive it until you have it painted.

Where is the car now, how much has it been driven in snow, in what states and how much rust is on it?

I know you want to drive it, but don't. You will have a better outcome if you wait.

jamon8

iTrader: (3)

air file= striaght line sander

dont use a da

they are for body work and stripping panels

the airfile will use the paint on your car to make the panels straight

just make sure there is 6 screws instead of 4

i have gone through way to many of the 4 screw type

for more info ask

91RS5spd

No, it's has a layer of maaco paint that needs to be taken off, the car is currently in SC (car has only been in TX and SC) and has never been ran in snow, it does have some rust on the roof that's going to be taken care of but the rest of the car is rust free, actually im surprised at how little rust it has.

I know what you mean about not driving it, I have my wife's cars that I can drive so when I start the prep I will have a ride. As much as I don't like my wife's Jetta that 1.8T engine really moves lol. Oh, almost for got. Im in the AF.

91RS5spd

I looked up the air file you were talking about and at first i thought you were out of your mind because the only ones i was finding were ones that looked like actual small metal files. Then i saw what looks like to me a small version of a longboard sander and thought ah that must be it lol. I wish i could see the two side by side and compair. It how ever they are the same concept and the air file is cheaper so ill look more into that. Thanks for the advice!

billybird

wetsand the whole car with 400 grit...you can go rite to base coat with that(i work at a body shop)

84ls1_transam

Do you have to do anything to the plastic before painting it. Obviously sanding it, but there are some spots with no paint on it. Any type of special primer to put on that?

jamon8

iTrader: (3)

etch primer

gordo420

iTrader: (1)

don't forget to use a flex adgent on the bumpers (bull dog) in comes in a can for a spray gun that can be mixed or a rattle can so the paint flexes, aslo if you are using a fiberglass hood I'd squirt some bulldog on it as well.
One more thing,

vendetta

not to jack , but is this really important? i never heard this before?
im planning on doing the prep to save money on mine and am just curious on this stuff.

Wolnam

Its easier then you think to prep your car. My wifes uncle is an auto body painter and did my car for me jusy a month ago.

I did all the prep work work myself.

If you have body work, take the paint off right to the metal, bondo it, and prime it. As for the rest of the car, use a 400 GRIT sandpaper, anything courser, you may see the sanding lines when painted. The idea is to remove the clear coat off the paint. You will know you have sanded enough when you can no longer see a shine on the paint.

The advice from my wifes uncle was to use an orbital sander. It gives the smoothest finish and allows for the best surface for paint.

I took picks of my car in the stages of prep. I can send you some picks if you'd like. Let me know.

vendetta

ive got 2 layers of paint tho, black then the original blue, should i just go down to the original primer? and id like some pics if there handy

micktroup2

Firstly, talk to the shop that is doing the paint, so any products like filler and primers that you use will be compatible with the final paint...

The idea is to a) get the body STRAIGHT and b) give a good surface for the paint to adhere to. If that means taking it down to metal, so be it (spiderwebs, cracks in the paint etc). You want to only remove as much paint as is necessary to do these two things.
As others have said, the factory primer should be the best.

I would start with a long board with something a bit agressive, like 120 or even 80 grit, to knock that Maaco stuff off. Sand in long strokes with the board at 45% across the panel so you are not cutting grooves.

Once that top layer is removed, spray a contrasting guide coat and switch to something a little less agressive- maybe even a 400. Repeat the sanding process until you remove the guide coat off the high points. Any guide coat showing will be in the 'valleys'.

Spray the low points or the entire panel with a 'high fill' primer, let dry, then the guide coat and repeat. You may need to use some glazing putty or spot filler, depending on how deep any 'dings' are...

You will have to do this several times more than likely, until the panel is perfectly straight.

THEN move on to the next panel. It is a long process, but the more sanding you do, the straighter the panels and the better the paint will look- in fact, if you make that bodywork perfectly straight and smooth, the paint job is really secondary. It will make any job look better!

Make sure the paint shop is going to do a full wetsand/buff and polish on the finished job, too! Here is the order of importance for making a good paint job a GREAT paint job:

1) PREP (sanding, sanding, sanding!)
2) Wetsand the finished paint
3) Painting itself

Good luck! And I hope those 3rd Geners in the area can help you out personally too!!