Car Prepping Question.

[B-Money]

My cars paint is pretty much gone from the AZ sun, so I started to do some bodywork on it. I wanted to know if i should sand it down to bare metal and primer or just scuff the paint. i read somewhere that it might just be better to scuff the paint because it was sprayed on in the proper enviroment. So which do you recomend?

thanks

 

[poonman]

The only time you need to go down to metal is when you have a rust spot to take out, the best thing to do is use some 120 all over the car then 220,400 then a nice swipe with 1500-2000,

if your car isnt to bad you can just use WET 400 its just like using 2000 dry, once sanded i would recomend a epoxy primer since you have high heat and then use a good PPG paint, dont let them tell you it needs this and that, just make sure you do not skimp on prep labor. the better prep= better paint.

 

[guitarhero14]

Definitely do not JUST scuff it. What I would recommend is once all your body work is done hit everything with 320, if you are skilled at a DA sander then your prep time will decrease considerably. Next once everything is nice and smooth then scuff with a red 3M prep pad. You can use wet 400 if you so desire but is not necessary. If your body is in rough condition you could primer the whole thing next and then block down and reprime if needed.

Next blow everything off and give it a good wipe down with some prepsol and start taping.

I would highly advise using a good sealer before you lay down any paint, this will help your paint adhere and reduce the number of base coats, since a correctly tinted sealer will help with coverage.

 

[InfiniteGSX]

Yeah... Prep work for paint is like working out! ... you cant give it your all here and there... and just half ass specific area's... the area's you half ass, you'll notice! And it wont be a good thing! Best way to sand a vehicle down, is also the hardest cause its the most time consuming and it takes the most effort, By Hand! The reason its the best is because you can focus on area's that other sanders can't.... for corners, do it by hand! For big area's like a hood, door, hatch fenders... what not... what I like to use which works out GREAT for me, is go get about 20 round pads of sand paper, and make sure you clean the back of a buffer with some brake cleaner so the pads can stick... and go at it with that... I love doing it that way cause it gets down and dirty with the sanding and covers large area's without jolting your hands. If you have bumps that you can't pull out and your just going to bondo it... Use a block of wood or sanding block with some sand paper to make sure its surface is flat... using something with a cushion could flex inside the dent and when you paint, you'll still have a dent.

Best way to paint, is to disasemble the car as much as possible, Fenders, doors, hood, hatch, wing, mirrors... everything your going to paint, just so you can focus on that part as a whole. IF you have them all together, I noticed that you get side tracked and dont focus too well on a specific area and you'll have uneven paint.

Hard parts, Roof! The only way you can trully paint, is Horizontal... and a roof... well thats kinda difficult and could cause you to screw up and get alot of run spots.

So be careful and take pride in your work and you'll do fine!