mark:
sand all surfaces; even the flat doors/hood in a cross-hatched fashion. Sand on a diagonal, then reverse and sand on the other diagonal. This keeps one from making troughs. On the curves(top on fenders) never sand front to rear(makes flats); but rather, about 45 to 60 degrees. Also sand (60 deg) from center, over the curve to side. Then go the other way, from the outside over the curve toward the center, again making that cross hatched pattern. You need you use a professional type long board; one that uses the 18x2in sand paper strips that clamp into the ends of the long board. Using the long board, never sand "inline with the board", but rather you slide the whole board at the 60 deg angle. Effectively sanding "kind of sideways(60 deg) with the long board.. Never sand straight. fore and aft with the long board. Get all you suppies at the "professinal body paint suppliers; not your auto stores. After the first sanding; get some 3M Evercoat; its a black powder that you apply to the primer. When you sand it the first time you will notice odd dark and light patches. The light is where you have sanded all the black evercoat off and it's a high spot. The dark is a low spot that has yet been sanded. After a while(several primers and sandings you will start to notice the evercoats is sanding off more uniformally; meaning your getting in flat and smooth with no lows/high spots.
Also, use for a first coat a black primer( I used one gallon PPG epoxy sealer/primer for the first two coats. Sand that once, using 100G. Then put on 2 heavy coats on sanding primer(use light colored). As you 100G that, you will notice that the surface will look like a zebra, black base coat showing thru the light primer. This will also give you a good feel for the high and low surface quality. After about 2 more gals of primer you will get it perfectly flat. You don't build up the pimer very thick, you sand most of it off. As you wet sand toward the end with 320 or 400 wet, use a hose as you sand, if you reflection looks wobbley, your not quite there. When the wet reflection looks like a mirror, your GOT IT!!.
Finish with wet 600 black paper) for the final surface before paint.
Dont forget the painter cardinal rule; the paint will not coverup anything; it only magnifies defects; get the primer better that perfect!! Just remember; patience and lots of dust!!
I keep thinking of more. for the inside curves, use foam blocks, sponges, dowels, radiator hoses, paint rollers work good, to use as sanding blocks for the sandpaper.
gn
