Paint Prep - Sanding

[lal Naja]

I would guess that you could do some sanding with the DA. If you are an exponent with powered sanders you may be able to sculpt the body to eliminate some imperfections. If you're not an expert users you could end up an even bigger problem.

For perfection you'd have to use various boards and perhaps some custom shape sanding blocks too. It's a small car and withe the right grit papers and some elbow-grease you have it licked in a reasonable amount of time.

Don't forget the guide coat to expose the low areas.

Good luck, Arthur

[bill37341]

Redeye- There's a reason people pay $10-15k to have their cars painted. MOST of the money is spent on bodywork. But you can do it. I've been doing bodywork ( as a hobbyist) since '67 and my current car took me 4 months to get right- and the body was better than most when I started. Clean the car with lacquer thinner at least 4 times. Use 120 grit on the DA just to break the glaze then lay on a coat of high build primer like Feather fill G2. Use the long block to get a feel for the amount of work needed. Harbor Freight has a nice 17" block for about $20, and it is very flexible and will follow the curves better than a stiffer one. Expect to use a gallon or 2 of filler, and a couple gallons of the high build primer. Remember- you can't beat out dents and high places in fiberglass- you must grind or fill them .I hope this isn't a discouraging post, but expect to spend a LOT of time on bodywork- It will be the most rewarding part of the build. Remember-you CAN do it. Good luck, Bill

[RedEye]

Originally Posted by bill37341

Redeye- There's a reason people pay $10-15k to have their cars painted. MOST of the money is spent on bodywork. But you can do it. I've been doing bodywork ( as a hobbyist) since '67 and my current car took me 4 months to get right- and the body was better than most when I started. Clean the car with lacquer thinner at least 4 times. Use 120 grit on the DA just to break the glaze then lay on a coat of high build primer like Feather fill G2. Use the long block to get a feel for the amount of work needed. Harbor Freight has a nice 17" block for about $20, and it is very flexible and will follow the curves better than a stiffer one. Expect to use a gallon or 2 of filler, and a couple gallons of the high build primer. Remember- you can't beat out dents and high places in fiberglass- you must grind or fill them .I hope this isn't a discouraging post, but expect to spend a LOT of time on bodywork- It will be the most rewarding part of the build. Remember-you CAN do it. Good luck, Bill

Hi Bill, et all,

Thank you for the direction and words of encouragement. I think the main idea I'm gathering is to NOT over use the DA or else risk major problems... right?

Thanks guys!

[dallas_]

Originally Posted by RedEye

Hi Bill, et all,

Thank you for the direction and words of encouragement. I think the main idea I'm gathering is to NOT over use the DA or else risk major problems... right?

Thanks guys!

I'd go easy on the DA for sure, especially on the curvy areas. And almost everything is a curvy area.

Most guys recommend washing the body with something to remove the mold release agents, like a good wax remover or even Comet cleaner before you start to sand.

Whatever high build primer you decide on, read the spec sheet to see what grit sanding they recommend prior to spraying that on.

Like bill said, the high build primer is where you are going to succeed or fail on the finished look. That's where you will do your main block sanding to get the smooth base to lay color on. I used Slick Sand and thought it worked really well. It builds up well and sands easily.

I highly recommend the 3M dry guidecoat when you are block sanding your high build primer. It really helps you see the high and low spots.

You will need lots of different shapes and sizes of sanding blocks to get in all the valleys, nooks and crannies. I used a set like this



plus things like a rolled up magazine and other odd shapes.

I had to apply 4 different coats of the high build primer and turned most of it into expensive driveway dust. But it came out pretty good in the end. Just take your time and don't rush the prep work.