In an effort to save a few $$$ we are thinking about sanding Fannie ourself. So a few questions. 1) Should we sand the car ourself? 2)We will need to purchase a new sander, any suggestions? 3)I understand the concept of sanding. I have done a few wood projects, will metal be much different? 4) Fannie has a layer of red and black paint over the original paint. Do we need to sand down to the metal or just to the original paint? 5) I have heard that there are products out there similarly used to remove varnish from wood but used to remove car paint. What's your thoughts? 6) Got any sanding tips? My thought was to sand down the parts that are off the car(the fenders, doors, tailgate) and call in a few favories and have these parts repaired by a bodyman friend of hubby's. Then turn these parts and the rest of Fannie, over to Robert(THE BODYMAN)to do the main body repairs and paint. There is no doubt, that there are things that I have not thought about so that's where you guys come in...so brothers lets hear your thoughts.
I'd go to the horse's mouth - your bodyman, for advice. He's the best judge of you car's condition (and your ability / talent). A lot depends on how much you have to sand off to get down to a smooth surface. You don't have to sand off all of the paint - just enough to get it right.
I agree with KK. Get the painter to show you what to do, when to stop, what to leave for the professionals to deal with, and then you can decide whether you want to do it or not. It can be an ugly job and if you don't do it right, you can create a lot of work for yourselves, and cost to repair what you did wrong.
4) Most paint & body men I know say going to bare metal will give the best guarantee of lasting results. 5) paint (aircraft) stripper works well for a lot of people. I have found 80 grit on a DA works just as well for me. 6) 80 and/or 180 grit on a DA sander has worked for me. I also use those 3M plastic roloc paint stripping discs on complex curves and character lines to strip the tough spots, with great results. http://www.shop3m.com/61500132214.html?WT.mc_ev=clickthrough&WT.mc_id=shop3m-AtoZ-Roloc-Bristle-Disc
when sanding with a orbital and heavy grit paper....just be careful not to stay in any one area very long...this can cause heat..which can cause warpage...which gets really expensive
Thanks guys for you info...I was thinking about talking to the bodyguy(Robert). I didn't want to make it worst. And he may not want me messing with it...it might be my car, but it's his job, reputation I'll be fooling with.
Fannie, If you trust him I'd say let it go. Having said that, your shopping list should start with a box of 100 thro' away rubber glovez(A MUST IF YOU WANNNA KEEP YOUR FINGER PRINTS ALONG WITH NO BLEEDING) and the start up list getz real long real quick. 6" Dual Action Orbital Sander. You do have a compressor rite? And the "DA" iz very thirsty. Your compressor will need time to play catchup every few minutez, less you have a commercial size 3 phase type unit. 80- 180- 240 grit(they come indivdual or rolls of a 100) Sanding blocks + those 3 gritz to fit. Your goal iz to not leave 1 square inch shall I say UNSCUFFED. KEEP IN MIND THAT 80 AND 180 GRIT WILL LEAVE SCRATCHES IN PAINT AND METAL THAT WILL SHOW THRU' A NEW PANT JOB IF NOT FILLED AND OR SMOOTHED OUT WITH A FINER GRIT. Plant in your mind that Preperation iz everything with a decent paint job regardless of who'z doing the actual shooting. And disassembly and removal of everything that can come off the car iz part of that. Ask the guy that paid several hundred dollars for a Maaco paint job how long it lasted! New paint or even primer doesn't want to lay down smoothly and stick to ANY WAX, SOLVENT, OR EVEN ANY PREVIOUSLY APPLIED CLEAR COAT PAINT. THROUGH AWAY ANY AEROSOL SILACONE (WD40) TYPE PRODUCTS IN YOUR PLAY PEN. IT IZ THE AIR-BORN ENEMY ANYWHERE NEAR PAINT. ask your painter 'bout that! I'm gonna take ah nap now, Just some food for thought. Jer
Briefly, I just want to say that I would never try to sand my car for a paint job. I have a friend that does body work and, watching him, I realized there are MANY tricks to this trade. Just my 2 cents.
x2 Exactly how I did mine, chemical strippers create more problems than they're worth IMO. It's no big deal, just always keep the sander moving and change the discs soon as they start getting bad. I never did it before, after a few hours I was an expert, practice on flat areas. After it's stripped to bare metal don't use lacquer primer or you'll end up having to strip that off too becuse of incompatibility with most stuff now, it rusts underneath it too. A 2 stage epoxy primer is the best thing to seal the metal with if you have spray equipment, nothing can get through that stuff and it's tough too, you can do any filler needed right over it after scuffing. I used a 5" Dewalt variable speed dual action electric sander to do mine and it worked great, buy lots of sanding discs and the self stick paper in rolls. I get all my supplies from Smartshoppers, great prices and quality stuff, The Kirker Enduro Prime epoxy primer they carry is way less expensive than the big name brands and just as good. I have a small compressor so I bought an Astro LVLP (low volume low pressure) spray gun to shoot the primer and it worked fine, just have to learn to move in slow motion compared to a regular gun but it gets the job done. http://www.smartshoppersinc.com/ View attachment 6152
Has anyone sanded/stripped down to the metal and given it just a clear coat, Delorian style? I've always thought just the bare metal look would be cool, but haven't seen anyone do it.
Deloreans were stainless steel and didn't rust. The slightest chips here and there on a clear coated steel car would rust immediately and would look really bad. Not to mention that it would ultimately rust through.
Yeah, I know they were stainless. Was thinking a solid clear coat might make the look attainable on a non-stainless car (can you imagine a stainless steel full-sized wagon? Heavy). Good point on the easy chipping & rusting though.
As a former professional, i would recomend you to do all the hand-sanding on sharp edges, around the windows, lower part of the body, inside of doors, fueldoor, wheelwells and so on.. The big flat surfaces is a quickie for a pro.. The big panels is always in need of straightening up, and will need filler to get a mirror like finish, so the bodyprep will have to sand down, and ruin the job you have done , simply sanding for a smooth surface.. Wear dust protection for mouth and nose, and be careful with the heavy solvents. Good luck, and keep us updated!
This is a great idea...I could kinda great my hands in there doing areas that most folks wouldn't see fix my need for doing something on this project. And leave the outside, more visible places for Robert. We have been thinking about getting the Texas quarters soda blasted. But I'm nervous about getting it done to soon. Right know the paint is protecting the metal from rusting until we are ready to send the car to the body shop.
