Preping car for paint help?

[SidewayZ-s14]

Hey guys, ive been reading and searching a bunch and im getting mixed reviews on what grit sand paper to use and how far down im supposed to sand. some people say 500grit grit and some say 1000. I'm a little confused as to what i need to do what i need.

Heres what im doing...Id like to sand and bondo the dents and fix the rust spots on my s14 before i take it in for paint so i can save me some money. I'm pretty sure on the dent ill want to take the paint all the way down to the bare metal so i can then bondo it and sand it flush with the car. What about on the other parts on the car that dont need bondo or rust to be fixed.....

I'm lost as to what grit sand paper to use, and how far to take down the paint. I have the Emerald green color now, and plan on doing black. Any help would be greatly appreciate it.

[japslapsilvia]

1st try and get the dents out as far as you can, hammer/dolly, dry ice etc, filler should only be used for surface imperfections etc. then you can use 90 grit on a DA to "smooth" it and 150 or so on a long board to get it close, and finally 220 to get it finished.

basically you want to get rid off all the clear off the car and "scuff" paint so that the new paint/primer will have something to stick to, i have always used scotch bright pads they will give u a great surface to work with, red scotch brite then green.

are you going to have it painted? or do it yourself?

if ur having it done talk to the painter 1st.

[spartanic]

Go to your local Barnes and Nobel and get a good book on car painting.

[SidewayZ-s14]

I'm going to have it painted. Why have i been reading to use 600grit and wet sand my car? So im basically going to just take off the clear and scuff up the emarld green that is there now, so the primer/paint have something to "bite" to?

[SidewayZ-s14]

Go to your local Barnes and Nobel and get a good book on car painting.

Id rather not spend more than i need to. thought i could come here and get some prefessional advice for free. kthnks.

[s14unimog]

1st try and get the dents out as far as you can, hammer/dolly, dry ice etc, filler should only be used for surface imperfections etc. then you can use 90 grit on a DA to "smooth" it and 150 or so on a long board to get it close, and finally 220 to get it finished.

This is a good tip

PLEASE don't use "bondo" as the universal term for "body filler". There are much better body fillers on the market other than Bondo brand.

when it comes to the actual clear coat ruff down. I recommend 400 wet/dry. You want to properly etch the panel as so the new paint as something to adhere to. MAKE SURE you use some sort of pre-painting cleaner BEFORE you sand. I recommend wash the car, use Prep-All on the panels, wet sand, rinse with water, use Prep All again, then paint.

IF you don't do that you run the risk of embedding more oil and trash into the previous paint and not giving the new paint a good surface to adhere to.

Like the guy said above, get a book and read or just let your guy do it.

There is more to it than you think

[SidewayZ-s14]

Thanks for all the tips! I'll just talk to the painter and see if we can work something out.

-Thanks

[widegts]

come by the shop, and ill show u some ways, shortcuts, and tricks.

[SidewayZ-s14]

come by the shop, and ill show u some ways, shortcuts, and tricks.

Alright sweet! Can i get the directions? I'll stop by tomorrow after school around 1pm or so.