My First Paint Job

[motocrosschump]

Large files

http://www.o-com.net/april24/m4.jpg
http://www.o-com.net/april24/m3.jpg
http://www.o-com.net/april24/m5.jpg


Not Sure how to get the back of the hood down

http://www.o-com.net/april24/m6.jpg

[shifty]

how many coats is that? did you colorsand it after? you can usually get a hella glossy shine out of it if you do, from what i'm learning.

[motocrosschump]

6 coats color 3 coats clear

[sdmahr]

You're gonna think I'm nuts but to get the back of the hood down follow these steps:

Open Hood

Loosen hinge bolts on the fender

Have someone hold the hood open as far as it will go while you tighten back down the hinges on the front fenders.

Close hood

Admire how good it looks.

[motocrosschump]

I am scared to sand on it...lol..I test wet sanding and had to repaint cause I couldn't get the gloss back

[motocrosschump]

Close...
15 in

Next project is
.25 finish patching my floors
.35 Sound Deadner and Carpet
.50 Painting inside (Prob White)
.625 New Weatherstripping
.75 New Seats
1.put new door locks in
1.25 Power Brakes
1.50 Power Steering (only because its harder than Brakes lol)
1.75 New Shocks
1.85 New Bumpers
1.95 Polish and Clear the grill (still can't get that &^*%*%& old bumper off)
2.new front glass
3.Glass tinted
4.new wheels and tires. Prob 18's
5. 5 speed tranny
6.Posi Rear
7.POR the undercarriage
8. Add A/C


You can see my list has grown dramatically by me being to lazy to changing the numbers. Hence the decimels.

[shifty]

Originally Posted by motocrosschump

I am scared to sand on it...lol..I test wet sanding and had to repaint cause I couldn't get the gloss back

what grit? i tried it on my truck and didn't have a problem. i did this after watching the two new dumbos on Trucks TV. they used a 2000 grit, soaked the paper in a water cup, then sprayed a soap/water mix onto the area to sand and basically kept it wet. then follow up with a three-stage buffing and it shines like holy hell.

[67ChevyRedneck]

I'd be dang proud of that. Good job! I plan on painting my truck as well. You can check out the progress of my truck in this thread

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=192693

I won't be using base/clear though, I'm going to use acrylic. I've painted 2 other trucks with it and as long as you don't offroad it (rock chips ) it will actually hold up well.

Do my eyes decieve me, or are those 14" rims???

[Green Machine]

If you replaced the hood to cowl seal with an aftermarket one that may also be holding the back of the hood up, you can trim it down or GM still carries the corrrect replacement part, sorry no parts numbers at the moment.

[motocrosschump]

1000 grit..you think that is the problem?

[LUV2XCLR8]

Looks good

[JAKES 68GMC]

Looks better than anything we could do. Me and paint sprayers mix like oil and water.

[70GMCer]

I'm now just in the process of paint sanding mine. I'm using 1500 wet/dry paper wrapped around a paint stick. That way, you can tear off a strip of it as needed and also sands the flat panels straight. Around corners & edges, I use my palm and sand. I'm then using 3M Perfect-it compound on my buffer. Makes it come up like glass.....It's hard work, but it's worth it in the end....

steve

[shifty]

actually, that was one of the things they mentioned on TV - something about getting some water squeegee to whisk away water any time you want to see what you've done. i think the paper is just to get it smooth with fine lines, then the buffing compound buffs out those fine lines. i'm no body man, but this is what i used to do to get my watch faces nice and smooth again when i was a kid and would scratch the crap out of them skating ramps and street all the time.

[byrd]

you can go as high as 3000 grit, and yes the 1000 grit was a little harshshould have started with 2000 grit and work up to 3000 before buffing to a glossy shine. It also important for the sand paper to be soaked for at least 1/2 hour submerged in the water prior to sanding to soften it up. Just what I learned from the guys at auto ody in high school and also from the Meguiars local dealer.

[LONGHAIR]

A lot of the wet-sanding/buffing process is subjective and depends on the preference of the person doing the job (and the materials available). It also depends upon what you are sanding out...dust nibs, texture, runs, etc. and how far in you intend to sand.

That said the rest is just my opinion......
This assumes a basecoat/clearcoat paint job with adequate film thickness.
I generally use 3M Perfect-it II compound and polish...but there are others that are as good/better.
The main thing is not starting with too fine of a grit and understanding that you will have to go over it twice...minimum. A quick once-over with 1000 grit will do a lot for you. First it helps to "cut" into the surface, making future finer grit sanding easier, plus it just plain works better at knocking off the tops of the nibs. If you are planning on sanding the texture totally out of the paint do a more thorough job with the 1000 grit, if not concentrate more on the bad spots, but at least break the surface of the clear everywhere. Then move up to 1500 grit paper, change the water in your bucket, and go a bit deeper. You will see the 1500 grit actually bring some shine back from the 1000 grit stage. Be sure in all of these sanding levels to keep the surface wet, actually running wet is best. It is as simple as having a wet rag "up-hill" of where you are sanding and squeezing it as you go. When using the Perfect-it compound and a wool pad there really is no need to sand any finer than 1500 grit. You can........it's your arm and money, but it is not necessary. A little soap it the water helps break the surface tension and makes the water cling better. Long term soaking of the paper is not necessary, but try not to kink it, you can scratch deeper than you intend with a ragged/sharp edge. Just fold it in 3rds and keep it clean and wet at all times. If you see "white" where you are sanding, it is too dry. The white should be on the floor. When your paper gives up....turn it or unfold the new side. Don't be afraid to get a new piece, make the paper do the work. If it is worn-out it is not cutting, this is not helping you. Keep the paper flat and beware of your fingers. You should not see finger marks. If you can't keep the finger marks out, use a flat rubber squeegee as a sanding block. If you find a dust nib that you missed before with the 1000 grit, you really should get the 1000 back out. Trying to remove it with the finer paper just polishes the top of the hump, it doesn't take it out.
The same goes for runs/sags....you need to get them totally out with a coarse paper. 800 or even 600 wrapped around the rubber block and used very sparingly/carefully is the way to get it out rather than just rounding it over. Most people are scared of sanding through with the coarse paper, but the opposite is true. If you try to sand out a run with too fine of a grit, you will sand through.... next to the run.
Be extra careful around edges and corners, the buffer cuts faster there too. Also pay attention the where you are sanding, don't sand into an area that you can't get the buffer head into. Door handles, antennas, marker lights and wipers are especially notable areas. It is also wise to put paper over the cowl screen area while buffing, it is very hard to clean the gunk out of there when you are done.
I use the foam pad and polish after buffing, but be sure the entire truck is free of compound first, washing if necessary. Be sure to protect it with a good wax afterward, freshly polished paint is very vulnerable.

[JRB]

Be real careful of the buffer because its realy easy to burn the paint if you get on a not so level place and have the wheel going the wrong way. I know that doesn't sound very technical but my neighbor showed me how to buff my truck and it was the difference between shinny and screwed up. If you dont know how to color sand and buff you would probably be better off to pay the $500 dollars to have it done. It sounds like you have enough material on your truck to color sand it and buff it but just be careful. Also remember that paint can cure and you will see things in the paint after 2 or 3 weeks that you didn't see when you painted it. If your not in a big hurry I would wait at least 2 weeks and let the paint cure before you try to color sand and buff. Good Luck and I think it looks great for your first go around with the paint.
JRB