Paint/Body

I'm working on the body of my 66 Coronet, and I'm having trouble getting the layers of paint to even out with the rest of the car; what is the best way to tackle this situation?

Even though i know its not recommended, I am going to try to paint the car myself with a spray gun. If anyone has any experience when it comes to CFM/PSI and spray guns, please let me know.

What paint product are you using? What kind of reducer are you using? What spray gun are you using? What is the fluid tip your using? How big is the compressor your using?

More info needed to help.

i haven't started the painting process yet; i am still working on the body itself. So i was hoping to receive some suggestions/answers to the questions you are asking me.

Use a sanding block, paint paddle, something to wrap your paper, then keep it flat against the body of the car. Sand as large an area as needed to feather out the repair you're working on. You can't try to keep it as small as possible and expect it to feather right. How many coats of paint are you trying to feather? If it's more than primer and two coats, odds are you really should strip that panel, and if it's really old paint like enamel with no hardner, you'll almost certainly have to strip it, cause that stuff's almost impossible to feather right.

once you have it feathered out, primer over it to help build the area back to the paint level, sand, primer again, and repeat as necessary. Depend on FEEL to tell if it's feathered more than how it looks. Lay your whole hand flat, and move it quickly with very little pressure to see how the panel feels. If you can feel a disturbance and not smooth metal, it means it need more work.

Use a sanding block, paint paddle, something to wrap your paper, then keep it flat against the body of the car. Sand as large an area as needed to feather out the repair you're working on. You can't try to keep it as small as possible and expect it to feather right. How many coats of paint are you trying to feather? If it's more than primer and two coats, odds are you really should strip that panel, and if it's really old paint like enamel with no hardner, you'll almost certainly have to strip it, cause that stuff's almost impossible to feather right.

once you have it feathered out, primer over it to help build the area back to the paint level, sand, primer again, and repeat as necessary. Depend on FEEL to tell if it's feathered more than how it looks. Lay your whole hand flat, and move it quickly with very little pressure to see how the panel feels. If you can feel a disturbance and not smooth metal, it means it need more work.

There seems to be more than two coats of paint for what i can tell. There is also bondo under some of the paint in certain places. Would stripping the paint cause damage to previous bondo? And what is the best way to strip the paint?

There seems to be more than two coats of paint for what i can tell. There is also bondo under some of the paint in certain places. Would stripping the paint cause damage to previous bondo? And what is the best way to strip the paint?

Sorry, my bad, I misunderstood your first question.


BuckNeccid is settin' it straight for ya.

If you are a beginner, something that might help you feel the bondo or the paint to tell if it's wavy is to put a soft paper towel in between your hand and the car. Then move your hand back and forth.

i can definitely tell that the paint layers are making it uneven. I'm just having a lot of trouble evening out the paint itself. Im using a block sander I picked up from Home Depot, and an electric hand sander from HarborFreights.

So far, I have been pretty successful with the bondo, but when it comes to the toop layer of paint that has been chipping of the car, I can't even it out.

I will try to get pictures of the spot when i can.

It's just how I'd do it, but if there's previous plastic, take it out and make sure it's done right. It can hide a multitude of sins from someone who just wanted to fill it and get the car painted and gone.

yea, stripping the paint can and probably will disturb the surface of the original plastic, so that's another reason to take it out. If you do and want to try the repair yourself, Again, don't be afraid to take the repair area larger than you think is needed. You can and will sand off the excess. Once again, the blocking applies, use something to wrap your paper on, get the rough contours, then go to finer paper till you feel you're close. Prime, sand, prime, feel the surface. It's a process that takes a lot of patience.

One thing I didn't mention before, if you're feathering it right, once it's close to feathered, and with paper as fine as about 180, you should start seeing the edges looking almost soft, almost like you can see thru them, sorta cloud like. You'll understand what I'm saying once you see it.

This is what I have been using

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40070

This is similar to what i also use:
http://www.paintnstaininc.com/hand_sander_edited.jpg

previous plastic? i haven't even started the priming and painting the body.

i put a 220 grit sand paper on the electric sander and went over the spots, and it seems like it is really helping. I'm going to keep working on it another day when i got more light.
Thanks for the advice

Previous plastic = earlier bondo.

The electric sander is actually a finish sander, and it moves pretty fast to be trying to work that paint down. The sanding board would be better for it in the long run. One mistake almost everyone makes (me included) is to try and use power tools where we actually should be using hand powered. With the powered sander, keep it moving. Don't leave it in one spot to try and work down that particular place. Always moving, semi circles over and around the spot you're trying to repair.

What type of sandpaper are you using? If it's the normal brown quartz paper you get most everywhere, cheap, it's going to take you one heck of a lot of it to do what you're doing, and in the long run, more than a decent quality automotive prep sand paper. Check an auto paint supply store and get some paper there. You'll be glad in the long run. At the very least, 80 grit to rough it in, 220 to finish before you prime.

Buck hit it on da head!!! You may save money now on cheap sandpaper, but you get da good stuff and you'll save on ass-aches later... don't forget patience, patience, patience!!!

Im using a sandpaper that i bought from HomeDepot called 3M. Its about 7 buck for 25 sheets.

If you could let me know of better sand papers and grits, ill be sure to look into it.
Thanks for all the help.

Previous plastic = earlier bondo.

The electric sander is actually a finish sander, and it moves pretty fast to be trying to work that paint down. The sanding board would be better for it in the long run. One mistake almost everyone makes (me included) is to try and use power tools where we actually should be using hand powered. With the powered sander, keep it moving. Don't leave it in one spot to try and work down that particular place. Always moving, semi circles over and around the spot you're trying to repair.

What type of sandpaper are you using? If it's the normal brown quartz paper you get most everywhere, cheap, it's going to take you one heck of a lot of it to do what you're doing, and in the long run, more than a decent quality automotive prep sand paper. Check an auto paint supply store and get some paper there. You'll be glad in the long run. At the very least, 80 grit to rough it in, 220 to finish before you prime.
I'm one that likes power tools. Air sanders are to hard and fast to use at home. But an electric DA like a Dewalt with practice will do 90% of the work for you. You do need to get a good set of automotive sanding blocks, summit has everything you need.

If you'll check your Yellow Pages, look under Auto Body and Paint Supplies, you'll find a store that will sell you the better sandpaper, and be willing to give advice as you go. Most supply stores will even sell the paper by the sheet so you don' have to buy a whole box unless you plan on using it. They will also have a multitude of other supplies, some you may not even have imagined existed that will help you in your job to get it done.