Question regarding painting/sanding, with PICS..............

[jmpric]

I recently bought a '68 Coronet 440 that needs a paint job. Currently it is a matte white. I'm not sure if it's some kind of primer or what, but it's not good.
Anyway, I sanded through the layers just to see what I'm dealing with (see attached pic). The car used to be purple, so it looks like the last owner just painted over the purple, even though he claimed it was sanded down to metal and painted white. So I'm contemplating doing some of the sanding on this car myself. Not sure if it's worth the time, or if I'd be better off paying a professional to do it. And if I do sand it, how far down do I go? I would love to try painting it myself, but my tandem garage just isn't wide enough to comfortably get around. I've gotten quotes for $6K,with minimal bodywork. The car is pretty straight right now. I don't want a show car (well, I'd like one, but can't afford one), just a really nice weekend (or more) driver. So what are your thoughts - DIY the sanding, or have a pro do it? And if I do it, how far down do I take the sanding?

- - - Updated - - -

Just for fun, here are the two colors I'm trying to decide between. And I know it's probably sacrilege to add a stripe to the hood of a Mopar, but I was just playing around in Photoshop. I like it though.

 

[eric383]

The yellow just under the purple could be a primer/surfacer applied just before the topcoat of purple to provide a smooth surface for the paint. Get some references for the body shops you are looking at. You don't want it stuck in limbo at the shop while they work on other projects. See what they want to prep it and let them know you aren't looking for a show quality job but a nice daily driver. If you don't have a decent size compressor at home to run a DA this will limit your options unless you want to chemically strip the old paint(very messy) or use a stripper wheel on a angle grinder. Talk to some pros and get some opinions. Good luck.

 

[jmpric]

Thanks Eric. I have gotten 8 or 9 paint quotes, and i have kind of zeroed in on one I feel comfortable with. They spent a lot of time showing me around their facility and explaining everything. And they have a lot of work, which is always a good sign.
I used an electric orbital sander to do that small bit. What is a recommended DA sander for doing the entire car? And what size compressor is sufficient? I'd really like to do this myself, if possible.

 

[SPEEDYRT1]

Hey : 1st off do u have any exp in painting or auto body ? 2nd u could save some money by stripping the car down to bare metal yourself , because that away u know what u got/ and if there is any bad spots rust or bondo myself i prefer the palm - pad sander 4x6 especially around the body lines and curves da for flat surfaces , becaus if u don't know what you're doing u can take off to much with a D A @ wind up with high / low spots in the metal now u just created more work / bigger money , I have a 6.5 hp 60 gal comp and actually , it ain't big enough runs out of air for the Da I use 80 grit WET , paper last longer and does'nt clog up as fast

 

[jmpric]

Hey : 1st off do u have any exp in painting or auto body ? 2nd u could save some money by stripping the car down to bare metal yourself , because that away u know what u got/ and if there is any bad spots rust or bondo myself i prefer the palm - pad sander 4x6 especially around the body lines and curves da for flat surfaces , becaus if u don't know what you're doing u can take off to much with a D A @ wind up with high / low spots in the metal now u just created more work / bigger money , I have a 6.5 hp 60 gal comp and actually , it ain't big enough runs out of air for the Da I use 80 grit WET , paper last longer and does'nt clog up as fast

I don't have any auto body or auto painting experience, but I'm a handy enough guy. I can handle the sanding and maybe even the blocking. I tried hand sanding a small area, and it would take years with all those layers, so an electric or air DA sander is the ticket. What's the advantage of an air-powered sander over electric? Mine seems to run at the same RPM - 12000.

 

[WesleyK]

80 grit on a da sander takes it off pretty good, thats what I'm doing on my 68 Bee. I would go as far down as possible like SPEEDYRT1 said when you go to the metal you know what you got. Im a believer in if its worth doing it worth doing right because you don't want to have to come back later a fix something. It'll cost you more in the long run. I got my da at Lowes and its done fine for years. But you'll need good compressor to keep up with it. I have a 60 gal compressor and it does good. Body work isnt rocket science just takes tools, time, patience, and a little know how. Theres a lot of knowledgable guys on here that can help you along the way. You'll be surprised what you can do if you just take your time and then in the end you can have that satisfaction of having done it yourself. Just my 2 cents, good luck!

 

[eric383]

I have never used an electric DA but my 80 gallon compressor keeps up with my Snap On DA. I like to use 80 grit when I am stripping paint but like SPEEDYRT1 said be careful to not create low spots by staying in one are too long. When the sanding disc stops cutting, change it, don't try to conserve sandpaper.

 

[Cranky]

My car had at least 20 coats and I ended up using a razor blade scraper. The stuff came off in sheets and filled up two 5 gallons buckets! And I think I would take that one down to metal too since the PO lied about it being sanded down to metal before the last paint job. Ain't no telling what else is hiding under the white. Fly by nighters will paint something white because it hides flaws so well.

 

[CHARGERSTEVEN]

Cranky you are 100% rite about painting anything white, if i were you n depending on your time frame n if you only want to do this once sand it down to the factory primer n find all the inperfections n fix as needed apply a good sealer primer for any bare metal that is exposed and apply a good base for paint n it should be set for a few years off perfection. Check to see if the recent paint job was applied over areas like the mouldings on trunk lip n doors etc just to see if they did strip the car.

 

[HYRDGOON]

This thread looks very familiar to me right now... I just spent 5 hours going at the underside of my hood with de-greaser and a scraper... Found green, black, blue, orange and some silver!!

 

[318 Six Pack]

When I sanded down my '72 Charger a few years ago, I got the cheap green that the previous owner had it painted, the original green, and really good factory primer everywhere EXCEPT the left side sail panel. I swear to goodness, the factory missed that whole area with the primer and the 8" disk sander blew it into green powder on contact.

 

[jmpric]

Yeah, I've been using 80 grit so far. And my 5" electric sander does a good enough job I suppose. I wouldn't mind an 8" though. Not sure if they make them in electric. I guess I'll sand down to the original primer and go from there. Not in a hurry really, and I'm anxious to learn some things about this process along the way. Thanks for all the input everyone. I'm sure you'll see me asking quite a few more questions as I get further along. Here's a pic of the car in its current state.

 

[jmpric]

I finally got her in the garage. Tandem garages suck.

 

[318 Six Pack]

Yeah, I've been using 80 grit so far. And my 5" electric sander does a good enough job I suppose. I wouldn't mind an 8" though. Not sure if they make them in electric. I guess I'll sand down to the original primer and go from there. Not in a hurry really, and I'm anxious to learn some things about this process along the way. Thanks for all the input everyone. I'm sure you'll see me asking quite a few more questions as I get further along. Here's a pic of the car in its current state.
View attachment 180336

Mine would have gone fine with a smaller sander too. At the Air Force hobby shop I was working in, the 8" sander was gone to the home garage of one of the hobby shop employees the first few days I was renting my bay, so I was using 8" paper on a 6" (I think) DA sander. If I would have known that, I would have just bought smaller paper and worked with it until it ran out.

 

[jmpric]

Mine would have gone fine with a smaller sander too. At the Air Force hobby shop I was working in, the 8" sander was gone to the home garage of one of the hobby shop employees the first few days I was renting my bay, so I was using 8" paper on a 6" (I think) DA sander. If I would have known that, I would have just bought smaller paper and worked with it until it ran out.

Hey 318 Six Pack, did you sand down to metal? I've heard that it can be dangerous to do with a DA, as you can warp the metal. I've logged 15 hrs of sanding over the past weeks and have exactly half of the car sanded down to primer. I'd like to go down to metal though. I'm wondering if I should've just spent the money and had it media blasted.