First time painting

[Datsun-Fever]

Hey guys, my Z has paint on it, so how far down should i sand? do i use self etching primer ? thanks alot.

[kenz240z]

It depends on the condition of the surface of the body. Are there any dents, door dings, or rust spots? All of these need to be addressed before you paint. If the body is straight & smooth, you could prep the old surface, spray it with a good primer sealer, then repaint it. You shouldn't need a self etching primer unless you strip the body to bare metal.

I repainted my '73 in my garage. After taking care of the body work I sanded everything down with 220 grit on a jitterbug sander. The car was then shot with a primer/sealer, since there were still areas that had the old paint. This was followed by a primer/surfacer, a high build primer that helps fill in small imperfections in the surface, like sanding scratches. Next the car was wet sanded with 400 grit wet/dry paper, then the color coat was applied. The color coat was also wet sanded with 400 grit wet/dry paper and then the clear coat was applied. The clear coat was sanded with 1200 grit wet/dry paper and then hand polished with 3M's polishing compound.

Since it was my first paint job, I used PPG's OMNI AU line of paint, a step down, and cheaper, than their main line of paint. See the pics in my gallery for some before & after shots.

Hope this helps,

Kenny P.

[Mr Camouflage]

It's a lot of work, but I always strip to bare metal.

Even under perfect looking original 30 year old paint you will find the beginnings of rust, which will continue to slowly rust away under your newly painted top coat.

[beandip]

Datsun-F , One thing that is a supprise to owners is that primer is porus and allows moisture to contact the metal underneath. This is why people find rust under the paint sometimes . If the car is sanded to baremetal and primed and driven for a while before painted with a top coat . Rusting can take place , and then when top coat is applied it seals in the rust . When sanding the car with the D A be on the lookout for this and also bondo . Bondo will also allow moisture in and the same thing can happen under it . Sand the edges to bare meatal as you go to see if you find any rust. To just remove all the paint , just because , can be making a lot of unneeded work for your self. If bondo or any body filler has been applied over holes drilled through the metal and these are exposed to mointure , remove the bondo and either braze or solder the holes ,before applying the filler.