Starting paint job - body work

[bhermes]

Ok, it appears that I have decided to paint the z myself. I know that it wont be easy and I will make mistakes. I am going to try and have someone that knows what they are doing to look at the car after I have sanded down old paint, after body work, after primer, etc.

Currently going with a grey/silver strip color scheme. I will be adding a little orange accent at least this is the plan.

I purchased the DA sander today and began to sand just a little.

Couple question;

1) Should I sand down to bare metal. I am not sure what is on the car but very little paint and absolutely no clear coat.

2) What grit sandpaper should I use initially and then through the process. Example, should I start at 120 and end at 600?

The car has a little rust and some filler that I plan on sanding down or out.

I am probably over my head but I have time and will have June, July and August if needed and not working. Time will be my friend and experience my enemy.

Final note, I am not really trying to create a show car, would be nice, daily driver and I bought the car to learn. After this gets painted I am on the a 240Z. I will be looking for a shell/frame if anyone has one they may want to sell in the next few months. I am going to try and create a race car out of this one. Again over my head but I will figure things out as I go.

Thanks in advance.

[jfa.series1]

I know nothing about auto painting other than what I observed at my painter's shop, but here is one caution: as you expose the bare metal, oxidation will set in immediately. Its not going to rust right before your eyes but you need to be aware of this if your sanding is extended over any significant amount of time. You probably do want to get down to bare metal to removel dead paint & primer that may lift off later. You will also want to get some experience with skim coats, filler, and high-build primers to smooth out dings and irregularities. I'm sure others with experience will provide some guidance for you in this area. Good luck.

[bhermes]

Thanks, I started in an area that will be under my front air dam just to check out the sander. I used 120 grit but not sure if this is going to get me down to metal every where. I am not really sure it is necessary to get down to bare metal but I don't mind spending the time if that is requires.

I will wait for others to chime in.

I have researched some on skim coats, fillers and primers but there seems to be more information than I can digest. Just looking for a reasonable approach and I will go with it.

[tlorber]

I would not plan on sanding down to bare metal-only to a sound surface, which in some areas will mean bare metal. 120 grit sounds a bit aggressive, but you can try it and see how it goes. Remember that the more deep scratches you put in, the more you'll have to fill or take out.

You will need a good sanding block to get the surfaces as even and ripple free as possible. Another thing to be aware of is whether there are different kinds of paint (from multiple coats) on the car. If so, the solvent in your primer may soften some areas, while not affecting others. Look at these boundary areas closely before you shoot the color coat.

[idoxlr8]

Do you know how many times the car has been painted? No need to go to bare metal unless there is dodgy body work or a questionable base to lay sealer and primer on.

You will need to establish what kind of base you have before you can make decisions on top coats and procedures.

Check out the SPI web site. Lots of great advice on their forum and fantastic products if you haven't bought paint already. I used their epoxy,primer and universal clear on my 260 and was very impressed.

Dean

Edited April 8, 2013 by idoxlr8

[thriller]

What's wrong with going back to bare metal?

I'm in a similar boat with my 260z right now. I'm taking it back to bare metal, then etch priming, then priming once the etch has cured for a few hours.

[bhermes]

It appears that the car was originally green and then painted red. It is currently white but absolutely no clear coat are any kind of added protection. Any dirt that gets on the white surface will not wash clean.

So I guess to answer the questions of how many times the car has been painted I would say 3.

The car does have some rust spots, not a lot and some filler. Trying to decide if I can refill or need to actually weld in pieces.

[idoxlr8]

With three coats I would strip it back to bare metal.

A heat gun and single edge razor blades work great for this. Way less mess than sanding or paint stripper.

As mentioned earlier, don't leave it in bare metal for long. Spray epoxy on the bare steel as soon as you can to seal it back up. DA the bare spots with 80 grit to give the epoxy some tooth and you will be able to lay bondo and paint on top of that.

Rust spots should be cut out and replaced if you want to do it properly. Laying filler over rusty steel or old filler will bite you in the bum.

[Stanley]

Using the hammer and dolly is way easier than bondo and hi-build primer to even out those tiny dents. Five minutes versus five hours for one slight dent. If you're going to clear coat it the body needs to be sort of flawless. Eastwood sometimes has kits with various hammers and dollies on sale.

[ZCurves]

I agree with Thriller and idoxlr8 about not leaving the metal bare for too long. Work in small areas at a time (e.g. Quarter Panel), sand it down and remove the old finish and any filler. Immediately take some reference pics with a digital camera, then spray with a Acid Etch Sealer/Primer. This will protect the metal while you move to the next area to be stripped or repaired. When I was working on my Z, I had the whole thing sealed in this yellowish-clear sealer (I don't recall the brand) for over a year while I worked all of the dents, rust and crap out.

[bhermes]

Plan for now is to take car down to bare metal. I will do small section at a time. If I use sanding method is 120 grit ok or to aggressive. Will check into heat gun and razor blade. I have read that it is not a good idea to use an etch primer and then epoxy primer, comments? After priming car I will check into a sealer.

Any thoughts or comments appreciated. I know nothing about what I am doing or really going to find once I get to bare metal. Is it easy to sand down primer?

Thanks.

[bhermes]

I did a little more sanding today. Two comments, the 120 grit sandpaper is struggling to get down to bare metal and I have only been seeing the white top coat and the red second coat. It seems that whoever painted the car red removed the green prior to painting. So I guess 2 coats of paint.

I am only able to sand for about 1 minute and my compressor gets to weak.

Just keeping everyone posted on progress.