After the car was resprayed.

[Gav240z]

Ok so here's my situation without going too deep into story. I had my car reversed into by some moron a while back, no note was left but I was left with a broken bonnet.

I could have got the old one repaired but I was told it's very difficult to get it right again and I really wanted the custom vents it had. See my gallery last page for those.

So after speaking to my local Z guy I opted for a later style (280z) fluted bonnet. (In Aus these came on 260z's 74 onwards).

It was originally green but my car was Ferrari red so he sprayed it red for me. After having it done I noticed in a few spots that there was an orange peel roughness to some parts of it. The rest would be smooth.

I figured I'd just cut n' polish it out no problem. Anyway I went to my local auto supplier and was speaking to the fellow there and he said if I have an orange peel surface I should really wet sand it.

So he handed me 1500 grit paper and a cutting compound and said to me to use soapy water and sand paper then go over and use the cutting compound.

Now what I should have done was taken the car back to the guy who painted it. Instead I decided to give it a shot. I have been doing it and managing to get the orange peel to slowly go away mind u it's a bit of work but getting there.

Now I was on the phone to the painter about other Z parts I need mainly a bumper cause 1 week after i fixed the bonnet some other moron hit the bumper and bent it. (AGAIN NO NOTE).

I explained I'd started wet sanding and he said to bring it in and he'll fix it up.

Now being the type who likes to do it myself and get it just right. I'd like to know what exactly are the steps I should take to get it right and to give it a mirror shine once again. My painter claims you need an oribital buffer but I don't like them as they can burn the paint and cause swirl marks.

Could anyone point me in the right direction regarding how to go about gettting the paint good again and what I should watch for aswell as avoid doing..

Thanks so much.

I hope I haven't put people off by writing too much.:classic:

[Gav240z]

BTW I'll try take some photo's of the current situation.

[EScanlon]

Don't worry, I think I hold the title to the longest replies crown.

You DO need some sort of buffer, whether orbital or high speed. Problem is that with either one you're basically doing a high speed sanding with very VERY fine sand. You can burn through the paint with either one, and you can leave swirl marks.

What other option do you have? Repaint the car.

A lot of people use the orbital to buff it out, it takes longer but is more forgiving than the high speed which can literally rip the paint off the car in one careless slip.

Since the painter is willing to look at it to fix it even AFTER you got in there and (sorry) may have mucked things up, I'd let him. He can probably do it quicker and easier than you will. For free even? GO.

I'm also of the type that likes to get things right, but if I've paid someone else to do it right, I like to get my money's worth.

FWIW

[Z Kid]

You do not need a power buffer, and in the hands of inexperienced people like you and me, the buffer will do more harm than good, you run a high risk of taking it too far on corners/raised edges. The same results can be acheived using cheesecloth and the correct cutting compound, it just takes a lot of time.

Having resprayed a car, then had to redo half of it because the power buffer got out of hand, I would never use one unless I knew exactly what I was doing. But if the guy is offering to fix it let him do it.

[SHOTIME]

You can have the whole thing done with a high speed buffer in 10 min if you know what you're doing. I start with 600 grit then 1200 and finally 2000. You have to use at least 2 more polishes of increasingly finer grit after you've compounded to get everything 100% smooth. I usually buff a car 5 times and don't leave any swirl/buffer marks. I can't imagine getting out wet sanding by hand. If course, I do this for a living, if this is your first time you can really screw your paint up.

[NickF]

Use 1200 wet and dry, if a new sheet is used rub the paper on its self to dull also rub soap on the paper, this reduces the cutting.

When you have got rid of the orange peel use cutting compound and a soft cloth

buff with a clean cloth then repeat with metalpolish Brasso is good.

The finer the abrasive the better the finish.

Hard work but you can obtain a great finish.

Much easier hire a polisher I think they run between 900/1100 RPM flat down with worn 600 , use the compound with the polisher then use compound/metal polish.

Be careful with the reds/oranges as they seem to "burn" easier than some colours.

Nick

[Gav240z]

Ok after reading all that, I think what i'll do is try doing what nick said on a small area and see how it comes up. If it's not the desired result I'll leave it to the pro .

THanks for all the input.

[Gav240z]

By the way nick, I found a couple of containers of Brasso in the cupboard. My mum is a fanatic or is it Finatic when it comes to furniture resto. Anyway there was Silvo in there also for Silver polish wondering if you'd recommend using this on the chrome around the side windows and bumpers.

Gav,