Garage Painting

[lewis1952]

Go to WalMart get lacquer thinner, a tube of Bondo Glazing Putty, 120 and 320 grit sand paper and shop towels. Don't sand the fender. Wipe it off with thinner then apply the putty let dry .Sand with 120 the feather edges with 320. I use Duplicolor but its your choice. Gas cap, tape off what you don't want to paint then apply a light coat of primer. Block sand with 120 til most of the primer is gone this will show any low spots. Fill with putty and sand. The bumper, sand with 120 to remove ay loose paint. Then 320 to soften the 120 marks. Wash really good and let it dry, then wipe down with thinner. Prime with filler primer. Again I use Duplicolor because it builds quicker and has a bigger fan pattern than Rustoleum. Once you prime it you can see any touch up sanding you need to do. Sand the primer with 600-800 grit. Paint.

[REDCRAPGP]

Probably would be a helpful write up if you posted pictures during each each step.

[Speedy1973]

Probably would be a helpful write up if you posted pictures during each each step.

^What he said.

I might try attempting to paint the front clip of my GTP soon, as well as the decklid/spoiler/rearbumper. A decent "rattle can" paint job write up would be great, as i really don't wanna pay a shjop thousands to do what little painting i want done. I suppose i could just go at it myself, and see what happens *crosses fingers and hopes for the best*

[lewis1952]

It's not hard, but you got to prep especially plastic and use paint for plastic. I use Duplicolor because the fan pattern is twice as wide as Rustoleum . Yes it costs more but you don't get tiger striping.

[ItHurtz]

idiots.

Stripping: 36-80
For metal I use 40, fiberglass or plastic 80 might be called for, 36 grit scratches in plastic can be real nasty. For some plastics that don't sand well consider chemical strippers, be gentle, or go up to 110 or 180. 8" rotary is my choice for stripping.

Prep for filler: 80
No reason to go finer or coarser for any kind of filler that I can see. Often I'll use a grinder to prep for filler, sometimes a rotary sander, sometimes hand.

Prep for primer: 220 dry
Surfacer should fill 220 grit scratches easily, since you don't want to put any waves into the work at this point you'll probably want to use a block. The right way to block sand is in an X pattern, overlapping, never spend time on one spot, be aware of where you're making contact with the peice and for what duration. You can start coarser, 40 if you need to do some serious shaping, but as you progress you should use finer grits and finish with at least 180. This is the stage you're shaping filler in, so I should mention that the best way to do this is clearly with a body file, a cheese grater tool that's used shortly after the filler kicks but before it fully cures. It removes a massive amount of material easy as pie so you can finish with sandpaper. This is also the magic time window to trim fiberglass, do butt joints in cloth, stuff like that.

Prep for topcoat: 400 wet or dry
Minimum, some say you can see 400 scratches, don't go more than 600 or you get adhesion problems. Again, you'll want to use a block, or a sponge on curved surfaces so you don't put waves in the peice with your finger. The purpose here is to either take small imperfections in primer (in which case you can start with lower grits like 220 and work up to 400), or to just provide tooth (just scratch open the surface and you're done). You might want to use a guide coat, a spray can of a contrasting color so you can see all the low spots and keep removing primer till you remove the color (and hence the imperfection).

Prep for buffing: 1500-2000 wet
Don't start with less than 1500 unless you have lots of material to work with or some serious imperfections. Finishing with either 1500 or 2000 is fine cause the buffer can pick it up from there. I guess some guys go way finer than this but I don't see the point. Every once in while you can stop and remove the water with a squeegee, or better an air hose, and pull some light over it to clearly see your work. High spots will be sanded dull, while low spots will remain glossy and reflective. You use light here just like a guide coat. Keep going till it's evenly dull, use a block or sponge never your bare hand. Some use DAs but I don't. Watch out for burn throughs, if you sand through clear coat or through to primer then you've lost a lot of time to fix it.


These procedures do not apply to a complete restoration. A complete restoration should be examined carefully before repairs are carried out, and in most cases media blasting or other mechanical/chemical stripping will be necessary.

1) First, determine if the car or panel needs to be completely refinished, or if it can be resprayed.
If you have already determined which route you are going to take, skip to Step 2.
If you are performing a complete paint job or basic restoration, it is best to strip the vehicle in most cases.
If the paint job is relatively new, and is only 1 layer (original paint, or stripped and repainted), sometimes it can be sanded and resprayed or primed/sealed and resprayed after proper prep. I still feel the best and longest lasting paint jobs are complete refinishing from bare metal or factory primer on up.

2) After you have determined what level of paint job you want to perform, now is the time to prep the body.
Before sanding anything, wash the vehicle with soapy water, preferably warm water. Use Dawn dish soap or a high quality non-wax auto shampoo.
Pay special attention to wheel wells, gaps between panels, cowls or anyplace dirt can hide. Often nooks and crannies are overlooked and dirt/grease can work its way up onto the panel or paint will lift around the edges of the panel.
Be very thorough with your washing, this is one of the most important steps!

3) Remove trim, door handles, and mask off openings or headlight/tail light cutouts.
The more trim, handles and other parts you remove from the vehicle - the cleaner and longer lasting the paint job. If you mask off handles and trim, the edges of the paint or clear can lift in time. Once the edges have started to lift, it’s a matter of time before chipping and peeling happens in these areas. Masking off these parts can be done, but don't plan on a very long lasting finish.

4) Wipe the car or panel down with Wax and Grease remover. The most efficient way is to load your W & G remover into a solvent sprayer. This makes it easy to spray your panel with solvent and wipe it up with a fresh shop towel.
Another way is to soak one paper shop towel with solvent, wipe the panel, and dry it with another new shop towel while the panel is still wet. This way you will not be spreading contaminants and are sure to remove them.
It is very important not to use only one solvent soaked paper shop towel. Do not use red shop rags or other cloth rags that can contain contaminants. A 2nd dry paper shop towel should be used. Wiping in 1 direction also makes a difference in cleanliness in the final passes.
Let the solvents flash (dry) for at least 20-30 minutes before priming or painting any panel! Solvent pop or other adhesion issues can occur if proper flash time is not followed.
The W & G remover will generally remove most automotive type waxes, grease, motor oil, petroleum products, and most silicones.
Some painters follow W & G remover with an organic solvent like glass cleaner or isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. This removes contaminants such as finger prints, bugs, and certain oils.
Alcohol or glass cleaner (ammonia + water) is for organics - tree sap, bird poop, bugs, finger oil, natural oils in car waxes such as Zymol.

5) Sand the body.
If prepping bare metal, P80 grit paper on a DA sander works great. Blow off the panel and wipe it down (as outlined above) before priming. Then you can apply 2 coats of epoxy primer, followed by 2-3 coats of high build primer. If prepping existing paint or primer, P180 on a DA works well, followed by 2-3 coats of high build primer. If you are planning on sealing the primer or paint, P320 grit is usually adequate.
Personally, I don't use a sealer and just final sand high build primer before color. Sealer is added insurance if you are painting over an unknown material or layers of primer/filler that has been feathered and is showing through.

6) Apply your primer or paint.
Leave the area and come back to inspect your work later. Otherwise you will just be poisoning yourself in the fumes and temped to pick at your work before its ready.


you can re read all of that @ autobody101. op is a perfect plan for a short "paint" job.