I understand what you guys are saying completely, I was just trying to save him a few steps and some cash. I don't think I have ever seen a car done up to your guys standards so I wouldn't even know what it would look like with absolutely no peel or blemishes. I better not see even the hint of a damn wave in the paint when I go to the higher end car show next Saturday :D

You guys are great, I learned something from this. I didn't even know you could do half that crap while painting. I knew you could wet sand the paint in between coats but not near to that extent.

Also here is a pic I took of my friends car. Looks amazing, I didn't see one flaw in that paint except for a little orange peel and some spider cracks in the rear bumper which is natural for these cars. Total cost, $950 :) They didn't wet sand it either so it looked great compared to some of the cars coming through lately. I guess the weather affects the paint alot.

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/5269/1000041d.jpg

Great reply Trey!

There is so much to learn from so many people on this site it's just amazing. Hang out and keep contributing!

I read everything on here I can find -- sometimes I can offer a little teeny bit of help - and sometimes my eyes get opened wide and my brain explodes! :lol:

X2! The internet wasn't invented when many of us were young and learning. Just imagine where the hobby will be when the guys like Trey are middle aged!

Writing that just made me realize how much time and money we might have been able to save if we'd had the information available to us to do things right the 1st time! Just the simple common sense tips you can pick up here are priceless!

I know even before paint is applied to a car many hours of body work must be completed before a near perfect paint job is accomplished. I understand the slicker the paint the more time and of course more money is needed.

The thought of rebuilding a car from the ground up with every part on the car new or redone, and to have a detailed car but to have a so-so paint job seems like a waste.

When I first look at a car I see the wheels, tires, and stance. (These 3 make a huge impression about the attitude of the car) The next area I see is the paint job. Most are clean but some stand out like a sore thumb.

I am not painting my car. My builder is completing all the work except for the engine work (Butler Performance will handle the engine work) and maybe a few other details.

I know my builder/painter knows what he is doing but I like to get opinions from others and talking to everyone in here opens my eyes and lets me know there different ways to complete a certain job.

I am not wealthy so my car is being built in stages (when money is availably) and I am not the only car in the shop. So for a little more money I think I will try and shoot for that near perfect orange peel free paint job. (and hopefully there will be no insects in the booth when the paint is sprayed).

Everyone's thoughts?

Thanks and please keep the idea's and info coming.

Ron
1969 Firebird, 4-speed, Coupe

By the way how do I put the quotes of ours into my post? Sorry I am new at all this and have been a member for a short time.

Thanks.

click on the quote tab below their post (lower right).

Trey, you have a good attitude! :thumbsup:

Thanks Anthony.

Ron
1969 Firebird, 4-speed, Coupe

first and foremost you want a straight, flat canvas. body work and prep are going to be the key to straight car then the paint comes. if you think about it logically, think about a million tiny balls of paint. as you spray, you are "stacking" these particles across the panel. since you have reducer and they are liquid they will melt into each other but not completely they still dont lay out 100% flat. layer after layer will build up and while it may look flat youve actually created a very mellow ripple. the benifit to using the more agressive paper is that it doesnt have to try as hard to cut the tips off these ripples. the 1500 would be what i would concider border line on the abrasive side. its not real agressive. so its not the best for a laser flat finish. if you want to scale it up and try an experiment use some spot putty( imagine it is your clear). sand half of it with 400grit on your hand(this would be your generaly hand polish and denib job) and the other half with 180 on a block( this would be your 1000 grit on a hard foam block) and let me know which side comes out flatter. its the same priciple as the wet sand. i wish i had a drawing to help you visuallize this. the only reason you have to move up to the finer grits is to be sure you can buff the scratches out. in my opinion, the majority of a straight car will be because of the prep. the other part comes from the paint job. i honestly have a couple completely different systems. one for factory finish, one for a local show car and one for real show car.

---factory finish---
-body work finished with 180
-3 coats of high build primer
-320 dry block
-320 dry circle sand by hand(your eye will not be as easily attracted to a curve as it will to a straight line)
-2 coats of sealer
-3-4 coats of base
-2 coats of clear
-denib with 1500 and buff

---local car show---
-body work finished with 180 grit
-3 coats of high build primer
-180 dry block
-2 coats of high build primer(let it cure for a day or two)
-320 dry block
-320 circle sand
-2 coats of sealer
-3-4 coats of base
-3 coats of clear
- 1500 on a hard foam block working up to 2500
-buff

--- real car show---
- same all the way up to base
- 3 coats of clear
- 600 wet on a long foam block
- 3 coats of clear
-1000 grit wet sand on a hard foam block up to 2500


i know there is more than one way to do everything and this is just the way i do it. the average guy would probably look at my factory finish job and be satisfied. the man that runs his nose over his car(hand wash and wax kinda guy) would love the local car show kinda job. then the man that just wants the best period would like the real car show job. i dont think a lot of ppl that havent just ate slept and breathed cars really understand what really goes into the paint jobs on some of the 100k+ cars. theres a lot of man hours and alot of attention to details that will never get a second thought.

trey- i am in no way trying to be rude or condecending. im just trying to give you some good advice and let you know you still have a lot to learn. you should really have a little respect for the quality of these cars and the amount of work put into them. comparing them to a $700 dollar job really isnt even an option. if some one handed me 700 dollars and their car, they would get a lick and a promise. the paint job would look good. but no where near the caliber it would require to do the car any justice. i realize you are young and have "worked hard" on your car but i think as time passes you will realize how truley amazing some of these cars are and the hard work that has been put into them. i think youve found a great place to hang out on this site and you are way ahead of the game. this website takes cars to a whole nother level and you cant do anything but benefit from being on here. keep up the good work and remember to try to stay open minded. the knowlege base on this site is priceless

Thanks guys, I am going to try some of this stuff out on my car. I can probably borrow a gun and get a good smooth base down before the real paint comes.