Some things have been seriously bugging me lately and I want to get them fixed. (a lot of that is my hood that suffered a rock chip that turned bigger) I just wanted a thread where I can get advice, opinions, ask some questions and maybe some constructive criticism to get my car looking the best again.

I understand she's a daily driver with 125k but I'll likely be keeping it for awhile. I understand that you can't keep a daily driver perfect. I

Well, first question. I want to sand the whole hood down for repaint. What grit should I use? Or are there multiple ones that I should? Any techniques?

2nd one, will 275/35/18 fit on a New Edge lowered 1.5? (eibach pro-kit)

3. Wheel spacers? Should I?

Again, thanks for the input and sorry if the questions are "stupid", I'm still learning here.

Thanks, Amie

 

You're gonna paint the hood yourself? If not don't worry about sanding it. Yes the tires should fit.

 

Thanks Al. And I have a friend that will paint my hood for $200 but I was going to prep it for him since he offered to do it.

 

I'm not really sure what grit to use before paint. Not sure if we have any painters on this site.

 

Just thought I'd ask. Thanks

 

Painting is usually the easy part

Your paint can only be as good as your prep work

From what I've read most people say clean the car with dawn dish washing soap to get rid of any oil. Use 120 grit and sand the whole hood.
Do you plan on applying the primer as well?

 

If you're not going to prime it yourself 120 would work, but I might still go up to 400 or 600, just for that extra smooth finish, and it will make the application of primer nicer and easier, which in turn will help the paint, clear, etc.

be sure to keep your sanding in a mostly circular pattern; you don't want to sand grooves into the hood.

if you were applying your primer, i would definitely recommend wetsanding to at least 1000, if not 1500 or more.

either way, good luck and have fun. (don't forget to wear a mask. paint dust is not the most pleasant thing to inhale)

 

I've done some paint prep work on cars before.

 

I've heard that 275's will rub the front under full turn..
Can't confirm the validity of that though. Wheel spacers? No.

 

it might be a good idea to PM Dirk (BoogieNights) - he used to do car painting, and may be able to help you out. SVOPaul could shine some light as well.

 

that is the real truth. talk to your painter. you want to remove any traces of wax. dont use any silcone products of any kind around your car prior to any painting. your gonna want some sanding tools. i like air tools like DA sanders and flat file sanders to do most of the grunt work. there are electric tools that will work too. if hes only gonna spot prime the chip area, sand the chip area flat over the chip area, meaning not digging into it. you might need some spot putty if theres any dent there. that usually gets worked out between primer coats. your gonna want to feather that out and take all the old paint down to no signs orange peel. so you want real smooth.

if hes gonna prime the whole hood, you can really take the paint down more. sanding primer is more critical as its soft and any little sanding marks or gouges in the primer will show in the paint. the primer will need to be wet sanded and you will want to use sanding blocks to keep flat areas perfectly flat. curves are tricky too and the hardest area to sand. you`ll want some rubber blocks that flex for curved areas to put your sandpaper on.

might do some homework on it and google car painting and prep work. if you have any auto paint stores around that sell paint and supplies, those people are great to talk to and can set you up with lots of info and some supplies, papers, sanding blocks ect. its a art in itself, but doable if you really put your mind into it

heres a example of a hand sanding block ive used. its a good block for water with the holes in it and it flexes a little for some curves, yet is very flat for flat areas.

 

That's correct, I have 275s in the front and they do rub (barley) under full turn. I can't even tell that it rubs but I can see the wear on the tire. I'd recommend 255 or 265 for the front.

Anyone ever tried just using scuff pads?? Might not be as legit as actually sanding it but I helped my friend paint his Silverado and all we used were red scuff pads to get all the shine off and get it as smooth as possible, cleaned it grease remover, and painted it. It didn't come out bad at all.

 

Thanks for the input! Ok I'll keep that in mind and check out 120. If I get it sanded, he may be doing the primer but not sure yet.

Thanks for your help! I figured I'd just sand the paint down and he will likely put the primer on. Hopefully I get to learn as much as I can so I can start doing projects like this myself. maybe I can do a little hands on with the spray gun.

Haha thanks for your input I was just thinking rear maybe because it seems like it looks to have negative camber in photos when it doesn't. Lol

True! Thanks David!!

Awesome!! Thanks!! I'll definitely research it and thanks for the examples I really want to learn all of this stuff and do my own projects. I like anything artistic so hopefully I become good at it. I'll definitely be watching him paint it. He will likely handle the primer.

 

see if anyone you know has a variable orbit sander you can borrow, if not you can get one pretty cheap. that will cut out alot of the sanding time and sore arms. just dont use the edge of the sanding pad, keep it flat to the surface. i`m just guessing where the chip was you`ll have to go down to the metal, in which case you`ll need primer. he can shoot base coat( color) over the rest of the hood if its sanded good and in good shape. so you`ll have to blend (feather) the primer into the existing paint sanding. if its just the clearcoat thats chipped, just sanding good might be enough for him to re shoot it.