[Brandon_Henderson_44]

Hello all
I have a 1984 Pontiac Fiero with a built up 350 in it. Fast. I have a GT body I want to put onto it, but it is 5 different colors. All the panels are fibre glass / plastic composite. I was just looking for some tips on how to approach sanding and painting my car. I'm looking to spend money to get a quality job out of this. Please if someone could send me step by step instructions on how to do this it would make me extremely happy. Or if you have a web site. Please Email me at Brandon_Henderson_44@hotmail.com
Thank you

[327amc]

Damnnnnn, i want a ride in that thing
They key to a sweet *** paint job is PREP, PREP, PREP, AND MORE PREP.
And there are so many trick to learn from the old guys. Or those that make alot of mistakes
There is as many techniques on paintin your car, as there is painters.

First, you want to get your area set up. Because you dont want to handle the body parts alot after you have washed them. Just take your time getting things set up. Its kinda like reading a script for a later performance. You nearly have to go through the motions. Its the only way your going to find the problem areas.
Sometimes, i just give up for the day. You know the days where you just break everything you touch. I have learned to just go inside, sip some tea, and watch tv till the next day.

Ok, all the hell fire and brimstone out of the way.
Wash your ride and all parts very well. I use simple green. It works great and wont hurt the stoopid neighbors dog that drinks it from the drive way. And it smells good . Make sure to get all areas. Even if you dont intend to paint those areas. Remember the air pressure from your gun can send dirt and debris from the nooks and crannys uhflyin.
I like to pick up some latex or nitrile gloves for the rest of the project. get the powder free kind.
after all parts are washed. you will want to scuff everything. i use 400grit on a Da cause im impatient. but i am careful. a sweet trick to keep those sharp body lines sharp is to lose the sander and use a red scotch brite on those fender lines and body lines. Trust me, this may seem like a forgetable detail. But its one of those things that people will notice. Have you ever seen a car straight off the show room, and then maybe the same model of car years later with many repaints. it just doesnt seem as sharp and "sleek" if you will.
People can tell when something is off, even if they cant pin point it.
Ok, your all scuffed up. wash your baby down again and blow dry with clean air.
you can start with a 2k epoxy primer if your going over baremetal, or raw fiberglass. But since your probably not, you can start with a good 2k primer.
lay it down according to the instructions on the can. I put one wet coat. Let sit for 30-40min, then one more wet coat. Let it sit for a day. Then i spray on a guide coat. That just means, spray on a contrasting color very lightly. I use a rattle can of black basecoat. SEM has guide coat available. Now get a sanding block and get you some 600grit wet and sand away the black guide coat. and remember the body lines. this is a good time to help make them sharper. sand them just on the flat edges. once you are finishes and your happy with the sanding results, mix up some sealer, or mix up some more of that 2kprimer, and over reduce it to make it a bit thinner. shoot the whole ride in one light coat of this. now you can lightly sand this coat with 600 and then shoot your base. and after the base, shoot your clear. Just read and follow all the paint manufacturers instructions. Use the slowest reducer you can get away with, and make sure you let each coat flash appropriately. the slower the reducer, the slower the flash time. keep a decent airflow across the project to get that reducer flashed off.
a couple days after you have shot the clear, start in on wet sanding with 600-1000 grit. Concentrate on the orange peel, sags and other junk.
after you have sanded, wash off the sanding residue, then set ride under the sun to get all the solvent out for a day. after that, shoot you a light tack coat of clear, then a nice wet coat.
if you arent still satisfied with your finish, set in the sun again to let it flash off good. (2 days or so) then wet sand with 1500-2000 and buff.
(start another post for buffing )

Dont let the dew settle on the ride, this will flatten the shine on an uncured paint job.

[Brandon_Henderson_44]

Thanks for the reply I think I know what to do. Just one thing I'm taking all the panels off my car to paint them, and I was wondering if I should wash the panel after each sanding? Also I have no dents in my panels- or rust due to plastic soo is there an easier way of sanding. Well thanks for the reply.

[327amc]

If i sand, i wash. but thats just me. if you are painting straight over plastic, you will def want to use an adrpo. HOK has 2 different kinds depending on your plastic type. i would also give the plastic a scuff. not a deep scuff though.
use a red scotchbrite and do a full even scuff.